Alumni Spotlight Will Gorman
Freelance CW/ACD for Hire
#AlumniSpotlight The Creative Circus graduates the most sought after creatives in the industry. Take a moment to read about the lives, careers & personal stories of some of our fantastic alumni.
Will Gorman – Freelance CW/ACD for Hire
Past: Creative at 180 LA, Venables Bell & Partners
Creative Circus Alumnus – Advertising (2006)
Portfolio
Advice to the Graduating Class:
Chase great agencies to work for. Chase great clients to work on. Chase great management and creative directors you want to work with. Don’t chase the money. You won’t make much the first few years of your career anyway. Why sell yourself short for a few thousand bucks? It might seem like the world to you right now, but in the long run, it won’t be worth the career you gave up to get it.
Advice to the Incoming Class:
When the dreaded sixth quarter panic attack comes for you, assume the fetal position and slowly rock back and forth for 5-10 minutes. Then, splash cold water on your face, rinse the barf out of your mouth and give yourself a good slap. Throw away your shitty portfolio and start over. You still have a couple weeks before graduation to do your best work. And you will.
What do you wish you knew while in school?:
Timing and luck are almost as important as your portfolio and talent. An agency might like your work, but is in the middle of a hiring freeze or maybe they’re waiting to win a new piece of business before they pull the trigger on a junior team. Be patient and know that it will all work out in the end. It just might take some time. Also, once you get your foot in the door, don’t blow the job interview.
What does the Circus mean to you?:
The Circus is kind of like bootcamp. When you’re in it, you can’t wait to graduate and get out. But once you’re out of school, you’ll look back and realize you just spent two years with some of the best humans you’ll ever meet and learned the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will serve you well throughout your career.
Describe a monumental, light bulb moment for yourself while you were at The Circus:
$4 pitchers at Moe’s and Joe’s on Thursdays. Game-changer.
Favorite project you’ve worked on:
I would say the Expedia Dream Adventures project we did with St. Jude’s Children’s hospital was the most rewarding project I’ve worked on. And the work we did for HBO and Slim Jim were the most fun.