Long Tables and Networking Like a Detective

The other day I was at Fremont Brewery and I was sitting with a friend at one of their long, biergarten-style tables, packed like sardines with strangers on the long wooden bench. It was sunny and 70 and the sky was clear and on days like that Fremont Brewery fills up. You can hear the buzz of voices from a block away. It's an awesome place, and there are many reasons that people like to go there, but I would argue that one of the biggest reasons is the long tables. 

We weren't there long before the man sitting next to us, who had been talking to his friend, turned to us when his friend got up to go to the bathroom.  Hi, he said. My name is _____. 

In no time, we were joking, laughing, getting to know each other. It turned out the man is a video producer at a local video production agency. What do you know, I'm trying to break into the creative field. We talked a while longer, pulled a larger group sitting next to us into the conversation, and before my new friend left, he dug into his pocked and pulled out a business card and handed it to me. I don't know if I can help you, but let's connect.

It's these words that have ignited me lately. 

Since the beginning of the year I've made it a point to talk to everyone, tell everyone I meet what I'm doing, tell them about the transition into copywriting that I'm making, and ask questions. I've mass emailed agencies asking for walkthroughs or informational interviews. I've boozed and schmoozed at advertising and design happy hours. I've gone to unaffiliated talks, generic networking events, and even sat down with the director of communications for Fred Hutch. 

I've learned that networking is like being a detective. You talk to everyone you can, ask questions, get leads, make connections. Some of these bear fruit immediately, some bear fruit later, some are dead ends. Some leads pop up from unexpected places.

Some examples:

At the YPOS happy hour, I met a guy that was the CEO of a startup. Over a beer in a crowded bar, we worked through a copy problem he had with his new flyers. I think I impressed him with my on-the-fly improvement of his copy. That one's free, I told him, and we exchanged information.

I met another guy that owned his own business. He was looking for copywriting for his website. He told me he couldn't pay but that it would be great experience. I asked him how he expected to get good copy if he wasn't willing to pay for it. Someone will do it for free, he told me. Dead end. But that's a topic for another day.

In my class at SVC my classmate recommended me for a job at REI. I had friend from another class that also works there, and they both vouched for me, but I don't have a portfolio yet, which ended up hurting me. Even so, that lead was strong and may yet bear fruit. My class was full of people working in design and creative direction. My teacher was incredibly positive and offered guidance on building the portfolio.

At an advertising awards event, I met a fun duo that work at an agency in Seattle and they invited me to see their workspace. I met them for happy hour one Friday evening and sat at a long table with many of the people that work there. Over hush puppies and french fries and an old-fashioned I picked their brains about what it takes to get into the industry. It was super fun and they were extremely helpful.

My email canvas of agencies got me an hour sit-down with a creative director at Copacino + Fujikado. My conversation with him was fantastic and enlightening, and though he wasn't able to directly help me, he sent me a list of five other people he wants me to meet with. 

At an AIGA event called Woman Up, I got to meet the AIGA Seattle leaders and they invited me to join Changemakers as a copywriter. They told me they really need writers. I'm extremely excited to be working on a real-world problem. 

If I'm a detective, my case is to find a job writing copy. And I'm working my ass off to make the connections that will help me close this case. And honestly, it's really fun. I'm having a great time. For the most part, people want to help you, people want to lend a hand. They want to see you succeed. The more people I meet, the more this goal feels achievable. The kindness and generosity I've experienced has been inspiring.

I'm going to stay hot on the trail, keep going to events, keep asking questions. And you bet your ass I'm going to keep sitting at long tables. Who knows, maybe the next person I share a long bench with will crack this case wide open