195: Writer Derek Walker——shunned by agencies, embraced by brands

It's a too-familiar story. Derek Walker, copywriter and agency founder, came to advertising via journalism. When he graduated, he couldn't find work in ad agencies. Instead, he cut his teeth in corporate America. Radio Shack, for one, where as in-house ACD, he worked on the Howie & Teri television spots.

As he tells it, his grounding on the client side helped him immeasurably. And gave him a career boost when he eventually got hired by agencies. Including stints at Cramer-Krasselt in Milwaukee and Chiat\Day.

Derek's story is inspiration for aspiring copywriters and art directors. If you want a deep knowledge of brands, he tells us, you could hardly do better than to start your career working for a brand.

Reminder: For a 90-minute live webinar on writing the single-minded proposition contact Howard Ibach at creativebriefworkshops.com.