Fairy tales do come true. If you want it bad enough.
“You may be talented. But that will only take you so far,” quips James Keng Lim, Creative Director of Hakuhodo and Chairman of Crowbar 2017.
“To succeed, you need to want it, you need to earn it. A vivid imagination, sprinkled with a healthy dose of doggedness, a thick layer of ectodermal tissue, and plenty of verve never hurt anyone. Creativity isn’t a birthright; it has to be earned.”
A living testimony to the theme of this year’s Crowbar is Larries Ng.
“On my first attempt at the Crowbar and Crowbar 24-hour Challenge, I scored…a big fat zero. I was embarrassed and unceremoniously brought down to earth. But I didn’t let that affect me. Instead, I used that experience to spur me on.”
The following year, he came back with a vengeance and a renewed vigor in his pursuit of glory, and was rewarded with some medals and finalists. Good, they say, is the enemy of great.
Aptitude is one thing. Attitude, on the other hand, is everything. After all, life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it.
On his third attempt last year, Larries didn’t just win Best of Advertising at the Crowbar Awards, he also emerged victorious at the Crowbar 24-hour Advertising Challenge. His fairy tale finally came true when he scored a full-time gig at TBWA.
Sharing the same ethos are Cedric Dias, Head of Digital Marketing for OCBC, and Daphne Boey, Associate Digital Director at Hakuhodo.
Transition was a recurring theme in Cedric’s professional path. He relocated to Singapore with his young family, to a different country with a different culture from what he was used to. He was made redundant when the economy took a nosedive – this eventually prompted him to take a plunge into a totally different industry, one that now allows him to fulfil his life goals.
Despite many twists and turns, Cedric remains the ultimate optimist.
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Aptitude is one thing. Attitude, on the other hand, is everything. After all, life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it.”
Similarly, Daphne took the path less traveled. As a Theatre Studies major, she’s dipped her toes in various industries that are only tangentially related – she’s honed her skills as a writer, at one point ghost-writing for a relationship column; she’s worked in multinational giant e-retailers and marketed for consumer electronics; she’s even taught in a local school for a spell.
Returning to her roots as a writer in the content space made her realize that her love for storytelling goes beyond words – this now drives her vision in the digital sphere. She admits to having been rather blessed in the opportunities she has been given, but notes that it’s not without an equal amount of hard work and perseverance, too.
“Put your head down, keep the people you trust close to you, and believe that the universe will take care of you,” she adds.
Hear all four speakers as they share their own personal ‘Fairy tales do come true’ anecdotes and give invaluable insights to how to succeed in advertising at the Crowbar Winner’s Workshop to be held on May 31, 2 pm – 6 pm, at Nanyang Polytechnic.
Tickets are complimentary; apply in advance to secure your seats. Walk-ins are also accepted and registration starts at 1:30 pm on the day itself.
More details can be found at crowbar.com.sg or on the Crowbar Facebook page. Crowbar call-for-entry starts 19 June 2017 and is open to students in local and overseas institutions. Details for The 24-Hour Challenge will be announced in August.
