Thank you for inquiring about a creative position. Katherine, your email was a pleasure to read. I can tell you are someone who is passionate about creativity. The most important aspect of getting in a creative department is to have a stellar portfolio with examples of your creative thinking and abilities. There are hundreds, even thousands of people trying to show they deserve a job by solving the department's client creative problems. Your enthusiasm and intuition have to be displayed and perfected.

I wish I was replying to you to set up an interview for the job. But I am not.

Rejection stinks.

Unfortunately, it comes with the pursuit of working as a Creative in
advertising. Everyone in the creative business has gone through rejections.
Getting a job in a creative department is very difficult. Almost impossible.

My name is Scott Kirkpatrick. I have been in the creative business for over
twenty years. I want to help you get the creative job you are looking for.

I ran the classified ad you responded to because I know there are people like
you out there who want to know how to get into a Creative Department. And I
hope I can help. I am sorry that this sounds like an infomercial. (I'm an Art
Director by trade... this copy will never win any kind of an award.)

So, yes, there is no position. What I do have to offer is a way to get
experience you need to get a creative position.

There are schools like the Portfolio Center and Creative Circus who will
educate students about how to get jobs as copywriters, art directors, etc. But
these schools are located in Atlanta. Or like The Miami Ad School, they have
schools all around the world. But there isn't anything here in Madison. That's
why I'm opening a school here. Extra Bold - The Madison Portfolio School.

The reason I'm doing this is because I was just like you. I lived in Madison
and had to go to Minneapolis to get into the Creative business. Starting 2006,
Extra Bold opens and you can get what you need right here. Classes will be
taught by local advertising professionals. Our teachers have had experience
from Minneapolis to Atlanta to Chicago to New York to San Francisco. We have
worked on Fortune 500 companies like - Harley Davidson to Porsche and Best Buy to Target. We've seen it all and done it all. We have hired hundreds of
hundreds of creative talent. You will network with Creatives here in Madison as
well as guest we bring in from all over. The school will prepare you to
interview for a job and send you out on mock interviews with real agencies. So
you're ready for the REAL one.

Our teachers and I have connections that can get you in the door but it all
comes down to what's in your portfolio. Extra Bold's classes will give you a
chance to show off your talents.

I would really enjoy talking with you about your goals. I think that my school
and our teachers will help you do something in Madison, you couldn't do
before...learn how to get a Creative job. It doesn't matter if you have
experience or have none. You could be in school, out of school or just want to
change careers. Or you may want to advance in the advertising career you have
already.

We can talk you about the classes, which include everything from idea
brainstorming, being strategically smart, doing thumbnails to doing radio and
television.

So if you have a portfolio already or if you haven't had any experience at all,
I'd love to talk. I'd love your input and insights.

Thanks for responded to the classified ad. Thanks for listening to me ramble on
about something very exciting to me. I know what it's like to want to get in to
this business but not know how. I'd like to help.

If you have an interest in Extra Bold Portfolio School, please send me a reply
and I'd love to talk with you. I'll buy the coffee at Starbucks to make up for
getting your hopes up with the classified ad.

Thanks,
------ scott