I remember this break up story of a friend. It started out innocent enough, his girlfriend was moving house and he had some work to do that day, so she asked a friend to help out.

As he arrived in the evening and being a photographer, he was taking pictures of the place, while she was on an errand run for the house.

As it turns out she bought more stuff then could fit into her tiny Renault. So she had called said friend who had a pick up. She and he drove the stuff to her house from the supermarket located just outside of the city.

An uneventful evening of cleaning and hanging up drapes and stuff was what followed, captured by my friend.

An uneventful evening that ended with him being dumped by her that night. And finding out that the friend, was not just a friend.

Of course he felt blindsighted and could not understand the change of heart from just 24 hours earlier when all seemed well. And even more astounding was her slight anger at his disbelief.

A few weeks later, he was browsing; through the pictures he had taken, and old text messages he and his ex had exchanged.

And he saw it. Clearly, undeniably and obviously with the benefit of hindsight. Evidence that all had not been well for weeks.

Picture this: an almost empty living room. Time: 23:32. One lamp in the front-end of the room, lit, one table and three chairs in the back.

My friend at the one end, beer on table, cam in hand, snapping randomly. At the other end the two of them. Beers on the table, him smoking a cigarette.

Seconds later the camera snaps. She standing slightly behind is left shoulder, one hand on his shoulder, her other hand outreached in mid air, like an athlete in a relay race, waiting to grab his cigarette as it was coming out if his mouth. Waiting to smoke it.

Smoke his cigarette. How could he have missed that? How could he not have linked that to how she used to do that, with him. Not with any of his friends, her sister, not with her own friends, nobody else. She only used to smoke the cigarette out of his mouth.

Secondly the header of her text messages had changed in the weeks leading up to the dumping. What used to be “he babe”, had become Hi Denis, instead.

Small points in their relationship, that with the luxury of hindsight, turned out to be indicators of something bigger at play.

Same with briefings clients give or problems we face. Sales rarely drop over night, customers don’t just wake up and decide not to be your customers anymore.

There is something more happening than meets the eye. Yet often through time and resource pressure we revert to simple problem-solution thinking. Thinking that at best, and with a shitload of luck will produce a temporary solution.

Adland likes to talk a lot about using new technologies, (compensation) structures, T/X/Y shaped thinkers to do better work for clients. Tools to help meet the ever growing demands for faster and more efficient work.

Yet often agencies and clients forget to offer the most important element to create better work: Time.

Time to work out the real issue, time to pick up on small triggers that could set of something big; something that could set the client apart from competitors.

Am I saying that more time equals better work? No. That is like saying more money leads to better work.

But what I am saying is that if advertising’s biggest pride and joy are the people working in it, then we should start treating them with a bit more respect and provide the best possible circumstances to do what they do do best: creating commercially viable solutions to client problems.

Because in order to move brands forward in ways that are effective and significant, using the latest tools to fix wrong issues fast, only ensures that the suppliers of those tools make money. Not agency, not clients.

Anyways… as always

NH

And while all the above feature in my repertoire, there is an additional one that does it for me. Washing dishes.

Seeing a full sink of plates, knives, forks, pots, pans and glasses slowly empty up, seems to bring down my breathing, slow down my thinking and allows for me to just find a moment of piece during these hectic days as we launch GapJumpers.

Figuring out where to start first: plates or glasses (it is plates as glass is done last as not to leave watermarks as it dries).

Finding the right temperature of water; warm enough to make sure things get clean, not to warm or cold as to break the flow of washing by having to adjust midway.

And arranging the sink. Have a look at the picture. As you can see the knives and forks are in this basket that is hanging above a bucket. The perfect spot to have them dry without messing up the entire sink with water. Took a while to figure that spot out.

It is import to have rituals; moments that allow you to just step back and breath out at a normal pace. Feel a bit more human, not just entrepreneur, employer, or some other title..

Dishes. yeah…

Anyways..

As always..

So after a dinner, walking back from Vitacura towards Bilbao con Amopolas (which I still am writing wrong after all this time), I was at this stoplight and a car cut us off. One of those expensive looking fuckers, of which the brand alludes me at the moment. As I was staring the driver down, I mumbled ‘I wonder what it is like to be that privileged’.

And as I turn my head to see is there is more traffic, I see the following (clik to zoom in) :
.

The hills surrounding Santiago, Chile. I am looking at the hills surrounding Santiago, Chile on a sweet summer evening. Looking at the hills surrounding Santiago, Chile, where I am residing, working on a start up, funded by amongst others the government of Chile.

Has it been a fucking cake walk? No. I’ve actually had some of the most crap experiences in recent memory, while here. Will it become any easier? No. Judging by the amount of work and growing up still to do, I can’t imagine it will be smoother than it has been so far.

Does that excuse me for acting like a proper spoiled asshole and not noticing that I lucked into a pretty sweet gig? No.

The hills surrounding Santiago, Chile. I know pretty fucking well what it is like to be privileged.

Anyways..

As Always..

You coulda done better but I don’t mind
You just kinda wasted my precious time
But don’t think twice, it’s all right.

In the next 14 days, give or take, we are opening up our service to the public. Nothing up this point in my life has me prepared for these next days.

I am an adman. Started out in publishing and through chance and helping hands, blagged my way into Account Planning. For all my bitching and bridge burning, I really enjoy it. I have a talent for it. Am proud of most works I’ve been a part of.

But launching a proper company, with people depending on you for money, clients across continents, investments, is not like launching a campaign. Not even close. Being a hoe don’t prepare you for pimpin’.

We’ve been working towards this launch for the last 3 months. Progress has been slower than expected. Most people who track our progress, disagree with me.

They tell us there are three criteria to judge progress as a start up:
1) You don’t believe in the idea..
2) You are fearing the end of finance..
3) The market consistently turns down your iterations..

If any of the above are happening, panic and have serious conversations. If not; focus and push forward..Judging by that, we’re good.

And yet here we are, weeks away from public judgement : a million things to do, and even more things slipping past me because of lack of time, hands and sheer inability to do better.

I know some perspective is needed, but in the lonely cool before the launch, this is how I am seeing and feeling things.

Lucky for me Kedar is co-founder. For the life of me I don’t get why he agreed. Good thing he did though. Being better at what I am good at and the opposite of me, has made all the difference.

I can’t imagine it always being easy to work with me: moody, impatient, prone to immaturity and unreasonable expectations. And then there are bad days. Though I’d never say it to his face, I am very thankful for his momentary lapse of judgement when he agreed to all of this.

Like I said, nothing has me prepared for what is next; least of all my time spend in Adland. For all their talk of failing fast and learning, always being in beta and shit; when you’ve invested as much as I have, we have, no way I am objective and rational.

This is personal, fuck business and fuck you.

Time to lift the curtains..

Anyways…as always

NH

“In Chile, everybody thinks they are middle class.”

While this statement is a generalisation, having experienced Chile for a few months now, it is the most accurate 140 character definition of how Chile, its society and people function.

To be explored in a bit more detail at some point, even linking it up to the fact that Chile and hipsters were made for each other due to this “common bond” view point on life..

Anyways…

As Always

NH

If you are here, because of him, then that you should be asking yourself why the fuck you did not come here sooner, because I’ve been at this writing thing for a while now..

Lucky for you, I am shallow enough to take you adoration for whatever reason…

Anyways.. the reason he (yes again the same link) wrote about me, is this..

It is private beta and all that, but if you want to know more, shoot me a mail at info@gapjumpers.me..

As always..

NH

Vitacura neighbourhood Santiago. On the left a dental office. On the right an ice cream parlor.

I once suggested to a potential client that he should open evening supermarkets in area’s that have coffeeshops (the Dutch kind that sells weed legally).

Get high and you get the munchies; it would have been like printing money. Obviously he told me to fuck off.

Can you ever imagine ice cream tasting better then after a dental check up.. ?

anyways as always

NH

Shifts happen. And when they do, the ones caring the most tend to get screwed. Not just by the other party, but even more by ourselves.

We can’t let go and forget the golden rule: however bad the situation is, don’t make it worse, because you CAN make it worse.

If you wake up tomorrow and your woman is over you, don’t make it worse by going in denial and trying to win her back .

If tomorrow a brand changes their privacy settings; accept or walk away. Don’t make it worse by ranting to your colleague or the machine.

When relationships change, there is one thing you should do: behave towards the other as you did during the best of times.

First of all, this burns no bridges, because shifts happen and who knows about tomorrow.

Secondly revenge IS better served cold and unexpectedly (I never said be a push over, just don’t make things worse when shit happens).

Lately personal and professional situations have come up with potential to make me forget the golden rule.

I am hoping that by writing about it, I’ll remember when the times comes..

Anyways…as always

NH