Thomas Lander

Copywriter

Melbourne, Australia

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Bio

No amazing origin story here. Words were never my thing. My last name isn't Ogilvy, and the rst words from my infant mouth weren’t ‘tell the story’. 6 years ago I told my parents that when I graduated college I’d move away to study Art in Melbourne. 5 years ago I graduated year 12 Dux for Graphic Design and Art. I watched my mum cry. 4 years ago I backpacked my way from Bosnia across to the UK. 3 years ago I moved from Canberra to Melbourne to study Fine Art. My mum watched me cry. 2 years ago I found out that dreams change. I stumbled out of ne art and fell into advertising. I fell in love with it. 1 year ago I started as a junior copywriter and designer at web design studio Major Creative, and am now interning at VERSA agency. This year I’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Communication (Advertising) from Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Now words are my thing. Funny how all that works isn't it.

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You should select me because

I can write pretty words that fill a web page, and I can write quips that make people giggle. I can shoot and film the content, and I can make the logos that go up in the corner. But I want. I want to write words that move people, not sell snake oil. Words with attitude that change attitudes, and words that make all kinds of people feel warm where they feel cold.I want to travel to where the sun burns my pale cheeks, and then to where icy winds burn them.I want to write, and I want to travel, but more importantly I want to learn. I want to learn how the people in these agencies do what they do. I want to learn how they write, and change lives, and mentor, and then do it again the next day. That's why I want WGI, and that's why you want me. I can't wait to get started. I'm so excited to meet you.

1. Why are you interested in wgi?

The last 4 years I've spent studying has made me realise that I hate boxes; something that the Ad industry loves. I'm not shooting to be a Copywriter, or an Art Director, or a strategist, or creative, or an accounts man. The operative word here is 'or', because i'm shooting for all of it, and that's the language that WGI speaks.

2. What are you looking to gain from an experience such as WGI?

This internship is a petri dish of people smarter, older, younger, infinitely more creative, and with more experience than me in their little finger. I'm hoping whatever the petri dish is brewing is contagious.

3. What would be your goals after completing WGI if you were selected?

I want. I want to see more of the world, but I also want to start working. I want to make a difference to an industry where I see so many boxes that should be broken, and soapboxes given to the wrong people. My goal for life after WGI is that I no longer have to say that I want all these things, because they'll no longer be "wants", they'll be "haves".

4. How did you hear about wgi?

A genius tutor I've never had, that I've learnt so much from, at a university I've been to twice. It sounds like the start of a riddle, and even more like the start of an adventure novel. Here's hoping.

5. Share an example of a time you were most motivated and a time you were most demotivated.

The short answer to both is whenever I lose. Most recently, it was finding out that after putting three months of virtually sleepless nights, blood, sweat and tears (don't ask) into crafting two entries into the Future Lions competition, that our team hadn't been shortlisted. Demotivated. Brushing the dust off and distancing ourselves, I realised that the work we had made as a team was beautiful and personally important, independant of strange metallic animal trophies. Motivated.

6. In your opinion, what creates a great culture at a company?

Great company culture for me, is me wanting to go to work. It's me being proud of what work makes, and it's the people that work there feeling like family. A company can have as much or as little fake grass, beer fridges, and office dogs as they like, but as long as what they do is great, so too is their culture.

7. What brands and companies do you admire and why?

Companies that make change both proactively and reactively. Parley, for changing a world where sand and plastic are becoming synonymous. Agencies like Versa, who give valued employees valuable family time at home, as if they're valued employees. Companies that are good because they really believe in doing good.

8. What do you do to stay sharp and improve your craft?

I write for work, and I write for fun. I read, I read other people's work and I have people read my work. I'm never always right and I never go into anything thinking that I am. Writing is as much about talking to someone as it is them listening, and making sure I understand how people truly listen, keeps my craft very sharp.

9. What’s your favorite quote?

"I want that trophy, so dance good" from Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. I don't love this quote becuase of what this quote means, I love it for everything else. Pulp Fiction is my father's favourite movie, and this is the line he always quotes. It's also his favourite movie soundtrack. When he and my mother got married, after the wedding video was shot, their house was broken into. All of their CD's had been stolen except for what my father had in his car. As such, much to my mother's displeasure, the soundtrack to my parent's wedding video is the same soundtrack that Mia Wallace overdoses to. And it's the most beautiful video I've ever seen. This quote is all about trying and doing and square pegs fitting in round holes. This quote is about me.

10. If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?