We’re sure you’ve heard this before, but you should never stop learning, especially if you want to succeed in life and in your career. Why do you think there are so many self-help books out there? At Marbury, we truly value opportunities for our team to get outside the office and grow their skills and network. One such opportunity for this type of mental and creative exercise is Creative South. Our studio crew had the chance to attend this unique conference last year and couldn’t wait to head back to Columbus, GA, again this year! We asked Carol, John, and Dave to share their highlights and a few things they learned from their weekend at Creative South. Maybe you will learn a little something too!
Carol Armitage, Senior Art Director: One unique characteristic of Creative South is how “focused” it is. Not many can attend (there were about 900 attendees total this year), which means that you really get the chance to mingle with and meet everyone. One of my favorite things about the weekend is the way the workshops and speakers are scheduled. You don’t have to pick and choose from an overlapping schedule, like other conferences, and potentially miss out on one talk in order to attend another. The schedule at Creative South is designed to allow you to hear from everyone and even ask questions and interact with the speaker(s) after. My favorite workshops this year were a Character Development session with Rocky Roark and a “People Love Process” talk.
Dave Dodson, Digital Production & Design Manager: Probably the most notable aspect to this conference is the sense of community. Creative South was a chance to get to know others in the industry as well as my own team members (I’m relatively new to Marbury!). My favorite talk was by Luke Flowers and Joey Ellis. They discussed the process of creating a television pitch for their property, Leaky Timbers. All the talks from the weekend offered some really great insight into struggles and hurdles others in our industry have overcome to get to where they are today. It was really an encouraging and inspiring weekend!
John Clavijo, Production & Studio Director: This year’s theme for Creative South was “Wonder of the Circus” which meant a lot of carnival fun and food! Like my teammates, I enjoyed the time spent with warm and authentic creatives just like us and getting to hear talks from many different experts on topics like mental health and problem solving. Every year, there is a “creative contest” that involves quick thinking and design skills. This year, contestants were given wood panels and Sharpies and in one hour, they were to design something on those panels inspired by the theme of “Send in the Clowns.” It’s so crazy to see what people can come up with in just sixty minutes! I really enjoy going to a conference and not feeling like a cattle in a big herd. Can’t wait for next year!
