#lifeatsynergy with Olly Whitman

After joining us back in February, we caught up with our Creative Director Olly to find out what he’s been up to in his first three months.

OK then Olly, three months in as our Creative Director, what’s the first thing that struck you when you joined Synergy?

Definitely the pace. I couldn’t believe how much everyone gets through each day. Like any agency, there’s lots going on, but everyone here at Synergy manages to handle this with bags of energy and a lot of enthusiasm. Basically, everyone’s ‘on it’ to deliver for clients, and each other, which I’m really enjoying.

Sounds like Synergy has kept you on your toes since you started?

Definitely. I’ve gone from working with five brands in two years, in my last agency to working with 20 plus brands in three months. Having so much exposure to different brands and projects so quickly has been great and I’ve learnt loads already. I really love how everyone is very willing to collaborate. It doesn’t matter what part of Synergy you’re from, I’ve seen some great ideas come from across our client services and strategy teams as well as our creative team. I’ve come in and I’ve really been allowed to make my mark, which is fantastic.

Let’s talk about creativity then, what’s your take on our creative output?

The quality is really high, but we’ve got bags of variety too. I’ve come in and I’m working on VR projects, rebrands and TV ad concepts straight off the bat. I’m being challenged and I’m learning every day which is really refreshing.

And you’ve come back to internal comms after a period away from it?

One of the things that made me really interested in the role at Synergy was knowing that I’d be able to do more creative things here – than be confined to a set of guidelines. Clients are generally happier to push things creatively and, because it’s for an internal audience, there is generally the scope to do something completely different. That could be anything from adding a new typeface into the mix or doing something completely random, like a parody of a TV show. It’s really exciting, the different avenues you can go down creatively.

What’s the culture like here compared to what you used to?

The culture is like really good. You know, before I started I came to one of the creative speaker events, my first week there was a Thirsty Thursday, which is a nice recap of where the agency’s at, and then a few of us went to the pub afterwards. So there’s a good social aspect to it, but more than that I think everyone understands what their workmates can do and from there can get the best out of each other for that reason. There’s a healthy competition in the studio to try and critique work in a way that it gets better and better.

Everyone’s encouraged to live the Synergy values too which is great. Whether that’s sharing creative inspiration on our Workplace group or simply unpacking the dishwasher when it’s full, we all chip in and do our bit.

And what would the one piece of advice you would give to someone that’s thinking about joining us here at Synergy?

That’s a tough question, but I would say come ready to get stuck in, roll your sleeves up, just bring it on really. Make a mark and make it count.

We’re growing at a phenomenal rate, which means we’re always on the lookout for top talent. If you’ve got what it takes to join us here at Synergy, check out the roles we’re recruiting for here and follow #lifeatsynergy across socials.