Behind the doors of DC: What one week taught me

Fresh out of GCSE’s, with little to no plans to fill the long summer months ahead, I was warmly welcomed into the Drummond Central (DC) building. Considering I was about to do a week's work experience with adults I didn’t know, in an industry I didn’t know much about, I definitely made a quieter first impression than intended, but it didn’t take long for the hearty team to make me feel at home.

Despite often expressing my interests in marketing to my family and pretty much anyone that I could, I really did show up to the agency door with minimal knowledge of what it involved. Thankfully, what followed was a carefully thought out, well-planned week that allowed me to fully immerse myself in the worlds of different departments. I was treated as part of the team, given a proper work-life experience, and rather than being handed a sort of pretend job, I was working on a real, valuable project for the agency, which I really appreciated. On Monday morning I was briefed (a concise list of core details, goals and expectations, for those of you that didn’t know, like me), and given the week to prepare a creative deck (another new marketing word), alongside this article. I spent time carrying out market research, compiling my ideas, as well as designing the deck I was to present to the team at the end of the week. Other than the initial brief, it was pretty much down to me to manage my time and get everything done. Obviously, everyone gave me guidance where it was needed and cleared up my confusion, but in terms of day to day productivity and specific job details, that was up to me. I got a sense of working against short deadlines, which made my whole experience feel just a bit more real.

On top of this, my time was made even more valuable through the daily scheduled meetings with various members of DC. From Planners to Creatives to Account Handlers (all terms I learnt that week by the way), I was guided through the ins and outs of roles I didn’t know existed. Everyone was so detailed and enthusiastic, and I often left just wanting to go into whatever section of the industry I had just discovered. These chats also allowed me to form various new perspectives and gain an understanding from people with years more experience. As someone unsure of the direction they’re leaning towards in the future, I was grateful to be surrounded by individuals with such varied paths, who were willing to share their advice and words of wisdom.

Although I was there for future-career-choice-making purposes, I gotta say that my favourite part of Drummond Central is the people. Somehow, this agency has successfully created a cohesive, woven team of creative, bright and warm people who genuinely enjoy what they do, and it’s these people that made my week so exceptional.

The basement floor (my home for those 5 days), consisting of a combination of account handlers, and the client partnership team, made it so easy to adjust, keeping me involved, and filling me in on whatever conversation was circulating. Furthermore, spending a day on the creative floor was another one of my many highlights, a room filled with hilarious, talented and interesting people – with good music taste, which is always a massive bonus. I felt extremely privileged to be clued into the behind the scenes of adverts I had seen out and about previously, and admired the works in progress that were going on around me. Putting yourself in a building with strangers is undeniably a scary thing, but there was never a moment I was made to feel as though I shouldn’t be there.

Making the most of the sun during lunch breaks, cake and pastry mornings, and greeting new faces whilst trying to find my next meeting – every interaction was friendly and easy going. There’s the strongest sense of community and respect for every position, and I can’t recommend enough just putting yourself straight into a work environment – in terms of understanding a career, it’s by far the best way to go about it. I just hope wherever I am in the future, the morning chats around the coffee machine are just as entertaining as those at DC.