Hank Leber, 28, founder of Agency Nil, answered some questions for us.
Q. This is a tough time to break into the agency business. What's your experience been?
A. I'm in the job hunt, but stuck in the mire like most others. I get a
lot of "we would if we could, but we can't." The hardest part is the
stark contrast between this year's hiring experience and every other
year of the Brandcenter. It's a premier program and the jobs were
flying out the door by this time last year. Some say this year will
build character in us, and we'll look back on it fondly later. Right
now, it feels incredibly frustrating. With Agency Nil, it was a natural
product of the environment. My mother used to always tell me growing
up, "If the wind don't blow, row."
Q. What kind of stuff do you imagine Agency Nil doing?
A. I'd love to see Agency Nil set an example for frustrated agencies out there as well as struggling freelancers. There are options. Business-wise, it would be nice to have tons of clients, more work than I know what to do with, and be able to be choosy. But the truth is, I'm just happy to be working with any clients who have an open mind to the idea, and who value progressive thinking and new approaches to business problems.
Q. Do you have any projects so far?
A. I do have them rolling in already. In fact, within 90 minutes of going live with the site, I had my first work order. Looks like it's going to be a mix of agencies and businesses.
Q. Is there a risk you'll depress the market for creative work by not setting a price?
A. This isn't about undercutting anyone. It's about supply and demand—honestly, I think this should've happened a long time ago. The system has been terribly lopsided for a while now, and I hope this can be the start of a breaking point in the industry on some level. It won't depress the market—the price will still come up and down, and work will get done just the same. Except now, it won't be based on a set amount of hours to fill or stay under, and work can get done for work's sake. For quality's sake. For the client's sake.
Q. If it takes off, isn't there a chance some freelancers will kneecap you?
A. I'm going to wear shin guards and kneepads for a little while.
Q. What's your dream job?
A. There are some really great creative, interactive-minded, hard-working, honorable shops out there right now. I'd love to be a part of the mix at that level. The stuff winning awards at One Show, Clios, D&AD—really smart, strategically minded work that actually performs in the market. Not just creative muscle flex. I'm a strategist by trade, but love the creative process in all its different ways. I want to bring that approach to the table with newness, maybe break some rules, shave a few cats, who knows.
—Posted by Brian Morrissey
Comments
When I was the creative director at Agency Five (Savannah College of Art & Design's full service, completely student run ad agency), we started out doing all the work for free.
The school was paying our salaries, and we were happy to be creating work that would actually be used.
We had a lot of problems with people not taking us seriously though. They would give us a brief and then lose interest in the project, and not let us know.
After we started charging for our work, we not only had better relationships with our clients, we also had more of them!
I'm interested to see how Agency Nil will play out. Best of luck to you!
Posted by: Kathryn Clark | May 20, 2009 6:21:10 PM
Godspeed fellow Adcenter, I mean Brandcenter, Alum!
Posted by: writersbloc | May 20, 2009 8:16:46 PM
It will break my heart when the days comes that he loses an account by review to a upstart, competing free firm.
Posted by: Branding is Blather | May 21, 2009 12:00:36 AM
That sounds like Mr. Hank Leber. That is pretty amazing sir.
Posted by: Sriram Venkit | May 21, 2009 1:15:59 PM
i second sriram, if anyone can do it Hank is the one to hit it off for sure.
Posted by: Kevin G | May 22, 2009 11:11:19 AM
Piss off, economy. Agency Nil proves that there's opportunity everywhere. But it doesn't always come to you. Sometimes, you have to go to it.
Can't find an agency job? Start your own. And do it differently than any other model out there.
I'm rooting for you guys. Sounds like you're on your way.
Erik Proulx
Pleasefeedtheanimals.com
Posted by: Erik Proulx | May 27, 2009 9:56:30 AM
Great idea, I started my own agency with the same business model back in April and i've never been busier, doing great work with some awesome start-ups.
By competing on price you devalue the worth of your work, if you allow the client to determine the value to them or what their business can afford, you engender long-term relationships. Sure you may encounter people who seek to take advantage of the model but face to face meetings help to spot these guys.
Good luck Hank, I wish you all the best!
Doug
Posted by: Doug Lyon | Jun 11, 2009 9:42:12 AM
I find much of the derisive hand-wringing from big firms spurious, especially the devaluing of the service argument. Good grief, you guys have had it too good for too long. If it looks like good design, if works like good design, then it is good design and and for a lot less. I'd buy a fine piece of jewelry if it was made of cubic zircs, and you know what, it may even look better than the DeBeers model from Tiffanys. The creative industry needs a revamping of its value perspective. Value has always been a measure of cost/result and if you sync that with todays re-look at the role of supply and demand, then let the market decide. If the client's sales results don't add up, with pay-as-you-go model pricing, then they will go back to the old model. AND, the argument that the hours the competitive designers spent on the competition is a waste of time, is laughable. It's like saying we should only send one 100 Yard Dash competitor to the Olympics, because it is a waste of time to have all those others running. It's the designers who NEED the work, the one's the ad agency wouldn't hire, who will be competing. What else would they be doing? Duh! God forbid these lowly designers would be competing against them. And, as for time spent collaborating by the big firm's team, (I'm on a rant here) some of the best designs I've seen are done under the pressure of very tight time and budget constraints, when there is little time to think and re-think. Let's face it creative naval gazing is a dirty little secret industry secret.
Good luck and god bless Hank, may the market Force be with you.
Posted by: Richard Shatto | Jun 11, 2009 4:13:55 PM
P.S. Go to my blog and watch the "Poverty" presentation, for a look at what much, if not most, of the world lives like. http://rshatto.wordpress.com
Posted by: Richard Shatto | Jun 11, 2009 4:18:06 PM
i´m so glad to have run across this new business model.. i´ve actually tried this recently with one my own clients... although i don´t start out with a zero minimum... i offer a low-high price range... allowing the client to choose how much to pay within that range according to how satisfied they are with the results of our work...hopefully in the future i´ll be able to apply this to other clients. its very heartwarming to see i´m not the only one who feels that design as a service is about interacting with clients on a more transparent and open level
Posted by: jean-baptiste vervaeck | Jun 13, 2009 2:19:09 PM
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