5 Popular Careers In Advertising And The Arts

The arts and advertising industries naturally overlap, given both require creativity and artistic tendencies. That doesn’t mean you need to be Picasso or a Mad Men wannabe to find a role that works for you in these fields. With a broad range of options to choose from, check out five popular careers in advertising and the arts that might just allow you to have the best of both worlds – satisfying your artistic desires and the need for a successful career.

Copywriter

This may not seem like a glamorous role but think about every time you see an ad for your favourite fast food  – ‘is it finger lickin’ good’ or are ‘the burgers better at’…. They stick in your mind and a copywriter came up with them.  Copywriters work with art directors and account executives to create ideas that fit the clients brief.  They use persuasive language to write slogans or short pieces of copy that give the message that clients want to the buyers.  They need to imaginative, with excellent writing skills.  Copywriters need good attention to detail, particularly under pressure with deadlines.  Often they’re self employed or work for advertising agencies, and contract work for specific projects is common.  To become a copywriter you don’t have to have formal qualifications, but it’s usual to have a degree in advertising, marketing, journalism or communications to get a start in the industry.  Prospective employers may want to see a portfolio of your creative work.Whilst copywriters are employed across a wide range of industries, competition for entry level roles is very strong.  

Actor

At some point most people have thought about what it would be like to become an actor.  For very few it’s a thought they pursue.  Actors work across not just the film and tv business but in theatres, the gaming industry and other performance art mediums.  As well as reading, learning and physically interpreting the script, actors must research the role, rehearse, attend costume fittings, and understand their contract and undertakings.  Actors spend a lot of time contacting agents and auditioning for roles.  They must be very adaptable, playing different types of characters with different personalities and backstories.  To become an actor requires a lot of talent and creativity, as well as persistence and resilience.  Actors must also be able to memorise their lines quickly and accurately.  Depending on the job travel may be involved and evening and weekend work expected.  To become an actor does not require formal qualifications.  However completing a course, either a degree or VET in acting, drama or theatre studies will help to improve your skills and techniques.  Entry into these courses is through an audition process and is linked to your acting ability.  While the movie and tv industry is growing, the performing arts sector is declining.  While very successful actors will find employment, those who are looking for smaller parts in local areas will find less opportunities and increased competition for roles.  For more information check out

Advertising Account Executive

The role of advertising account executive ties both the creativity and ideas elements with the customer management and commercial aspect of the advertising business.  Account execs meet with clients to chat about what they need, and what the budget and deadline for the campaign is.  Then account execs sit with their creative team and produce ideas and map out the project.  They agree the final campaign is with the client, and then launch and monitor its progress and success.  Advertising account executives use various forms of social media, digital media, printed media and mobile marketing for campaigns.  They need to be creative with great communication skills but also have negotiation and presentation abilities.  The hours can be long, particularly when meeting deadlines and launching campaigns.  To become an advertising account executive usually requires a degree in advertising or marketing, and some years of experience at an entry level advertising role.  Whilst there are still opportunities for those seeking advertising roles, there is more competition due to the increased use of software applications to do some of the tasks in the advertising campaign cycle.  

Music Producer

Being in the music business doesn’t mean you have to be able to sing.  For those that still have an ear for music but can’t hold a note, behind every song you hear is a music producer that’s arranged and recorded it.  Music producers work with artists to choose songs, decide on musical arrangements and hire any backing musicians needed.  They set up the equipment and record the sessions then edit and mix the tracks until they feel there’s commercial value in the music.  They have a budget for each track or album they produce and work closely with record labels and artists to get the best result.  Some music producers work to create original music for film and tv, games and online media.  They need to know all musical styles and understand current music trends.  The role is highly technical, using a lot of audio recording and mixing equipment.  Music producers tend to work irregular hours around when the artists and studios are available, and also attend music events which tend to be in the evenings and at weekends.  To become a music producer you don’t need formal qualifications however it is very competitive.  Most work their way up from entry level positions in the music industry.  Many have a degree in music and then do additional courses in music production.  The industry can be very hard to break into as there are more wanting to work as music producers than there are roles available.  

Multimedia Artist

Special effects in movies, designing a new game or creating an animated advert are all things a multimedia artist does.  They work with movie directors, game designers and clients who brief them on the work, then they design animation and visual effects that fit the storyline or product.  Multimedia artists tie together various forms of media including CGI, imagery, audio and video clips to create their storyboard and map out the project.  They must be very creative but also have a thorough understanding of technology and new softwares.  Even though the job is done on computer, multimedia designers need to be able to draw freehand and understand the use of colour and form in a production.  Whether creating the visual effect for one scene in a film or a multimedia advertising campaign, the role works to development timelines and deadlines.  Which mean evening and weekend work may be required for some projects.  To become a multimedia designer usually a degree in computer graphics, fine art or animation is required.  It’s also a role where employers would expect to see a portfolio of work before hiring someone.  While there may not a huge number of opportunities in Australia for multimedia artists, it is a very international career, where there may be more roles overseas.  

Whilst these are just five popular careers in advertising and the arts, there are plenty more that could inspire you. You can check them all out here at the CareerHQ database under Arts and Advertising.