SCAN highlights School of Communications alumni who recently landed jobs in their field. Roberto Salas (BA, Advertising and Marketing Communications, 2006) works as art director for dRM DDB in Miami.



SCAN: How did you land your job?
Roberto Salas: It took me a lot of work to land a job. Way before graduation I was working hard to be able to stand out from other students. Working on my portfolio literally 24/7. When I graduated in May 2006 I went to Miami for my internship. While I was there, I participated in the Young Creatives for the Hispanic market, and after taking first place and winning a trip to Cannes, France, I got a few job offers from different Hispanic Agencies. That’s when I decided to take an offer from dRM DDB, Miami.

SCAN: When do you realize this was the career for you?
RS: I realized that I liked advertising when I was an actor in a commercial for Good Humor ice cream in Ecuador (I was 14 years old). I loved the entire creative process behind it, I also loved to compose my own music, take pictures and shoot my own home videos and discovered that advertising had all of this. The second stage pretty much started to happen at Webster when our class took second place in the nation at the AAF student advertising competition. After that I won the Young Creatives in Miami for a chance to represent the U.S. Hispanic market at the Young Creatives in Cannes (I’m going in June). So as long as things like these keep happening advertising will be the perfect career for me.

SCAN: What’s the best way to prepare for an interview?
RS: By doing research about the agency you’re going to interview with, and showing off your personality. For an art director specifically, it is important that your book is strong, not just visually, but conceptually. Professionals understand that students don’t have budgets and that they don’t have much experience, that’s why the idea is more important for them than the execution.

SCAN: Any advice for those looking for a job?
RS: To do a lot of research about the industry, then find out which agency you’d love to work for, and do whatever it takes to get an interview there.

SCAN: What classes taught you the most about your chosen industry?
RS: Creative Strategies with Charlie Claggett. He was probably the most influential teacher I’ve ever had. We competed in a campaign for BeechNut baby food and in our final presentation Charlie even brought the executives from BeechNut to the presentation. It was the first campaign I ever designed and actually felt proud of. Charlie taught me the basis of CONCEPTING, which is so important for copywriters and art directors.



SCAN: Best on-the-job experience so far?
RS: Shooting my first TV spot, seeing your print ads in actual magazines (People en Español).

SCAN: Company you’d love to work for?
RS: DDB, because is the most creative network of agencies in the world, and the fact that I’m starting out my career with them is awesome, but I would love to work with them in Brasil, DDB CHICAGO, and somewhere in Europe (maybe Spain).

SCAN: Person you most admire in your field?
RS: Marcelo Serpa from ALMAP BBDO (Brasil), perhaps one of the best Art Director/Creative Director in the world.

SCAN: What Web site do you visit just to kill time?
RS: YouTube, notcot.org, AdsOfTheWorld.com

SCAN: What’s the dress code at your place of business?
RS: Jeans, T-shirt, Converse, hat, and sweater (the agency can get really cold sometimes here in Miami).

SCAN: What’s on your desk right now?
RS: Some sketches for a print ad, my cellphone, iCon (a book about Steve Jobs) and an Archive (advertising magazine).

SCAN: How many hours a week do you work?
RS: Depends. Slow week: 50 hours. On Production: I don’t even sleep. New Business Pitch: 80-90 hours.

SCAN: Favorite fringe benefit of your job?
RS: That I get paid to be immature.

SCAN: What do you plan to do on your next paid vacation day?
RS: Sleep all day in a hammock on a Caribbean beach.

SCAN: Things you miss most about Webster?
RS: Being a student. It’s hard to believe but life in college is way different than life in the advertising industry. Sometimes I wonder what’s better, doing homework and studying over the weekends, or having a tight schedule on a big campaign. The winner depends on my mood that day.

Did you just land a job in your field? E-mail scan@webster.edu and tell us about it.

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• Words from the Dean

• Julie Clark ’01
  Advertising
  and Marketing
  Communications

• The Film Must Go On: Webster Senior Rises
  to the Challenges of Producing a Film Abroad
• On Air: Student-Run Radio Station Returns

• Angela Cartnal ’03
  Video Production
• Kevin Niemeier ’03
  Broadcast Journalism
• Roberto Salas ’06
  Advertising and
  Marketing Communications

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