Adgrunts.com [1] hosts a webcomic starring a number 2 pencil and blue pen who work in advertising - where else? This creative team of writer and art director battle bad briefs and hot shot creative directors [2] just like the rest of us, despite being office supplies. I had a little chat with one half of the duo who created the comic, Jack Cheng.
DB:: So, A few questions. Who is it that are doing the comic, you and...?
Jack Cheng: Heather Flyte, a writer/graphics designer in Seattle.
DB: I hear you guys aren't even on the same coast - so how do you actually get this comic together?
Jack Cheng: What usually happens is we throw around rough ideas through instant messenger, then a day or two later, Heather emails me a finalized script and I lay it out and do the graphics. Heather doesn't work in advertising (though I'm convinced she'd make an awesome copywriter), and I only have limited experience since I'm still in school, but I imagine it's a lot like how most CW/AD teams work, the only exception being that we're not in the same physical location.
DB: Have you guys ever met?
Jack Cheng: Nope, we haven't actually met! I know Heather through photoshop-contest site Worth1000.com. We're both user/contest admins there, though I haven't been as active there lately as I used to be (this is me [3], this is her [4]). I don't remember how I got the idea to do the comic, but I wanted to find a writer to collaborate with and she was the first person that came to mind.
DB: Can other adgrunts reading the comic send in suggestions for toons? I would imagine that many of the readers are people on placements as teams or working somewhere that might have silly ideas.
Jack Cheng: I'm working on that right now actually!
DB: Will there be more character's introduced, now that we have mr hotshot paperclip, I was wondering if we'd soon see the cute creative directors PA, the account exec junior assistant, the planner and so on... ?
Jack Cheng: We do plan on introducing a few more characters soon - the latest one is Ty's pet sharpener, Fang!
DB: Last but not least, you know I had to ask this, where'd you come up with the name for the comic? :))
Jack Cheng: And the name... how could anyone start a comic about advertising peons and NOT call it adgrunts?! ;-)
DB: Good point mate. ;) Keep on truckin' and thanks for the chat!
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