Amsterdam is creative talent trap
How Amsterdam Became the Industry’s ‘Talent Trap’ is the title of an article by Rupal Parekh of Advertising Age, published this weekend – the term ‘talent trap’ is actually quoted from Philippe Meunier, chief creative officer at Sid Lee. An interesting article about Amsterdam as magnet for agencies and creative talent. Paul Lavoie for example, explains how his Canadian agency Taxi was courted by Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen and chose to open its headquarters here – above London or Paris. And W+K’s global COO, Dave Luhr, is quoted saying that “Creative recruitment into Amsterdam is pretty damn easy. There is no other city is the world so art-directed”. 180’s Managing Partner Alex Melvin also elaborates on his love for Amsterdam: “My commute to work is six minutes on a bicycle. We have 150 people here and only one car owner amongst us all. We all work in a stressful industry, but when you leave the front door at work there’s a beautiful canal and an hour and a half in the plane and you’re in the south of France.” And – let’s be honest – Amsterdam Ad Blog is proud to be quoted as well: “Amsterdam’s lenient laws that tolerate prostitution and marijuana don’t hurt either. That kind of liberal attitude is appealing to creative thinkers of all disciplines, including musicians, dancers and photographers.”
