How has winning the Crowbar Awards helped you in your career? It definitely put my name out there. Unless you roll with the right crowd, or are the offspring of someone famous, you'll find the advertising industry one of the most challenging industries to get into. With a Crowbar, the playing field gets leveled.

Do you think the Crowbar Awards is a good platform for creative students to break into the creative industry and would you recommend them to participate in the Crowbar Awards ? If yes, what advice would you give them?
The business of advertising is about making your clients' famous. So if you're looking for a job in advertising, it makes sense that you should treat yourself like your own client. My advice? Do everything in your power to make yourself as famous (to Creative Directors) as possible, and there's no better way to do so than at the Crowbars. Alternatively, I've seen many CDs at Winebar on Friday nights.

Do you have any suggestion as to how we can bring the Crowbar Awards to another level?
More categories. And more specialist judges. Having the award presentations at an exotic locale would also be brilliant. Maldives anyone?

Where do you get inspiration for new ideas?
Sounds like a cliché, but yes, everywhere. Luke Sullivan said in his brilliant book that as advertising people, we should always have our fingers on the pulse of culture. There's a lot of wisdom in that. In fact, buy the book. Ask your local Basheer for ‘Hey Whipple, Squeeze This'. And start borrowing ideas from anywhere outside the advertising world. Podcasts, magic books, anything fun. To be relevant to your audience, you need to stay relevant yourself.

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