A new TV show about advertising called “Trust Me,” will debut on TNT on Jan. 26. According to Ad Age, former admen Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny are behind the new series.
Of course, copywriters have long held that there’s something else out there for them, something better, more creative, more fun and most importantly, higher paying. It’s a never-ending source of fascination for certain grass-is-always-greener types in advertising. Which is why Madison & Vine offers an interview with Baldwin and Coveny that keeps the dream of a script in the drawer alive.
M&V: Any advice for those who want out of advertising and into Hollywood?
Mr. Baldwin: Soak in the view of Michigan Avenue and prepare for a much less glamorous existence. Our first job, we went from each having private offices with views to a semiprivate office trailer on the Warners lot looking at a dumpster. Nobody gets to make a lateral move when they make that move. It’s a pretty painful thing to do. You have to write when no one is paying you. And the other thing was: You have to convince them that you’re going to be fun to have around.
M&V: How did advertising prepare you for Hollywood?
Mr. Baldwin: Being able to pitch your ideas quickly and in a dramatic fashion goes a long, long way in dealing with the personality dynamics. But it’s the writing that’s always the reason that you get hired.
Damn right, it’s about the writing (says the writer writing a post about writers who write).
