Wild card

Whether we like it or not, we’re all facing change. Like most of you I was watching from the sidelines, until I suddenly found myself right in the middle of it. My job as an Interactive Art Director ended last April. Openhere – an advertising agency based in Antwerp – hired me in March 2008 as their first Interactive Art Director. Everything was great then. I worked on on line projects for Eastpak, Rabobank, Het Belang Van Limburg, 4FM, Scripta, Me by Metro, DLA Piper, Netmining and Bicky. Then the crisis started. Our clients canceled projects for on line campaigns and budgets quickly dried up.

We expected the financial crisis to boost digital advertising, but it didn’t. Only agencies that specialized in this field during the past few years are doing well. More traditional agencies focus on their core business in order to survive and just like advertising agencies the whole media sector has had to slim down. This resulted in staff cuts at newspaper, television and even web production companies. We’re all wondering when this will come to an end. Some say this September, but others think it will take at least another year.

Fortunately, the news is not all bad. I’ve been lucky enough to pull a wild card last February and I intend to make good use of it. To be more specific: I obtained a Green Card and I am now free to work and reside in the United States. This comes in handy now that I have to look for another job. The timing is a bit unfortunate, because moving to the States in the midst of a recession doesn’t seem all that great, but it’s not like I’ve got anything to lose. I’m sure I’ll benefit from the highly innovative environment, enjoy the much lower tax rates and get to know the Americans a lot better.