Before his jump into entrepreneurship with the launch of independent agency Another Thing this summer, Brandcenter alum Nick Kaplan (Copywriting, 2008) worked as a writer and creative director at some of the world’s most well-known agencies including Le Truc, 72andsunny, and Wieden + Kennedy.
For Kaplan, the move was equal parts timing, appetite, and opportunity. “From early on, I’ve always had the sense that doing something entrepreneurial was where my career would lead,” he says. “There’s such an appetite for independent agencies right now, and it felt like a now-or-never kind of moment. Starting from the ground up allows us to build our own brand and culture that really fit the current moment.”
Another Thing has hit the ground running with new work for big brands including Mike’s Hot Honey, Shake Shack, and Planet Fitness.
POV and small teams with big impact
Kaplan talked to us about lessons learned during his years in the industry. On one hand, he emphasizes the importance of an agency’s brand identity and a strong point of view: “The agency brand and what they stand for is really important because it shortens the distance between client expectations and where the rubber meets the road to bring an idea to life.” He gives an example, “At Wieden + Kennedy, there’s obviously a diverse type of work they make tonally and aesthetically, but culture and a high creative bar is right there at the beginning. The journey you have to take a client on to get to an idea is much shorter because that expectation has been set.”
At the same time, he believes the people you work with matter the most: “Ultimately, a three- or four-person team of the right people can do anything, no matter what the agency is.”
Clients “seeking something more”
Asked about the kinds of clients Another Thing hopes to attract, Kaplan points to a desire he’s observed across industries. “Clients want more access to the best talent, more creativity, more openness to new ways of working. When you’re not tethered to the structures or baggage of an established model, it’s liberating. That’s why we’re jumping in.”
That openness extends to how the agency embraces emerging tools like AI. Kaplan sees new technology as a “multiplier” rather than a replacement. “AI has leveled the playing field, where anybody can make anything. But when it’s never been easier to make something, it’s actually never been harder to make something that feels different. That’s the tension we’re trying to explore: having a point of view, having taste, having humanity, which is ultimately the meat of what we do and how ideas come to life.”
Lessons for emerging creatives
As far as copywriting, Kaplan has simple advice: “Write the bad ad first.” He encourages current Brandcenter students to be prolific. “You have the luxury right now to be able to move on from an idea. Build up the best collection of work that you can.”
When asked about underrated skills for young copywriters, he stresses the importance of talking about your ideas as much as crafting them. “Being able to talk about your ideas in a way that makes sense to someone that isn’t a pure creative is one of the most important skills. Ad people are a pretty specific group of people and can work in an insular environment, so being able to translate your thinking into something digestible and relevant to non-ad people is huge.”
Brandcenter roots
Looking back, Kaplan describes his Brandcenter experience as “delightfully intense.” He continues, “advertising people are a pretty specific subset of human beings that obsess about this thing that most of humanity ignores.”
When asked about how Brandcenter helped prepare him for his career, Kaplan shares “Beyond giving you the foundational understanding of how ideas work, the program also gives you an understanding of the expectations and rhythms of an ad agency, and the pressure of presenting creative ideas to people. That’s the scariest, hardest thing about what we do. You come up with something, and it’s judged daily. Doing that over and over again is a huge muscle to work.”
As for what’s next from Another Thing? Kaplan teases: “We’ve got some fintech projects in the works, and maybe some more snacky, delicious stuff. That’s all you get for now.”
Since we chatted, Another Thing dropped new work for the investing and savings app Betterment starring Patriots quarterback Drake Maye as the NFL season kicks off. See more at Little Black Book Online.