• Interview

Creative Journeys with Mark Easterbrook, Independent Copywriter & Creative Director

4 months ago by Jess Lowcher

Kia ora Mark. Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to pursue a career in your creative field?

I was a creative, smart kid who was into a bit of everything, but was pretty unfocused. That led to a slightly messy path through couple of mis-starts at University, an OE cut short by illness, a more successful stint at the University of Auckland including time doing student journalism at Craccum and 95bFM, to a junior copywriter role at Hot Mustard with my first creative director, Gilbert Hunt. 

That’s where I first realised there was an industry for someone like me — good with words, able to quickly connect ideas together, eager to help people solve problems. From there, it’s a reasonably straight line to being an agency Creative Director myself, before going solo about 8 years ago. 

How have your personal values and lifestyle choices influenced your career and creative process?

My values are pretty simple: work hard, do right by people, stay positive, help others along the way. I was never interested in personal glory in the advertising industry, so I think that probably impacted how far I went in that world. But because my creative process is always about finding a hardworking idea that solves the clients’ problem, I’ve thrived in my own business by simply doing good work that works.

What are some key experiences that have shaped your creative journey?

My first 2 years at University, I studied Architecture. I was terrible at it, but we were exposed to some wonderful experiences. Claudia Pond Eyley and Pat Hanly were our drawing teachers, and they spent those two years teaching us to simply see — new perspectives, new angles, new dimensions. We would do crazy stuff like lie on our backs on a cathedral floor, drawing the ceiling. Or draw One Tree Hill from the backseat of a moving car. That was hugely influential. 

Later, when I’d found my way and was studying English and Media Studies, I was in Witi Ihimaera’s Creative Writing class for a year. That helped me find my voice as a writer.

Professionally, two things opened my creative world up. The first was discovering Semi Permanent. It’s been an annual source of inspiration ever since. Even more impactful was my first Webstock in 2011 — it showed me that there was this parallel world beyond advertising where my skills might have meaning.

Lastly — and this is more a collection of experiences — I’ve met a lot of hugely successful people. I used to interview them at 95bFM, do work for or with them in agencies, and meet them through events. Politicians, artists, authors, business founders, actors, designers. And they are just people, like you or me. Never be intimidated by someone’s job title or portfolio or famous name. The best ones will treat you with respect and interest, regardless of who you are and where you’re at on your own journey.

What challenges have you noticed as a creative around maintaining an online presence and being found online? 

I’m quite lucky, because the pool of people who do what I do, with my experience level, is relatively small in New Zealand. So people find their way to me. But I do know that if you’re hustling to get your name out there and get noticed, it becomes almost a second job. I’d argue that some people spend too much time and effort into having that online presence — putting too much out there can feel like you’re desperate for work. I never post about having capacity/availability for work, even if I do. I feel like if I tell people I’m not busy, they might start wondering why.

The best brands have a conversation with their audience, rather than talk about themselves all the time. I think self-promotion needs to lean more towards conversation too, not just showcasing. 

To promote my business online, my general approach is to have a solid website that makes it clear what I can do, then just be active and visible on LinkedIn. I don’t necessarily post about my own work, but I make observations, share ideas and comment on other people’s posts in a way that’s authentically me (or at least the ‘work’ me). It’s more long-term brand building than retail, to put it in advertising terms. Most of my work comes through referral, so I focus on me, the person, as much as the work. 

How has your Squarespace website helped you navigate these challenges and what features have you found most beneficial for growing your business?

I have extremely limited design and technical skills. But I’m a fast learner. Over the years I’ve taught myself to use tools like InDesign and Photoshop just by getting in there and trying to stuff. I did the same with Squarespace. 

When I discovered it 8 years ago, when researching where to host my freelancing portfolio, I’d never really done any web stuff myself. Yet I single handedly got a functioning, easy to navigate site filled with multimedia work up and running in the space of a weekend, using a Squarespace design template. The interface was easy, and there was a wealth of helpful content online.

Fast forward to 2024 and I’ve recently given my site a total overhaul, building it from scratch using Squarespace’s Fluid Engine and no existing template. Being able to just drag and drop and move things around makes it super easy. One thing I like that wasn’t available 8 years ago — I can upload audio files directly, rather than as a link to something like Soundcloud. I have a whole lot of radio and other audio I want to share, and it’s been simple to build a page for all of that content.

There were a few technical challenges to solve along the way (and a few kinks still to be ironed out) but again, there was so much clear help content online to make it easy. 

I haven’t experimented with any lead generation tools yet, but that’s something I’m going to explore, maybe with an email campaign to ‘officially’ launch the new site. And I keep meaning to get a blog going, which Squarespace makes easy.

What tips and tricks have you learned over the years that help you stay productive and inspired?

How long have you got? There are so many. Exposing yourself to good work is vital — that’s why events like Semi Permanent matter. Study your own work habits, then try and optimise your situation to fit them. 

But if we want to go broad, here’s 4 rules I put into a presentation to students a few years ago:

How do you balance the business side of your work with your creative pursuits?

For creativity inside the business, I make sure I have admin tools that give me structure. I’m a recent convert to Streamtime, which has been brilliant, but I’ve also used other project and time management platforms in the past. Get the hang of using one and it’s like offloading a whole lot of mental work and freeing up brain space. For a fairly chaotic person, I thrive on having some order in my day. 

I don’t currently leave a lot of space for creativity outside my business. Instead, I get fulfilment through service and helping others. I’m the Chair of Mixit, a youth arts charity, and I have a long involvement with Going West, which elevates the voices of writers from Aotearoa.

What advice would you give to aspiring creatives looking to design a life and career aligned with their values?

It’s all kind of summed up above. But the starting point is to actually know your values and your value — what you want and what you offer. Because what you offer will be the currency that buys you the life and career you want.

Lastly, where can people find you online?

At the new and improved www.easterbrook.co.nz, built on Squarespace (of course).

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