Copywriter
William Sidnam completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and now works as an advertising copywriter.
Key facts:
Career: Copywriter at DDB Paris
Programme: Bachelor of Arts / Bachelor of Commerce; Bachelor of Arts (Honours)
Subjects: Italian / Marketing and International Business; European Studies
“I’m an advertising copywriter at an ad agency called DDB Paris. My job involves coming up with ideas for ad campaigns and bringing them to life. I write copy in all sorts of mediums, work on film scripts, and help with translating things into English.
“A highlight of my role is the fact that I can use creativity in my daily life. It’s a fun, unconventional job spent around eccentric misfits and other unique characters who would probably struggle in more sensible work environments. It’s like kindergarten for adults, except there are no sandpits and you actually get paid for your artistic creations.
“I recently worked on a commercial for LinkedIn. We shot it inside a country manor just outside Versailles. It was a very unique experience as we all had to be masked throughout the entire shoot due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Other projects I have been involved in include Mainland Cheese’s “Good Things Take Time” campaign, a music video to promote apprenticeships, and an award-winning topical ad for Huggies celebrating the birth of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s baby girl.
"I also made what was probably the worst Pak’nSave Stickman advert of 2019, but I don’t know if that counts as a highlight!
“Studying an Arts degree helped me improve my communication, critical thinking and understanding of people. These are valuable skills for creating compelling advertisements. It also helped me to greatly improve my writing skills, which as a copywriter is extremely important.
“Furthermore, I work for a French company, which means I work in both French and English every day. The French course I took as an undergrad and the French articles I read as part of my European Studies Honours programme have proven incredibly helpful. My Bachelors degree also allowed me to spend a semester abroad, at the Sorbonne in Paris. Studying in a foreign language was challenging, but it prepared me for the work that I’m doing now, and I really enjoyed it. The experience gave me a real desire to return to France someday, so I’m glad to be living that dream.
“I chose to do an Arts degree because I was curious about many different subjects, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for a living. Studying Arts allowed me to satisfy my curiosity. And in a strange way, despite my majors being vastly different from one another, I’ve somehow managed to find a job where I can combine them.”