Senior Art Director Molly Bailey just had her 30th work anniversary with us here at TotalCom. Even for non-millennials, thirty years is a long time. We were interested in knowing "why" and "what", so here is a snippet of our conversation.
How did you land at TotalCom?
While in school at the University of Alabama, I got a job at Pioneer Specialty Advertising which was owned by George Warren, the brother of TotalCom president Jimmy Warren. Pioneer's offices were small so I shared a cubicle at TotalCom (which was across the parking lot from Pioneer) with TotalCom's production artist. After graduation I went back to my hometown, Abbeville, Alabama. Several months later I got a call from TotalCom. The production artist had left, and I was hired! So I took a circuitous route from one cubicle to the next. The cubicles were eventually removed and I had an enormous office to myself. A few years later I transferred to TotalCom's Huntsville office, so I went from Roll Tide to Rockets.
Did you think you would be here 30 years later?
A lot of our staff have been here double digits. And while it is technically a workplace, it is also family. Plus, it doesn't really feel like I have worked at the same place for as long as I have because we get to work on so many different client accounts. There's always something new to learn and that keeps it fresh for me.
The industry has certainly changed since 1991, tell us a little about what you've seen.
Press type, PMT cameras, rapidograph and Xacto knives were my first tools of the trade. I even had a trip to the ER because of an Xacto knife incident. It's still the same creative process no matter the tools - just less dangerous.
Share a fond memory.
Oh there are so many... I was about a year into my career and the first time I got to do more than produce someone else's ideas was a full page, full color ad for a client and it was going to be in the Tuscaloosa News. This was exciting to me because back in the 70's my Mom was the front page editor at The News when she was putting my dad through law school. So it was a thrill to have a full page ad in this publication. I felt like I was on my way! That Sunday morning I bought dozens of papers, but I didn't spend all of my quarters! Went to the laundromat and while waiting on my clothes, I would get so excited if someone was reading the paper and lingered on MY AD. I felt so famously anonymous!
What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started?
The more relaxed you are, the easier the ideas come. Sometimes you have to walk away from a project for a little while. Fresh eyes make everything clearer. Also, communicate, listen and ask questions.
What do you like most about what you do?
I get to be creative for a living!
From all of us at TotalCom, "Happy 30th Work Anniversary Molly Bailey!" We're glad you are here!