Come for the paycheck. Stay for the meat muffins

So, some of you might be wondering, what is it I'm actually doing at my new job?

(Maybe you're not wondering, but I sure was. I had no idea what a copywriter actually did all day at an advertising agency. I'm still not sure I know, but anyway...)

Well, in summary, it was a good first week. Everyone was excited to have me on board, which I thought would translate to me being buried under backlogged work. But that wasn't the case. What's strange is that my agency is, by billing at least, the largest in the state. There are about 100 employees, and the clients are some of the biggest employers in the region (Blue Cross, Mercedes, Little Debbie, Regions Bank, etc.). Despite all that, there has only been one full-time copywriter. There are a few "free-lance" writers, which I put in quotes because they are actually in the office quite a bit, and at least one actually has an office.

So now there are a whopping two full-time copywriters, and we'll probably split the major accounts. I won't get into details on this kind of stuff in the blog because A) it's boring and B) it could be considered top-secret industry info. I'm not sure how important such things are, so I'll err on the side of keeping my mouth shut.

But getting back to the topic at hand, what do I actually do all day? Well, I roll into my cubicle at 8:30 a.m. and check e-mail, announcements, bracket standings, etc. Then I basically just look at a computerized database to see what projects are still assigned to me. I'm left to manage my time however I want, shifting back and forth from writing different projects. This week, I spent most of my time writing a 16-page bank booklet while also cranking out small stuff like an insurance flier, a hangtag for free water bottles, and an invitation to a company event.

None of it is tremendously exciting, but it's nice having a random and diverse set of things to work on each day. Once or twice a day, someone will give me a rush job, which is usually something easy like a one-line ad for a local paper, saying something like "We're proud to sponsor this event." Thanks, Griner, here's your check.

So I'll have a better idea of my workload in the coming weeks, but I have to say it's a nice gig. The stress level is low compared to journalism, although I'm sure it will spike when we're on serious deadline. But it seems like a good fit for me, and it's actually kinda nice to be in a real corporate environment.

Oh, and free doughnuts and meat muffins on Friday mornings. What's a meat muffin? I guess you'll just have to get a job here to find out.