Thank you, New York #LoveLoft
Actually, you didn’t really do anything but I want to thank you New York for letting me walk in your streets for one month, lounging in your sun on the High Line, eating lobster in your famous Chelsea Market, shopping in your creases in Brooklyn, having drinks on your rooftops (and there are a lot), dancing in your crazy parties and working at Dailymotion in a really exciting but peaceful atmosphere.
This experience wouldn’t have been possible without Havas Lofts and all the people behind. I would like to thank them because everything was perfectly organized: the choice of apartment, the host agency, the city, the time and the day at Havas Health with the other Lofters. Everyone was really welcoming and enthusiastic, ready to share their experience and available to answer our questions. I am grateful for this opportunity Havas Lofts gave me to see different ways of working, meet different people and finding out another part of the media landscape.
I learned from American people that even if you have a lot of work and deadlines to respect, you must stay focused on your main objective and keep going. Also, don’t forget to spend time with your friends and family, and to meet new people and learn from new opportunities. You become more productive if you are happy and relaxed (table tennis and foosball help).
For example, people at Dailymotion arrive around 9:30 at the office, they don’t really take a long break at lunch but they leave around 6pm in the evening. They don’t take phone calls in the open space, and when they speak to each other they try to be brief in order to not disturb the others. I wish I could have this rhythm of work. Moreover they don’t spent so much time in meetings and they interact using Slack, an instant messaging platform which decreases the number of emails received and maximizes the return on investment.
You even chose the perfect Lofters to share this experience with: Valentina from Havas Life Italy, Víctor from Havas Media Spain (co-founder of Napflix: http://napflix.tv/), Danny (danny.suen) from Havas Media China and Vincent from BETC Paris. I have not only learned from US culture but also from my fellow Lofter’s cultures and how business works in our different agencies all over the world.
There are a lot of similarities (the structure, the name of the pure player or the kind of clients and problematics) but it is the people who make the business. In the end, each Havas village and entity is different from one country to the next. And I think that is what makes the wealth of this group: talents, ideas, creativity, agility, engagement, rigor and fun. Indeed, the organization and the visual identity seem to be the same everywhere — but each entity is unique in itself!
And of course, thank you Dailymotion for welcoming me during this month and letting me learn all about you and your different parts — even the secret ones. I wish you success in all your projects (and there are plenty). I am sure you will find your place in the sprawling and competitive world of media, especially in the US. One thing is sure: everybody is motivated, hardworking and dedicated to their job — yet still relaxed, fun and warm. So you are already a winner.
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign those tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.
— Saint-Exupéry
I wish I could stay here longer. Unfortunately it is already the end of my Havas Lofts experience but I hope not the end of the adventure.
