Smith & Western finds out how the ad industry is coping during lockdown with new podcast series ‘Are you wearing pants?’

Wondering how you’re coping with lockdown in comparison to others in the ad industry? Dan Higson and Nick West, owners of Smith & Western and producers of the highly regarded Creative Relay podcast, fire up Zoom to find out.

The idea for Smith & Western’s new podcast series Are you wearing pants? came about when owners Dan Higson and Nick West were finishing up a VO record with an agency over Zoom.

Says West: “We asked how everyone was and of the 6 people in the meeting each one of them had a very different story. One guy was loving it, another was hating it. We realised very quickly that our check-ins over Zoom with our clients needed to be recorded and shared.”

Not knowing what to expect, the duo set out to call people from all aspects of the ad industry to find out just how everyone was holding up.

Says West: “It wasn’t until we started calling everyone up that we realised just how different everyone’s experience was. Recruiters had a different insight to creative directors, who were dealing with it better or worse than those juniors just starting out their careers etc. Then there are those who are working from home with kids, those living alone, and the rest of us who bought pets to keep us sane.”

Says Higson: “We were keen to find out how an editor does his job during these weird times we are all living through and how a busy visual effects company survives through hard lockdown. I guess it’s a light-hearted look at some pretty heavy subjects and all the stories that came out of our chats are fascinating.”

Are you wearing pants? launches today with four episodes dropping on iTunes and all the other podcast platforms. The season starts with an episode featuring joint CCOs of Special Group, Julian Schreiber and Tom Martin. Episode 2 features a chat with Andy Flemming, a few days after his dramatic departure from M&S Saatchi. The boys also catch up with recruiter Esther Clerehan and Will Alexander of Heckler, all of whom tell their own unique lockdown stories in “Are you wearing pants?”

Listen and download the podcasts here.

Stay tuned with more episodes rolling out in the coming weeks for your lockdown pleasure.

Want to share your lockdown experiences in the ad or media world? Reach out to contact@smithandwestern.com.au and the boys’ll get you on the podcast to tell your lockdown story.