Andrew Vickers

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Tell us about yourself?

My official title is producer but that’s really just a glorified name for account manager – which is perfect because I love people and being part of the process – when I’m involved in my capacity I get to work with everyone through every phase of a project. It’s a dream come true!

What's your background?

I’ve been around the advertising business -- and subsequently insane, excruciatingly talented creative people -- my entire life. My dad was creative director for many big agencies over the years. In fact, you can follow my family’s history by looking at pretty much any Chevrolet car catalogue from the ‘60’s!

For example, rather than hiring models for a big location car shoot, my dad would often just use us – so on one page you’ll see me and my brothers eating hotdogs at a picnic table behind a 1962 Covair Monza Station Wagon – and on the next page it’s my mom in a bikini at the beach standing next to the all-new sporty 2-Door Corvair convertible!

So of course I followed suit, starting out in Detroit as a photographer’s assistant in the late ‘70’s and early ‘80’s – and then, after college, working as an agency copywriter on automotive stuff. Since 1990, I’ve been in IT education sales and marketing under numerous guises from program manager in higher learning to regional sales manager in the K12 market.

Bottom line: It’s great to be back where I belong!

What inspires you?

Working on something where you’re confident you can make a difference – the feeling of knowing you can contribute – being given the privilege of collaborating with creative intelligent people who are much smarter and far more talented than yourself. And of course there are all of the obvious ones – good food, good music, good people and good business!

What's it like working at DWS?

It’s a dream! No really – I know its cliché’ but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that you’ve won 90% of the battle if you love what you’re doing. When you find yourself in a situation where there’s never enough time in the day and you just can never seem to easily stop what you’re doing – well, that’s when you know you’re in a good place.

Has this job affected your skills?

I was immediately affected – and it will only continue because every new project is different and each has its unique set of challenges – it’s a never ending learning process. I only hope I can live up to the task!

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Why is your job so interesting?

I get paid to help bring ideas to fruition – to help people in education, business and just about every profession solve, communicate and work to become successful. I get to collaborate with crazy, talented creative people on projects involving art, music and all types of media. What more could I ask for!

What personal and work characteristics are important to have with your job?

You have to possess the capacity to hang in there even when your eyes are burning, your fingers are bleeding and your head is numb. You need a fear of failure, an unhealthy drive to succeed and a humble self-deprecating sense of humor. So everything you’ve got and more of what you never knew you had! All kidding aside, I have one simple philosophy for selling: people buy from who they like.

What’s the best thing about working at DWS?

I get to be the front man for an accomplished and eclectic band of amazing multi-instrumentalists!

What's a typical work day like for you?

I’ll leave it at this – time really does fly!

How important is it to be multi-skilled, for example to know the programming as well as the design?

From my perspective, I need to understand enough to articulate the big picture. So I need to talk the walk and walk the talk so to speak.

What are your future goals?

One primary goal is to be a key player in helping grow and establish DWS as a premier global resource for interactive and multimedia design, production and development!

What's your dream project?

My dream project would be to win creative carte blanche with an unlimited budget for a goliath corporate entity handling design, production and development for all internal, national and international marketing, promotion and advertising. After all, what we think and dream, certainly our world will become!