Careers at
The Next Wave

Welcome,
prospective Co-Worker.

Welcome prospective co-worker.

Actually, co-worker is a bit misleading, since we don’t consider what we do work- it’s our passion. Changing the world by making people think, do, act, dream, through effective communications.

What we expect from you, before you even talk to us, is for you to have read Luke Sullivan’s amazing bible of advertising,“Hey Whipple, Squeeze This” and don’t worry, we expect everyone here to read it too, we’re not singling you out. You should probably also check out the company handbook: “Steal this Handbook” to make sure you think you’ll fit in. We know you’ve checked out our work, but you may also want to listen to our founder and chief creative officer talk about his advertising origin story- and what he thinks are the keys to breaking in to any agency positions on the A-List podcast. Soundcloud Apple Podcasts

We like self-starters, veterans, social activists, thought leaders, interesting people, who like to get things done. We’ve got the tools, hopefully, you’re bringing the talent. One of the things that’s different about our shop is that we are very hands on- shoot our own video, manage our own server, write our own plugins.

This is a place to make your mark.

Then, prepare an awesome cover letter/introductory email that sells us you. Not on how great you are, but, how our lives will improve if you become a member of our team. Make it amazing. Make it zing. Attached should be a resume- as a PDF, titled “[my_full_name_]resume.pdf and a PDF portfolio or weblink of work. If you don’t have a portfolio, make one, fake one, write a brief that blows us away, tell us what client you know you can bring in the door to support your paycheck.

Writing a brief is tough. Writing a great one is the stroke of genius. Impress us.

If you’re local- tell us your three favorite independent restaurants in Dayton.
We’d love to know what your three favorite movies are.
And, if you include links to what you think are the three greatest ads of all time- we’d love to see them.

Pay depends on experience. We’re very veteran friendly. We’re an open book company, hoping to become an ESOP. What’s important to us is attitude, team building, being an “ad person” (one who is fascinated by our craft and the practice of it.).

What positions do we have open? That changes, but, if you have mad skills, we always want to talk.

Typically, we like to hire people who are more of a generalist, someone who can wear multiple hats.
If you play an instrument- tell us. One of these days we may start a band.

Impress
Us

We're hiring a video producer.

Feb 2024: We’re looking for a full-time Videographer/ editor. Here’s our help wanted ad.

Are you the next Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, David Lynch?

What’s the connection? All of these top drawer directors got their start making ads, and they still did after they made it in Hollywood.

Do you know who Joe Pytka is? Do you know the story of “Space Jam”?

While we won’t have you working with big budgets, huge crews, (hence the Mike and Spike reference) or shooting 70mm film, we believe it’s OK to dream. In the meantime, we’re looking for someone to join our small team to handle video production. You’ll be shooting stills and video, editing, post-, color correction, doing awesome info graphics and sound mixing. While you’ll have creative coworkers to bounce ideas from, production from beginning to end will be up to you. This requires a self-starter attitude. You should be able to tell a story effectively using video.

About half of your work will be socially aware activism (we’re progressives). We do political ads for folks we like, and we’re also trying to make Dayton a better place by exposing corruption and offering alternatives to the status quo.

Note: you must like dogs, since we usually have 2 or 3 in the office.

Tools you should be familiar with: DaVinci Resolve (full version), Adobe CC (Premier & AE) . We have FCPX and Motion, but no one has used them in years. You’ll primarily shoot with Cinema cameras (C70, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6k G2 & 4K) & DSLRs (we have a Canon R6) but occasionally also with Sony video cameras. We have lights, dollies, sliders, drones, gimbals, and access to other stuff. like a DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and a 360 cam. We have a Blackmagic Design ATEM Mini Extreme ISO for doing live streaming too.
Your editing machine is a MacStudio- There’s a 60 TB RAID attached.

It’s not all glamor, either. You’ll also be expected to put together boring stuff, like house videos for Realtors.

IMPORTANT: Follow the following directions carefully, or you won’t be considered.

  • Send a cover letter/introduction email telling us your favorite three independent local restaurants in Dayton and why we should hire you. If it’s an attachment- PDF.
  • Also include names of your top three movies of all time and links to your three favorite commercials of all time.
  • Attach a PDF resume (no Word docs).
  • Have a link to a reel or a set of links to video you’ve produced.

This is a position that will grow with you. It’s up to you to do amazing work that we can showcase and build demand for. If you have existing clients, and want a steady paycheck, we may be your Shangri-la.

We know we have a lot of requirements, but we’ve found that hiring the right person is the most important thing we do. Attitude can beat demonstrated aptitude in our book. We’re willing to talk to entry-level people as long as they are willing to work for entry level pay until they prove profitable.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to hearing from you.Must want to change the world- at least a little bit. Please apply ASAP. [email protected]

At any given moment, these are the positions we’d find handy:

  • Graphic Designer
  • WordPress guru MySQL/PHP developer
  • Videographer
  • Social media maven/ad buyer
  • Copywriters
  • PR experts
  • Account service

Feb 2024: We’re looking for a full-time WordPress wizard/graphic designer. Here’s our help wanted ad.

“People don’t read ads, they read what interests them”

That’s what Howard Luck Gossage said back in the sixties. We try to make everything we do interesting. We may even be moving our offices to an old fire station, just like Gossage used to work out of.

Understanding type, usability, what makes a good headline, and how to find visuals that really are worth a 1000 words is what we want to pay you to do. If it’s worth doing- it’s worth looking good and being useful.

We’ve been doing award winning work since 1988. Before that, we were selling it. We’re proud of being an ad agency- we aim to make our clients more money than they pay us. You will be an essential cog in the machine.

About a quarter of your work will be socially aware activism (we’re progressives). We do political ads for folks we like, and we’re also trying to make Dayton a better place by exposing corruption and offering alternatives to the status quo. Call us the “activist agency.”

If you don’t learn something new here everyday, you’re not doing it right. We like to share knowledge and bounce ideas off each other in a positive, build on top of way. Our clients trust us to do our homework- and we strive to deliver value in every project.

Note: you must like dogs, since we usually have 2 or 3 in the office.

Tools you should be familiar with: a mac, Adobe CC, WordPress, Divi theme, a digital camera, a scanner, and be very organized.

You should know how to properly prepare a job for print, and enough about SEO and ADA to be dangerous.

IMPORTANT: Follow the following directions carefully, or you won’t be considered.

  • Send a cover letter/introduction email telling us your favorite three independent local restaurants in Dayton and why we should hire you. If it’s an attachment- PDF.
  • Also include names of your top three movies of all time and links to your three favorite commercials of all time.
  • Attach a PDF resume (no Word docs).
  • Have links to some websites you’ve built and have a portfolio of some graphic design work.

This is a position that will grow with you. It’s up to you to do amazing work that we can showcase and build demand for. If you have existing clients, and want a steady paycheck, we may be your Shangri-la.

We know we have a lot of requirements, but we’ve found that hiring the right person is the most important thing we do. Attitude can beat demonstrated aptitude in our book. We’re willing to talk to entry-level people as long as they are willing to work for entry level pay until they prove profitable.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to hearing from you.Must want to change the world- at least a little bit. Please apply ASAP. [email protected]

At any given moment, these are the positions we’d find handy:

  • Graphic Designer
  • WordPress guru MySQL/PHP developer
  • Videographer
  • Social media maven/ad buyer
  • Copywriters
  • PR experts
  • Account service
After you’ve read Whipple, email us via the address below.

We’ll get back to you quickly.