Straight Outta Ad School: Nia Shima-Franklin Is Ready To Take Over
Currently making cool shit at The Martin Agency, this copywriter's story is one-of-a-kind.
From sociology to advertising. Quite a leap, eh? Nia Shima-Franklin spent some time doing work in the community before circumstances meant that she needed to switch careers. “During Covid, I ended up in a situation where I just wasn't able to get the regular work that I usually had,” says Shima-Franklin over a recent Zoom call. “I had been out of the country for a little bit, so I reflected on what I really wanted to do. I wanted to write.”
Three years later, Shima-Franklin’s forging a fresh career at the Martin Agency — one of the industry’s star creative homes. After attending the Denver Ad School, she’s hopped into the industry and conquered one of new creatives biggest problems already: imposter syndrome. “I remember thinking when I got hired, did they make a mistake? Are they sure?,” she says. “But validation from my bosses lets me know that I’m doing fine. You have to trust that they hired you for a reason and that if you keep killing it, it’s not a fluke.”
Here’s Shima-Franklin on her journey to get here, whooping imposter syndrome’s ass, and her plans for the future.
Can you tell me a little bit about your story? Like how'd you get into advertising?
My story is really non-traditional and also incredibly random. I went to school for sociology because I decided I wanted to work with the community for a long time — which I did. I was a case manager, but I did a lot of writing in my spare time. During Covid, I ended up in a situation where I just wasn't able to get the regular work that I usually had. I had been out of the country for a little bit, so I reflected on what I really wanted to do. I wanted to write.
It didn’t go smoothly though. I started hitting roadblocks. I originally started to do it for myself so I made a freelance writing business. Very quickly though, I realized that was very hard — and, I didn’t want to do it for myself. That would have involved project management and doing my finances. So I started looking around at the different schools that I could go to, and I just stumbled upon portfolio school. Then, I discovered the Denver Ad School..
I realized this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to just have the finances paid for, so I dropped everything and went to Denver. I did it for a year and a half and it was probably the hardest thing that I’ve ever done in my life. While there, Martin Agency was a place that I did my research on because they are so tapped into the culture. I reached out to the recruiter, and kind of was just like, “Hi, I love the Martin Agency — can I please work there?”
I invited her to my portfolio review and she said that the agency loved my portfolio, but they didn’t have anything available at the moment. Four months after I graduated from Denver Ad School, she, out of the blue, reached out to me. The process was pretty quick after that. After a bunch of interviews, they flew me out and I got the job.
You’re starting your career off at the Martin Agency, which is considered to be one of the top agencies to work at. Is there any pressure to perform? What’s that process been like?
Yeah, I would say at first, I felt an extreme amount of pressure coupled with imposter syndrome because everything happened so fast for me. Three years ago, I wasn’t writing at all. I remember thinking when I got hired, did they make a mistake? Are they sure? But validation from my bosses lets me know that I’m doing fine. You have to trust that they hired you for a reason and that if you keep killing it, it’s not a fluke.
Everyone here’s really kind and nice. The more that I've worked here, the easier it's gotten and the more excited I am for briefs. I've been here for eight months now and it almost feels like normal. I really enjoy work and I do have a lot of opinions. Stepping into this role has made me a much more confident person.
What are you most excited about in the industry?
Right now, in my personal experience in the industry, I really fucking want to get on production. I'm excited to grow and touch more things. In the larger sense of the industry, I'm excited that so many people who actually care about communities and topics that are larger than advertising are entering the advertising industry. I'm really excited to mentor people.
What's your experience with mentorship been like? Have you had any really good mentors? And if so, what have they taught you that's helped you so far in your career?
I had more mentors during school than I've had here. I've been trying to find mentors here int he industry, but it's been difficult. I would like to have a mentor that’s also a black woman in this industry to learn how to navigate. Most of my mentors have, honestly, been white men because that's just what's been available to me. So they've helped me a lot in my technical abilities.
What do you want your career pathway to be like? I know sometimes there's a progression from copywriter or senior copywriter to ACD, CD, GCD, ECD, et cetera.
I'd love to learn screenwriting. I think that being a copywriter has given me the confidence that I can write. I've never done it before. I just think that could be really fun. The thing that I've learned about writing, such as being able to pick up copywriting, is that you can literally do anything you want.
How did you prep to enter the advertising industry? Were there any books that you read?
Yeah, there's this book that I honestly got from Amazon: A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken. It’s really helped me with the basics, and I open it up whenever I need to brush up on anything.
What do you think, so far, has been the best piece of feedback that you've received from a higher-up?
This isn’t feedback, but this is just good advice about networking that came from Shannon Washington, the CCO at R/GA. She’s amazing. She was talking specifically about black women. She said that you really want to get the grade. You want the A+ because you think it’ll get you far. But it’s not enough to get the grade. You also have to ally yourself with the right people. That’s really stuck with me.
Last question. For anyone looking to jump into advertising like you, what advice do you have for them as they begin on their journey?
I would say go on LinkedIn and just maniacally connect with everyone who's at their favorite agencies. Then, look at all of those people's books and reach out to whoever made your favorites with questions.