10 takes from my time as a Hatchling

I’m reporting to you from two days back into my real life post Cairns Crocs 2025. The whirlwind of the Hatchlings program is feeling more and more like a dream. The elephant in the room is – we didn’t come away with the win this time. Full credit to our competition, Louis and Tom, they did great work and are great people to boot.

But we’re not coming home empty-handed. I’m hungrier than ever. Here are 10 takes from my time as a Hatchling I’m now packing.

Don’t book the 9 am flight to Brisbane the morning after the closing party

Self-explanatory. Don’t.

You can achieve a lot in 48 hours.

Full disclosure, we were packing it in the lead-up to this competition. But it’s reassuring to know we could roll with what came out of the briefing. It was a great test to see what we could achieve from start to finish. From nothing to concept, script, shoot, edit, export, submit and present. Or in reality: brief, concept, concept, concept, shoot, concept, concept, edit, edit, edit, argument, concept, concept, hugging, export, submit and present. You get the picture.

If you have a breakthrough, you have to go with it

We spent Tuesday in the creative wasteland. No ideas. Sticking to it, we had our first creative breakthrough at 9:30 pm as we were about to tools down. What followed was the most productive part of the day for us. Be glad it didn’t come at 11pm.

Going away and coming back will help you

We hit a couple of rough patches, and one of them required a rage walk around the block. Coming back, everything made more sense after a subway foot long + some fresh air.

Don’t try to be too clever

At some point, your project might be too bloated for its own good. Joe Staples from Mother sees the creative process like a diamond. You begin by exploring broad ideas, mixing in elements from Blade Runner, Seinfeld, and the Nike “Am I a bad person” ad. Lovely. But this is advertising, and people need to get it at a glance. Start converging. Make the work as pointy as possible. For us, our moment was a few drafts in.

Ideas can come from anywhere, even regional agencies

Even if we called Newcastle “North North Sydney” a few times, you don’t need to come from a big city to do great work. There’s a universal aspect to this work that is human at the core. The “networking” (drinking) bit is probably best in person though.

Being in it IS winning it

I know this seems like something a loser would write, but I reckon the real prize is the Hatchlings that I met along the way. This competition has opened my eyes to what’s possible. I’ve met some great people. My LinkedIn is thriving.

Don’t ask, don’t get (feedback)

Drowning our sorrows at the after-party also got us an audience with one of our judges, Tod Duke-Yunge, Head of Design at Saatchi & Saatchi. After a few rounds of polite conversation, we mustered the courage to ask where we came unstuck. What followed was a heap of encouraging words whilst still remaining constructive. After that, the gloves came off, and we had an impromptu mentoring session soaked in classic margaritas.

Now the real work begins

Literally and figuratively. The comedown is real. The best part of this competition is the chance to use this framework. We can apply it to our day-to-day clients and any creative challenge we face. Minus the 48 hours bit.

Bonus: That ball pit at Mexicairns is for jumping in, do it.

Disclaimer: If it’s not already clear, we didn’t win the comp, so maybe take my advice with a grain of salt. And to Louis and Tom, if you made it this far, I’m keen for a rematch.

Small flex: This piece was published in B&T: Proof