A Breath of Fresh Air
I am now working for a full-service advertising agency in downtown Phoenix. My first day was Wednesday, November 1 (All Saints' Day in Manila).

Oh, it's so nice to be back in the "real world"! I felt exactly this way before in Manila, when I moved from my first job (with a family-owned market research company called PSRC) to my second job (Ace/Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising). Back then, I felt like I had just come from the province and moved to the big city. Now, coming from a small Media independent, I'm back in the big city again.

Moses Anshell is a 24-year old full-service advertising agency in Phoenix, owned by Louie Moses and Jos Anshell. We have an uber cool loft-type office in a renovated warehouse, which has the following:

full kitchen (with appliances and all the supplies you'll ever need)
soda dispenser
basketball court within the dining area
locker and shower room within one of the ladies' rooms
air hockey table

They roll out the beer cart every Friday at 4PM. Isn't that cool??? But yeah, I still am not a drinker!

The best part is that dogs are allowed, so I'm definitely in doggie heaven! I've made quite a few friends with some of them already -- I think Casper is such an angel; Hannah is beautiful; and Oscar is quite a character.

Working for a Media independent has an advantage -- you are not answerable to Account Management/Client Services, and therefore, need no middle man to go straight to Client. That means less people to butt heads with. On the other hand, working in a full-service ad agency makes you appreciate the entire process even more. You get to see the total picture, and make that valuable contribution to the success of the campaign, right from its inception. You are there from start to finish. I like the bigger picture, and not just the end product.

The Moses Anshell culture is very casual, not really "corporate", yet it maintains its air of professionalism. Coming to the office everyday is not a burden -- we have a great work environment which encourages creativity and freedom. Work is also like play. It simply is a joy to work there. After all, we were voted Best Place to Work In (Small Company category) by Business Journal AZ.

After being away, again, I say that it's nice to be back. It's like a breath of fresh air * inhales *