Taking the pulse with 2022 Young Bloods Sophia Wilby and Nate Houseley

We reached out to the creative duo Sophia Wilby and Nate Houseley 2021 Applied Arts Advertising Young Blood Award winners to find out more about their creative process on their multiple-award winning campaign "Receats" for client Good Fortune. The campaign was selected as a winner in seven categories!

Q: What is your creative process (from idea to finished product?) 

The brief came to my co-writer, Nate Houseley, and I out of a real-world problem. How could Good Fortune survive Toronto’s pandemic lockdowns, while competing with every other restaurant on delivery apps?

Good Fortune wasn’t a big name, and with a $0 budget it was clear that UberEats and DoorDash were the main spaces we could speak to new customers. 

As we sat there in our new home offices, it dawned on us. Imagine if people could expense burgers like they do with work supplies? 

Q: Can you walk us through the specifics of creating this piece? 

First, we renamed Good Fortune’s entire menu as office supplies and rewrote the descriptions. We kept in mind the price and chose believable items relative to that. 

Then, we rejigged the receipt-printing process so people could actually go through with this. The receipts now showed their ‘office supplies’ from an alias we created: GF Office Supply Co. 

Q: What do you think is an issue in the world of advertising? 

I think sometimes we speak too much to our own industry. A lot of incredible campaigns resonate within our field, but we should really be trying to impress our moms and our friends. 

Impressing someone who knows what you’re doing is one thing. The hard part is making stuff that makes random people at the bar think you’re smart. 

Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in your field? 

Trust yourself. Your inexperience is actually pretty valuable in an industry where everyone is trying to have fresh thinking. There will always be a degree of subjectivity when it comes to creativity, so don’t be afraid to speak up. Oh, and don’t do unpaid internships.    

Thanks for your advice and for taking the time to participate in our Q&A Sophia and Nate! Fresh thinking and ideas do make way for greater things.