How to speak New York

The client’s critique of our work was laced with profanity and insults. It seemed to go on forever. I was mortified and thought we had failed.

I had just moved from Minneapolis to Manhattan to work at Angotti, Thomas, Hedge. This was my first meeting with SAAB, which the agency had just won. I was hoping that our work would impress the client in addition to Barry Hedge, the President of the agency, who was also attending the meeting. Here I was, working at a New York advertising agency on a European car account. It all felt very important. And it was going so wrong. “Am I tough enough to work in this city,” I thought.

After what must have been an eight-minute angry soliloquy, the client gave his final comment, “I guess if this shit is the best you can do, I can probably go with this one if I had to.” He then left the room without saying another word. I stood stunned and motionless. Barry broke the long silence, “well, I think that went pretty well, don’t you?”

I learned that’s just how New Yorkers communicate with each other. Even if you like something, sound angry about it.