Canada’s ‘Bubble Boy’ lands New York gig

Canada’s Cooper Evoy has successfully wrapped up his innovative quest for a job at a New York advertising agency.

Earlier this year, we told the story of the Toronto-area creative, who shot a video of himself walking around in New York encased himself in bubble wrap in an effort to land a job in the world’s biggest ad market. The video’s premise was that he was leaving behind Canada—and its free healthcare—and needed to stay safe until he could find a job with health benefits.

Well, Evoy’s efforts have paid off, as he recently landed a gig at Ogilvy New York as associate creative director, working on the IKEA account.

Evoy says that several agency recruiters saw his post on LinkedIn and contacted him, while those that he “harassed for a meeting” also seemed to get a kick out of the video. “When I got to NYC and started knocking on doors, the video definitely helped me get my foot inside said doors,” he told The Message via e-mail.

Evoy says he also got a helping hand from Olgilvy Canada’s chief creative officer Brian Murray, who urged him to contact a friend at the agency’s New York office. “Their recruiter immediately called me and said he loved the video, and next thing I knew I was in freelancing for a couple months, which led to a full-time ACD position, working on IKEA,” says Evoy. “It really reinforced my belief that when you have an idea, just go and make it.”

Funnily enough, Evoy says he had to turn down Ogilvy New York’s healthcare coverage, since he was already listed as a dependent on his girlfriend’s plan. “As usual, I ruined the joke,” he says.

Chris Powell