In its milestone 30th episode, The NexGen Show spotlights Shaheera Shahrein, a rising copywriter whose journey into advertising began in perhaps the most unusual of times — during the pandemic.
“I was a fresh graduate with no portfolio, except for a website that I built as a fun hobby on the side,” she shares. “It wasn’t polished, it was probably bad, but I think it showed my interest in the industry.”
But getting through the door was just the beginning. For Shaheera, early lessons came fast and hard. From ideas being rejected, to harsh comments from her senior at work, these moments reframed the way she sees the industry today.
“Everyone keeps saying that this is the business of ideas, but I realised it’s actually the business of rejection,” she reflects. “Now I find the fun in getting rejected, and having the opportunity to prove them wrong.”
When asked if she would ever run her own agency, Shaheera shares a philosophy that is refreshingly modern: don’t change the game, change how you work to face the game.
“If I had to start my own agency, I would take the opportunity to do something a little bit different,” she explains. “There’s a new world out there, and you have to adapt to the way people are working now.”
Listen to The NexGen Show’s 30th episode, hosted by Malaysian advertising veteran Prof. Harmandar Singh, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
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