Hasta La Creative!

Austin-based innovation agency T3 hired Christian Barnard as chief operating officer and Nelan Schwartz as chief technology officer. Ben Gaddis, formerly chief innovation officer, will now serve as president, while founder Gay Gaddis will focus on her duties as CEO. 

“Our management group could lead agencies anywhere in the world,” said Ben Gaddis in a statement. “It speaks volumes about our clients and our unique culture that this talent wants to do great things at T3.”

Barnard joins T3 from Razorfish, where he served as group vice president leading the agency’s Austin office since the beginning of 2015. That followed two and a half years as vice president of SapientNitro. Before that he spent four and a half years as CEO of Deft Strategy, which he co-founded in June of 2010 after three years as global vice president of frog design.

Schwartz joins T3 from frog design, where he has spent the past sixteen years. Most recently he served as executive technology officer, heading up frog’s technology offering in Europe from its Munich office since April of 2012. He originally joined frog as a developer in 2000, working his way up to technology director in 2007, principal technologist the following year and associate technology director in 2011.

Ben Gaddis originally joined T3 as director, mobile and emerging media strategy in April of 2009, following two years as vice president, business development for Omnicom-owned ipsh. He was then promoted to vice president, growth and innovation at the beginning of 2011 and chief innovation officer around two and a half years later. 

“This move is a natural evolution in T3’s growth, in retaining our 27 years of independence and in expanding our collaborative Think Tank model to develop innovative, useful experiences for our clients,” Gay Gaddis said.

Listen up, people. T3′s Brian Thompson and his shirt are here to give you four simple steps to nailing your next client presentation!

For those of you who prefer your tips in text format as opposed to video, here are the key points:

1. Posture: Stand up straight. This requires putting your shoulders back and chest out, allowing your clients a better opportunity to check out your God-given physical attributes. If you’re packing in the rear, knock a pen off the table and take an extra-long time to pick it up. It’s this negotiation tactic that made up the basis of Legally Blonde, after all!
2. Gesture: Pinkies out! Pinkies always, always out! It shows class. Also, remember: When you’re presenting your “big idea,” try to stretch your arms out as wide as you possibly can. This will help the client better understand the enormity of your concept. When saying your goodbyes, give the client a firm handshake, while simultaneously using your middle finger to subtly tickle their palms.
3. Pause: The best tactic for keeping your client on their toes is to suddenly stop mid-sentence when you’re in the middle of your presentation. Believe me, they’ll never see it coming. Only resume your presentation after the client asks you AT MINIMUM three times if everything’s okay.
4. Eye Connection: Never, EVER, break eye contact. Have everything memorized so you can talk about your concept without ever looking at it. Avoid blinking if possible; the only time an eye should close is when winking. If you wear contacts or have naturally dry eyes, try to wink at least once a minute. Remember, this is about eye connection, not contact. Pretend the client is Leonardo DiCaprio‘s character at the end of Titanic, and you’re Kate Winslet floating on the door. Never. Let. Go.

Practice these moves with your family over the holiday weekend, and come back to work on Monday presenting with confidence!

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.