Clockwise: Jane Maas signs copies of her book; Erin, copywriter at Winstanley Partners, chats with Jane; I show off my copy of Mad Women; Jane’s inscription in my copy of her book.
I met real-life Mad Woman Jane Maas this week — author of Mad Women, her memoir of life as a copywriter at top Madison Avenue ad shops.
The biggest takeaway of the day, for me, was that at 80 Jane Maas has the energy of a 20-something. I hope I have half the energy at that age – I feel like I have about half now.
I also Tweeted up a storm though, recording some of Jane’s best lines of the day. There’s something for everybody here.
Tidbits from Jane Maas:
• Women represent 3% of all agency creative directors in the U.S.
• Women in ad agencies today make an average of 90 cents on the dollar compared to men.
• ‘We have to go back to the old lesson that we can’t put money into too many different slices of pie.’
• ‘an ad can’t make anybody do anything’
• Jane Maas’ favorite campaign she’s worked on is I Love New York.
•’My secret of success is that I’m little. I don’t intimidate men, and I don’t intimidate women.’
• Jane Maas used to write ‘spontaneous dialogue’ for Name That Tune.
• ‘Have women come a long way in ad agencies? My answer is no.’
• ‘I knew there was pot smoking going on at Ogilvy, but especially at Wells Rich Greene.’
• ‘get the money before they screw you.’
• ‘Linda’, a copywriter, lost her virginity to the account exec on Lime Jell-o.
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