Creative Talks & Workshop | Dan Nelken

Talks & Workshops

When it comes to professional development, creatives have been a neglected bunch.

And I’m committed to doing whatever I can to help fill this void.

I’m glad you are too.

Companies I’ve worked with: 

Thinking About Thinking

We spend so much time thinking, but rarely (if ever), do we create the space to think about how we think.

This is why our creative process and confidence ceases to evolve. It’s time to stop winging creativity. It’s not a science but it’s also not the witchcraft we make it out to be.

In this talk, we’ll discuss—

  • Healthy vs unhealthy creative processes
  • The human brain on creativity
  • Why we always want more time
  • A revised definition of creativity
  • Structure in creativity
  • Creative tips and techniques you can use instantly
  • The importance of creating for yourself

In just one session, your team will become a more efficient, confident, inspired and connected group. Whether you’re a team of copywriters, an entire company or an entire country, this will benefit all in attendance.

Dan's workshop was engaging, informative, and fun. I left with many new tools in my copywriting belt and have been ...
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copywriter
lululemon
Dan's workshop was engaging, informative, and fun. I left with many new tools in my copywriting belt and have been reaching for them often. Dan curated several examples of 'copy in the wild' for each technique he discussed and shared relatable stories from throughout his career as a professional creative.
copywriter
lululemon
Dan’s talk showed me ​​ that I'm not alone in the roller coaster of emotions that is the creative process...
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Jenn Hicks
Creative Director, Will Creative
Dan’s talk showed me​​ that I'm not alone in the roller coaster of emotions that is the creative process – normalizing the doubt and insecurities as par for the course really helps my perspective (and me keep my calm) when i'm in the thick of it!
Jenn Hicks
Creative Director, Will Creative
On a Friday afternoon in Germany for our in-house agency, and an unGodly hour in the morning for Dan...
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Bren Brennan,
N26
On a Friday afternoon in Germany for our in-house agency, and an unGodly hour in the morning for Dan in Canada, our 20 creatives listened intently to killer tips and tricks on how to hack creativity. It wasn’t only the copywriters that were lapping it up, the designers and leads were all queuing up to get their questions answered from someone who has genuinely been there and done that… because he speaks the language and issues of creativity to creatives like a brother from another mother.
Bren Brennan,
N26
Thank you for the fabulous workshop! The writers were super engaged, which was awesome to see, and many mentioned specifically ...
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Esmé Hogeveen
lululemon
Thank you for the fabulous workshop! The writers were super engaged, which was awesome to see, and many mentioned specifically appreciating your presentation approach. Thanks again -- that was such a delight and I personally learned and enjoyed it so much, too! Super energizing.
Esmé Hogeveen
lululemon
THANK YOU!!! The praise has been coming in nonstop. Your talk was definitely the highlight of a very successful conference. ...
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Julee Shapiro
Mattel
THANK YOU!!! The praise has been coming in nonstop. Your talk was definitely the highlight of a very successful conference. You have so many Mattel copywriter fans!
Julee Shapiro
Mattel

Being Human in a Digital World

Learn when to follow tech vs when to follow your gut.

In a sea of B2B, B2C, SEO, KPIs, ChatGPT and everybody following the same best practices, it’s getting harder and harder to differentiate our brands. But your unfair advantage won’t be found in a search bar. Whoever humans the best wins.

This 45-minute talk will:

  • change the way you see your target audience
  • help you see communicating with personality as a competitive advantage
  • provide countless inspiring examples from people and brands around the world
  • provide examples from the speaker’s journey going from unknown to expert
  • give your team filters to decide when to follow the tech vs when to follow their gut
  • give you practical tips to inject more personality into your actions and communications

In just one session, all attendees will have the inspiration, motivation and practical techniques for leveraging their human creativity in an increasingly digital world.

Write better copy. Faster.

With increasing deliverables and shrinking timelines, it’s never been more important to help writers improve their creative speed and confidence.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll dig into—

  • The relationship between creativity and pressure
  • Your brain on creativity
  • Impostor syndrome and our inner critics
  • Is it possible to creative faster? If so, how?
  • Structure in creativity
  • Headline writing techniques and 200+ example ads
  • Quick-thinking techniques and 100+ example ads
  • Group chats and interactive copy exercises
  • 200+ pg reference guide for all attendees
  • Lifetime access to the online course

This session will leave your team inspired, confident and excited to put their polished craft into practice. In a single day, you will have levelled up your team’s copywriting superpowers.

And this isn’t limited to copywriters. Everybody writes.

*Note: This is the live, extended version of my online course, Writing Under Pressure.

Dan’s course is like a plunger for writer’s block.
Luis Vásquez
Associate Creative Director
Dan’s course is like a plunger for writer’s block.
Luis Vásquez
Associate Creative Director
I’ve come up with so many good headlines for my most recent client project that now my problem is actually...
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Nadia Braddon-Parsons
Communications and Marketing Manager
I’ve come up with so many good headlines for my most recent client project that now my problem is actually narrowing down what to use on their new website.
Nadia Braddon-Parsons
Communications and Marketing Manager
[It’s] everything it promises, a guide to fast and thoughtful headline creation. It's given me a powerful set...
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Greg Harrison Clay
Digital Marketing/Copywriter
[It’s] everything it promises, a guide to fast and thoughtful headline creation. It's given me a powerful set of copywriting tools that I can pull out in a pinch AND practice when the pressure is off. To top it off, Dan is an excellent teacher.
Greg Harrison Clay
Digital Marketing/Copywriter
Dan’s course is the difference between “the client wants more options ” and “the client can’t pick a favorite.”...
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Matt Cascarino
Chief Creative Officer
Dan’s course is the difference between “the client wants more options” and “the client can’t pick a favorite.” If you suffer from the cramps of crossed fingers or the pinch of prayer beads in your palm, this is how to reclaim your confidence.
Matt Cascarino
Chief Creative Officer

Campaign Thinking

This workshop will leave your team with countless options for big picture campaign ideas. Your problem goes from not having enough ideas to having too many.

Once you have that overarching idea, ideas start coming out of your ears. The trouble is, most creatives think too small and end up trying to retrofit a series of loosely connected small ideas into a bigger idea.

Whether you’re an agency pitching a new client or an in-house department concepting your next campaign(s), this workshop will leave you with more ideas than you’ll know what to do with. All in a single day. Or two.

In this interactive workshop, we’ll—

  • Discuss the creative process
  • Discuss impostor syndrome and our inner critics
  • Cover the relationship between structure and creativity
  • Discuss the difference between small and big ideas
  • Work through creative prompts with examples to generate campaign ideas (this will be the bulk of our time)

This practical working session will leave your team, not only with tools and techniques to rely on for the rest of their careers but an overwhelming amount of ideas for an upcoming or existing brand platform.

For other speaking or podcast requests, email my underpaid booking agent: dan@nelkencreative.com

The Newsletter

I write stuff to help people (myself included) build creative confidence.