Dave “Lil Dicky” Burd continues to be caught in his author’s block in the second season of the FX collection. However the Dave Season 2 episode “Ad Man” focuses on his friendship with Emma (Christine Ko), their early days working collectively at an promoting company, and their unfaltering need to chase their desires. Er, Emma’s unwavering friendship no matter Dave’s willingness to neglect her desires.
Dave ‘Lil Dicky’ Burd actually labored in advertising and marketing
Earlier than changing into a viral sensation on YouTube and star of his FX collection, Burd labored as an assistant account supervisor at San Francisco company Goodby Silverstein & Companions. Burd was an account govt for Doritos, however he additionally labored on inventive deliverables for the NBA.
“I always wanted to do something creative professionally,” Burd instructed AdWeek. “I started off as an assistant account manager on Doritos and was the low man on the totem pole. One of my assignments was to give this report on how the chip sales were doing and how the ads were.”
Burd discovered the method “painfully boring,” however he additionally noticed a possibility. “It was my one chance at being noticed by people that are that high at the company,” he says, persevering with:
I made a music about Doritos chip gross sales and despatched it out sooner or later. The companions on the firm went loopy, they usually instantly switched me into the inventive division. Unexpectedly, I wrote like 10 advertisements that had been on TV by age 22. I did the entire NBA playoff marketing campaign in 2012.
That inventive expertise is just like Dave’s flashback in “Ad Man.” However as a substitute of Doritos, he and Emma are engaged on a Mountain Dew marketing campaign.
‘Dave’ Season 2 flashes again to Lil Dicky’s days in promoting
Most of “Ad Man” is a flashback to Dave and Emma’s time working collectively at a fictional advert company. After they’re not avoiding work browsing Chat Roulette or speaking about Dave’s need to grow to be a well-known rapper beneath the moniker “Norm Bender,” Dave and Emma try to maneuver from billboards to pitching commercials.
Collectively, they create a pitch for Mountain Dew that’s recent and showcases Dave’s rapping capacity. However their pitch additionally solidifies the shortage of respect Emma receives in a male-dominated trade.
Dreaming continues to be value doing in ‘Dave’ episode ‘Ad Man’
Each Emma and Dave aren’t proud of their jobs on the advert company. At one level, Dave says he’s losing his “national treasure of a brain on TD Ameritrade.” Collectively, they dream of attaining one thing extra.
For Emma, “making cool videos” is the purpose. For Dave, it’s gaining recognition as one of many best rappers of all time.
“I have always felt like I was the biggest star on the planet,” Dave confides in Emma. “I used to watch The Truman Show and think that was me.” In a manner, Dave’s selfish mindset is one thing all of us faucet into at instances — it’s what retains us motivated to proceed chasing our desires.
‘Ad Man’ reiterates how the world doesn’t revolve round Dave
A lot of Dave Season 2 has centered on Lil Dicky’s egocentric methods. In “Ad Man,” we get to see Emma’s perspective on that.
Dave and Emma might need completely different concepts of what success seems like — for Emma, success is the liberty to be inventive and make compelling movies; for Dave, it’s changing into the best rapper ever. At completely different factors in “Ad Man,” Emma encourages Dave to pursue his desires.
And as Dave fails to ship his traces for the XXL Freshman Listing shoot, Emma remembers the numerous instances she inspired him in the previous. However she additionally realizes their relationship isn’t symbiotic.
Even again in their advert company days, Emma’s work was at all times secondary to Dave’s. When she realizes that’s nonetheless the case, Emma decides to chase alternatives to be inventive outdoors of Lil Dicky‘s ambiance.