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This article presents the commencement speech for the Wieden + Kennedy's 12 advertising school. The speech, entitled "To the Graduating class of W + K 12. Thank You," by Tom Spanbauer. The speech talks about how the author learned gratitude through his battle with AIDS and a stroke that he had a few years before. The author states that suffering allows one to grow closer to humanity and to understand people. The author comments on how television and advertisers are perceived as the definers of truth, and exhorts the graduates to be careful about what they create advertisements for. The author thanks the graduates for respecting his position as a human being and by not exploiting him.

The article highlights certain issues related to the field of freelancing and the need for a representative for improving business in this field. According to the author, a representative is the marketing and selling arm of the talent. The representative packages the product by getting the portfolio in a selling position and then takes that product to market by exhibiting and promoting the work to all prospective clients. This exposure involves advertising, sales promotion, and public relations. A representative is ideal for those freelancers who do not like the promoting and negotiating aspects of the business, who feel it takes them away from developing their work and their style.