By Ivan Stanojevic 

Ocean’s Two

CREAM is an event for up-and-coming creatives trying to meet potential employers. This year it was at Mother’s offices. Our group chat was overwhelmed by people scheming and coming up with ways how we could get into this invite-only event. I thought it was kind of funny and just assumed the security would be pretty lax. After all, the majority of last year’s intake managed to get in the year before without a problem. 

So, the day of the event arrived. Some of our classmates already got in without a problem. A lot of them were apparently named Marc Lewis. It was time for Oliver and me to try our luck. We had prepared names we would use at the door. We get there and say “our names” when we’re met with a question “So which agency are you from?”. F***. We realize we did not think this through properly. We scramble and say we’re SCA students. The girl replies that it wouldn’t be fair for her to let students in because it takes away from the nominees. I agree with what she’s saying but that’s undermined by the fact, that I am also looking at the majority of my classmates inside the offices, enjoying a beer and worrisomely looking at us being denied entrance. They won’t budge. 

We’re standing on the street, unsure how to proceed. But neither of us is about to take no for an answer. We are SO close. That’s when we spot an open garage door in the building next to the offices. We look at each other, give the slightest nod and just power-walk in. We are excited and feel like we’re one back door away from the event. Our dreams are quickly crushed the moment we see the first door has a keypad lock. SHIT. We loiter by the door for a bit when a woman walks past us and unlocks it. We wait for a second and then grab the door before closing. We follow the woman, but not too obviously, as not to appear like a pair of stalkers. She unlocks the door to the stairs and again, we manage to grab it inconspicuously before it closes. We are walking up the stairs and are met with another keypad lock. But it says MOTHER on the door.

We are literally in front of the offices and just two more doors are separating us from the event. A man dressed in a cycling outfit and helmet comes out and asks us where we’re headed. We say “inside”. He’s like, “I don’t think you can come in this way”. Oliver asks “Can we try?”. The man is unsure but his British politeness doesn’t allow him to say no to us, so we’re in. Inside the small hall, we’re met with ANOTHER KEYPAD LOCK!! A man is leaving the toilet so we rush in and hide, then notice that that same man went through the locked door to the offices. So, we follow him and walk in confidently. We are IN. Oliver is talking to a couple of people who are leaving work. A woman, who seems like she’s one of the organizers, approaches us and asks the guys working there if they know us. They’re like “NO”. She asks us if we’re guests of the event and we reply “YES”. She continues with “Oh, in that case, you guys need to be downstairs.” We’re like “Of course, we’re going down now.” We walk past the guard at the top of the stairs and walk down. We’re in. The adrenaline is still rushing and we can’t think straight, but we’re IN. We try and infiltrate the party as best as possible and stay under the radar.