"I check in!"

20 December 2018

A couple of weeks ago, 15 lucky trainees participated in our Creativity Works: Creative Media Campaigns course - an immersive training in ideation, pitching, campaign execution and much more. We catch up with Kemi Glover, who tells us all about the workshops and sessions, last-minute decisions for their group pitch - and of course, what it means to 'check in'.

Kemi says...

'Checking in' was routine on the Creative Media Campaigns programme. Every morning of the programme, we were encouraged to check in- the purpose being to express how we felt and what we looked forward to throughout the day. As I reflect on the course… I was truly privileged to be a part of it.

But for one last time, let’s check in...

I came across a post about the 'Creative Media Campaigns' course - a four week immersive introduction to the world of advertising - on Instagram. Initially unsure as to whether I should apply, I found myself on Monday morning at 5am filling out the application for a 9am deadline. The following week, I received a call offering me a place on the programme.

The course consisted of 15 young creatives (including myself) tasked with creating a campaign targeting young people and mental health. It was extremely well structured and organised, comprising industry talks, workshops, practical masterclasses and group work.

Week 1

The first day was hosted at Wieden + Kennedy (Advertising agency) where we were given an introduction into advertising, explored the different roles and routes in, and met the other creatives on the programme. By the end of the week, we were placed into our groups and given some tools to break down the brief for the campaign. The brief was given to us by Time to Change'

'How can we make this generation more open and supportive around mental health than any before?'.

Week 2

This week was very moving and exciting. We learnt the steps to build a campaign, participated in an ideation workshop, and then moved on to insight generation. The highlight of the week for me was the ideation workshop conducted by Abraham Asefaw co-founder of The Pop Up Agency. The workshop taught us various exciting ways to generate ideas. We were also very blessed to be visited by Naana Orleans-Amissah- a truly inspirational woman - who dug deep into the art of good storytelling and how to find your voice.

The rest of the week, we explored insight generation. Insights are a 'deep truth' about the consumers based on their behaviour, beliefs and needs. By the end of the session, as a group we had unlocked multiple insights into why 11-18 year olds don't talk about mental health. To round off the week, we had the opportunity to visit Unruly an incredible agency founded in 2006 with a mission to transform advertising for the better.

Week 3

The third week focused on art direction. The busiest week of all as it was filled with field trips - visiting different advertising agencies around London. These agencies included MediaCom, FCB Inferno, and Somethin’ Else. The workshops included learning about UX (fascinating), Typography (super exciting), copywriting and Social Media. The workshops were designed to support us with developing the idea execution for our campaign. In addition, we participated in an exclusive Keynote workshop with Apple at Regent Street. Fran also set up a surprise visit from an amazing man called Perry Nightingale – Head of Creative Technology at Grey London, who took us on a journey into the future of advertising... (think 2051...)

Final Week

Honestly, the last week felt like a blur. It wasn't long before Friday and we had to finalise our ideas, put our pitches together and design our deck. Tensions were high and up until Wednesday, our group idea wasn't finalised. Fast forward to Friday, all three groups pitched back to the Helen Andrews, Managing Director at W+K, Geraldine Gaillemin (Group Business Director Grey London), Abraham Asefaw co-founder of The Pop Up Agency, Chris Kilvington (Time to Change) and Rose White, Trustee at the charity Safaplace.

Suffice to say, every single pitch went well and we were all commended on our ideas and presentation skills. As someone who hates public speaking, I actually enjoyed the pitch and was pretty impressed with how I successfully managed to articulate my part in the presentation. What an amazing day!

Let's check out...

'This programme was incredible. In three weeks, I was immersed in the world of advertising, developed my employability skills and met some amazing people. I can't believe the amount of incredible creatives we were exposed and had the opportunity network with. As a result of this programme, I feel much more confident, and believe in the skills and qualities I have to offer.

To the four superwomen: Fran, Kati, Ayumi and Rachael… thank you so much for this incredible opportunity to be a part of the 'Creativity Works: Creativity Media Campaigns' programme.

I'm ready to embark on my creative career, so I check out!'

- Kemi Glover

Photography by Amer Idris and Ketishia Vaughan

Creativity Works: Advertising 2019 is now open for applications. Find out more about the programme and how you can apply here.