Our Recap of Ossington Ad School
When one door closes, another one opens (literally)
When Miami Ad School Toronto closed, the advertising community felt the loss. Many students who relied on M.A.S to give them an education, experience and community were left stranded. That’s why, on August 12, we hosted the Ossington Ad School, a one-day, high-impact bootcamp designed to inspire, educate, and connect the next generation of creative minds.
After the success we had running our first Portfolio Night a few months back, taking this on as our next event was a no brainer. Not only were we able to connect with new talent but we were able to give students an inside look on how agencies run, how strategy is put together, and how our industry shows up, and rallies together.
Strategic Storytelling
Our day opened with a session led by our Head of Strategy Jon Crowley on strategic planning. He broke down the different aspects surrounding research, creating a brief, and how to strategically tell a story. With the cheeky reminder that even though we have the power of going online and finding information from anywhere – books are still your friends, especially those that are peer reviewed! So go get that library card 😉 And for more info on this section, check out our recent Field Trip, hosted by Jon.
Social Strategy
Jacquie Kostuk, Group Strategy Director, broke down how socials are evolving and the importance of getting brands on board – but the trick is knowing which platform suits them best with their audience. Knowing where your target market is and leveraging that as a brand is how you keep your relevancy.
To take it a step further, understanding how to curate content so your brand is always a part of the conversation is key. Trends are fun but don’t create a lasting impact – content being specific to your brand and your audience does.
Industry Insights
Rod Arnold, CMO at Soles4Souls, hopped on a call with us for an open Q&A session about the industry, working with creatives, and the relationship between client and agency.
He reminded the students that asking questions is important, being challenged creatively by your peers is okay, and that the attitude you bring to the table is everything.
The Art of Persuasive Presentations
The second half of our day was kicked off by FUSE Create’s ECD Steve Miller, giving us a presentation about the art of persuasive presentations. He touched on how to keep an audience engaged (pauses can be your best friend), some tips and tricks when presenting online (moving your panel of participants to the top of your screen can help with eye contact) and most importantly, presenting is like a performance. It doesn’t matter if you have an audience of three or three hundred – it’s your job to create and control the energy.
Building Your Own Brand
To close out the lecture portion of our workshop, Managing Director Aleena Mazhar Kuzma led a session on how to build your own brand. She touched on three key points:
– Your voice is yours to use. It’s unique and comes with different outlooks and ideas worthy enough to share.
– Consistency matters. How you show up for yourself during events, on socials, and in meetings allows people to get a glimpse of your confidence, interests and professionalism.
– People want to work with a well-rounded individual. Don’t discount work experiences and hobbies that have nothing to do with your career – these have molded you and allowed you to develop diverse perspectives and skills you wouldn’t have otherwise.
Portfolio Reviews & Networking
We ended the night with a portfolio review session and a networking mixer. Copywriters and Art Directors from FUSE as well as some special guests – Deborah Prenger, Vinay Parmar and Kyle Bernhardt – gave feedback and support to these talented students. Our friends from TA2 Sound + Music also came out to network with our guests. Conversations were light, productive and showed that breaking into the industry is possible and welcomed.
A big thank you to everyone who came out and supported this – from industry friends to clients and of course, the students. You remind us that this isn’t just a career, but a thriving community – we hope you had as much fun as we did!
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