A jump-start for creative careers: J. Walter Thompson launches new global talent program
As innovative ideas increasingly come from outside traditional agency confines, J. Walter Thompson has today announced a new global talent development program called Jump/Start. The program is aimed at helping young creative thinkers from all backgrounds break into the advertising industry.
The program aims to collapse boundaries by attracting and retaining students and recent graduates who have diverse and multidisciplinary backgrounds. Jump/Start is inclusive of disciplines spanning theater, film, creative writing, technology, product design, innovation and more.
For more information or to apply, please visit jumpstart.jwt.com.
Says Matt Eastwood (left), Aussie expat worldwide chief creative officer, J. Walter Thompson: “Across the board, one of the biggest trends we’re seeing in our industry is the convergence of traditional categories. With Jump/Start, we’ve designed a program that supports creative talent from beyond these traditional confines. Growing a diverse talent pool is essential to our ability to deliver better and more innovative ideas to our clients.”
Jump/Start is designed to bridge the gap between classroom education and hands-on application. Participants will have the opportunity to work in an active agency setting, while collaborating with teams of experienced and award-winning professionals. They will also have the chance to work on live briefs and enhance their portfolios with real client work. Participating students will receive a monthly stipend for the duration of the three-month internship.
The program will kick off in Beirut, Dubai, Hong Kong, London, Melbourne, New York, São Paulo and Sydney. Students, recent graduates and young professionals will be eligible to apply.
Says Eastwood: “I owe great thanks to the many people and agencies that helped me throughout my career, and especially as a young university graduate. That’s the sort of support we want to replicate for the next generation of great creative minds.”
The program will be led by Britt Hayes, worldwide head of creative talent, and by the respective chief creative officers in the participating offices.
Applications will be accepted for 3-month rotations, and regional Jump/Start programs began accepting their first groups of participants in September 2015.
5 Comments
1-Saying that innovative ideas come from outside the agency just makes clients look elsewhere for true innovation.
2-Why would you think they want to break into advertising when the really smart and enterprising ones are thinking of breaking out?
3-What are the outcomes for those applying so this doesn’t become another source of cheap labour and free ideas?
Dear Hard Questions,
In reply to your statements;
1. I don’t see anywhere in the above article that JWT have said “innovative ideas come from outside the agency”.
But innovative ideas can obviously come from anywhere. My builder just had a great one recently!! The ability to get innovation ideas accepted and produced is all that counts.
2. Every week I still have around 3 calls from young people, hopeful creatives, asking advice on how they can get a start in an agency – so yes, talented young people still want to work in agencies. Maybe not as many as in the past, but many still see it as an exciting career.
3. As founder of FBI Recruitment, many years back we presented a programme to all the major agencies in Australia, and New Zealand, to run a creative internship. DDB under Garry Horner were the first to take it up, then under Matt Eastwood the programme was developed further. FBI donated their time to help source the talent. This programme for many years gave a few hundred young creatives the experience to get a job. Many were hired by DDB and other agencies, the majority of the interns were thrilled to get the chance.
I think it’s wonderful that Matt has now taken this internationally with JWT, and congratulate him on continually giving young talent a break.
‘First line of the release:
As innovative ideas increasingly come from outside traditional agency confines,’
Thanks ‘Qoute..Unqoute’.
Yes, it is in the first line, but I didn’t take it as a statement from JWT, presumed it was by the writer of the story. But really not relevant.
I just wanted to point out I think Matt has done a great thing starting the programme. It will give a lot of young people a good leg up into jobs in creative areas. And it pisses me off when people are critical, rather than giving credit when credit is due!
No, it definitely came from the press release.
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/09/prweb12956589.htm
I agree with Hard Questions. No-one I see coming out of Uni the past two years looks toward the ad industry to cultivate their careers. And with agencies failing commercially and creatively, it’s not entirely surprising the young have set their sights on the likes of the tech sector.