The post Ally Owen Recognised in Campaign’s A-List as Brixton Finishing School Enters Its Ninth Year appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>As Ally mentioned in her interview, “The future of advertising and media depends on who gets to be part of our ecosystem.” We’re proud to be at the forefront of transforming this ecosystem by ensuring that socially mobile talent, especially those with fresh voices and perspectives, have every opportunity to thrive.
Looking Back at 2024
- Our biggest Summer School yet, connecting diverse talent with leading industry partners.
- A successful relaunch of ADventure, our education outreach programme.
- The birth of The Finishing School Foundation, supporting NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) talent.
Looking Ahead
- Continuing our mission to open doors for underrepresented voices in the industry.
- Fostering flexible working environments—Ally’s vision ensures BFS staff enjoy a work culture that supports parents, neurodiverse individuals, and personal well-being.
- Preparing for our eighth Summer School in 2025, which we hope will bring a much-needed season of serenity for everyone.
Reflecting on the significance of being included in Campaign’s A-List, Ally thanked our supporters, partners, and fellow changemakers—none of this would be possible without their ongoing commitment to reshaping the landscape of advertising.
Read the Full Interview
Curious to learn more about Ally’s insights, including her all-time favourite TV advert and her advice for anyone considering leaving “adland”?
Click here to read the full A-List profiling interview on Campaign
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]]>The post Brixton Finishing School Announces Continued Partnership with Kurt Geiger Kindness Foundation for another year! appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>Our journey with the Kurt Geiger Kindness Foundation began with an inspiring campaign that showcased the talents of our students on billboards across Brixton, promoting Kurt Geiger’s iconic footwear. This marked the start of a dynamic relationship that has since grown to offer our students unparalleled opportunities, including entry-level positions, immersive internships, and hands-on workshops. These experiences are crucial in equipping our students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in their creative careers.
Ally Owen, founder of Brixton Finishing School, shares her excitement: “In a time when opportunities for young working-class creatives are increasingly scarce, partnerships like the one we have with Kurt Geiger are more important than ever. We are thrilled to continue this collaboration and look forward to opening more doors for the incredible talent in our programs.”
To kick off the next year of this partnership, Kurt Geiger played a pivotal role in our flagship summer school program. They provided a bespoke mock brief that challenged our students to create strategies aimed at boosting brand awareness in North America by capturing the essence of London’s local communities. With support and feedback from Kurt Geiger’s marketing team, our students delivered impressive pitches, with one team’s campaign, ‘Love, From London,’ emerging as a standout.
Pascale Montaner, Executive Director of the Kurt Geiger Kindness Foundation, commented on the partnership, “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Brixton Finishing School. The hands-on opportunities this collaboration creates for young people are truly inspiring. We believe in empowering future generations to thrive in creative industries, and this partnership helps turn a shared vision of inclusivity into a reality.”
This ongoing partnership between Brixton Finishing School and the Kurt Geiger Kindness Foundation is a testament to how brands and educational institutions can come together to nurture the next generation of creative leaders. Together, we continue to pave the way for a more inclusive and innovative future in the creative industries.
This partnership continues to set a benchmark for how brands can work together with educational institutions to nurture the next generation of creative leaders.
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]]>The post #CannesForAll returns to take two cohorts of diverse talent to Cannes Lions appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>CannesForAll, an initiative seeking to make the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity more inclusive, is running for a second year. The project was launched by Brixton Finishing School, DigiLearning Foundation and Lollipop Mentoring last year, and is now set to bring two separate cohorts of rising talent to Cannes Lions 2024. According to #CannesForAll, “social mobility is at its worst for 50 years”, with people in the advertising and media industry from working-class or ethnic-minority backgrounds paid substantially less than their middle-class counterparts.
Brixton Finishing School and DigiLearning are calling for funding and support to take their separate cohorts to Cannes Lions 2024.
Special thanks to Campaign Magazine UK for their support.
For more details, please read the full article here.
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]]>The post JCDecaux UK announces partnership with Brixton Finishing School appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>JCDecaux UK is proud to announce its partnership with Brixton Finishing School as part of its commitment to recruiting and retaining young, diverse talent.
As part of this new partnership, JCDecaux UK this week welcomed students from the Brixton Finishing School to their Great West Road office. This gave JCDecaux colleagues the fantastic opportunity to meet passionate, talented, young people and help shape the start of their career.
The students spent the day learning about the OOH industry from the experts, including an introduction to the industry, a site tour of JCDecaux assets and an interactive exercise to design the bus shelter of the future.
Carly Stanley, Chief People Officer of JCDecaux UK, said: ‘It was fantastic getting to meet the students from Brixton Finishing School and I’m already looking forward to the next time we can connect. I’m excited about the potential of this partnership both for the students and for us.
Our people are fundamental to our business, and we believe a diverse workforce will foster creativity and innovation. At JCDecaux we want all of our colleagues to feel they can bring their full self to work. We are committed to recruiting and retaining colleagues regardless of anything that makes them unique. We know we are on the right track as our latest internal survey showed that our colleagues feel valued and listened. We strive to continue improving and building an environment where everyone can thrive, grow, belong and be their authentic selves.’
Ally Owen, Founder of the Brixton Finishing School, said, ‘Our mission is to build an equitable superhighway into the industry for underrepresented talent and improve the early career experiences of all under-represented talent by working with our partners to drive positive cultural change. We’re delighted to welcome JCDecaux to our change making alliance of brands, media owners, agencies and technology providers and we’re excited for our students to learn from their experts. We’re also very excited that JCDecaux have already hired two of our BFS entry level students.’
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]]>The post Brixton Finishing School announces a new mentorship programme in partnership with The Trade Desk appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>The mentorship programme aims to inspire positive outcomes for underrepresented talent on their journey and retention in the industry by connecting Brixton Finishing School current students and alumni with 350 mentors from the creative, media, advertising and technology industries.
The programme will consist of one-to-one connections between industry professionals and emerging talent, as well as speed mentoring events with a focus on underrepresented communities. Mentors and mentees will receive enhanced training and support from BFS to ensure successful engagements between parties.
The programme launches at a critical time as research from Youth Index 22 shows overall confidence and happiness of young adults across the UK has fallen to the lowest level in reporting history.
Ally Owen, Founder of Brixton Finishing School, said: “Our recent study shows lack of mentorship and role models are key barriers to entry for young people from under-resourced and under-represented backgrounds. So I am delighted The Trade Desk has committed to funding such an important initiative for the industry, helping to supercharge our mentorship capabilities and deliver much needed structure and resources. I am also extremely grateful that Jerome is joining our team to drive this mission – his track record in creating positive pathways for talent speaks volumes.”
Phil Duffield, UK VP at The Trade Desk, added: “We recognise that increased diversity results in improved corporate culture, innovation and overall business success. We are proud of our continued partnership with Brixton Finishing School to help drive change by providing educational and mentorship opportunities to young people from underrepresented backgrounds. We are confident that this new mentorship programme will help young people accelerate their careers and make progress in diversifying the advertising and tech industries.”
If you’re ready to be a part of this transformative initiative and want to support emerging talent in the advertising and tech industries, register your interest to become a mentor in our programme today.
If you’re an aspiring professional from an underrepresented background looking for guidance and support in the advertising and tech industries, sign up today to be paired with a mentor who can help pave your way to success.
About Brixton Finishing School
Brixton Finishing School disrupts the way the Creative, Media & Marketing Industries recruit talent. We are an ‘end to end ‘ solution to the industry’s diversity challenges. Brixton Finishing School provides free, premium learning experiences, delivering creative and digital skills and real-world advertising experiences. We prepare our students for a pool of entry-level roles available just for them or for jobs in the wider industry
About The Trade Desk
The Trade Desk is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit thetradedesk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Notes to editors:
For more information on Brixton Finishing School, please contact Anthony Leeds at Propeller Group on BFS@PropellerGroup.com
#FutureTalentUnwrapped, the third wave of proprietary alumni research from Brixton Finishing School revealed that a lack of role models and network were among the key barriers to entry.
- Two fifths of Brixton Finishing School talent viewed a lack of role models would hamper their industry entry
- Half felt not knowing the right people would hold them back
The transition into an entry level role can be challenging on numerous levels – especially if you are from a community that’s underrepresented in your workforce. One in four of our talents after tenure in industry question whether our ecosystem is the place for them. Mentorship is a key tool in improving these outcomes and improving not only industry entry for all, but retention.
The Future Talent Unwrapped data key findings:
97% of alumni reported mentoring to be of value
74% of BFS and ADcademy program graduates have met with their mentor after they completed their course, demonstrating how valuable these relationships are.
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]]>The post Launching our third wave of alumni research with Future Talent: Unwrapped appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>Some of the report findings from our alumni include:
- 73% think more should be done to attract more diverse groups to the advertising industries
- ⅓ have seen others treated differently at work because of how they look / who they are
- Top career wishlists are: 1. Clear career progression with 55% & 2. Competitive salary with 54%
- “I don’t have enough faith in progression in the industry for people of colour to believe that I could ever be in a senior position.”
Download & read the full report here: Future Talent: Unwrapped
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]]>The post Marketing fails to address 18.2% socio-economic pay gap appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>Brands are diversifying their talent pipelines to increase representation of individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, introducing apprenticeships, democratising mentoring, and revamping hiring practices, but progress is slow. The Marketing T-Level, starting in 2025, will combine study with a substantial industry placement of nine weeks. KPMG has published its biggest progression gap analysis of over 16,500 employees, committing to increasing the number of leaders from lower socio-economic backgrounds to 29% by 2030.
For more info, check out the full article over on MarketingWeek
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]]>The post The Drum raises £18,500 for Brixton Finishing School at annual Burns Night celebration appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>For more info, check out the full article over on The Drum
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]]>The post Why is there an Award dedicated to Diversity In Advertising in 2022 and why do we ‘actually’ have a greater need for it? appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>Written by Martina Cavagna, an ADcademy Alumni
Channel 4, the British public service broadcaster that works across television, film, and digital media – not to mention, Brixton Finishing School’s own long-lasting partner – is once again sponsoring the Diversity In Advertising Award.
This year’s award launches with over £1 million TV and social media advertising airtime prize to include Channel 4’s YouTube channel for the first time, in addition to the linear channel portfolio, All 4 and a 4Studio campaign. Furthermore, Channel 4 also vows to match-fund the remaining shortlisted entries (up to £250k limit each), with the goal of airing as many representative campaigns as possible. The winner and runners-up will be announced in October, whilst the campaign will air early next year.
In the 2022 Ed., the brief is challenging brands in authentic portrayals of visible or non- visible disabilities. “22% of the UK is disabled, but only 4% of ads feature disabled people” (C4 Insight: Mirror On The Industry, 2022). Therefore, the aim is one of educating the population about the realities that come with disability. In 2021, Channel 4’s brief to the industry was for creative treatments that challenged ageism. The year prior to that was dedicated to British BAME culture representation.
However, the upcoming award isn’t only a way to recognise and celebrate the positive work the industry has been keeping up in the past couple of years and counting, it also gives a chance to reflect on the work yet to be done. Channel 4, via the Diversity In Advertising Award’s commitment and its ongoing support toward Brixton Finishing School throughout the years, is showing genuine involvement in DEI issues. With £6m in commercial airtime awarded to previous winners, Channel 4 aimed to encourage the UK advertising community to be more inclusive in their campaigns. In addition, according to Channel 4 research, its PL4YBACK studies, all former award-winning campaigns have both increased brand recognition and improved brand opinion.
When it comes to raising awareness, mass media representation acts as a powerful tool. Advertising has great potential to instil a positive shift, shape opinions and change attitudes. However, there is a long way ahead. Significant issues of representation are still pending, both in the work, but also in the industry. These communications are only authentic if the agency and corporate culture behind them are also inclusive. For instance, according to this year’s C4 Insight: Mirror On The Industry, only one ad managed to portray “Neurodiversity” out of the Top 1000 adverts shown on TV between March and September 2021. As Brixton Finishing School seeks to address the issue of inequality in the industry, it can be part of the solution. This is in fact a sensitive subject for BFS Mission, which believes in bringing the full spectrum of diversity to the forefront of creativity, by opening its courses to neuro-diverse students, who account for approximately 15-20% of the school’s enrolment.
Yet again, why is this Award so important?
With the underlying motivation being to ensure everyone feels heard and seen in their own experiences, it is not only a direct invitation for the industry to take part and pride in the inclusive representation of diversity in ads and media. This shared sentiment also rubs off onto the audience and wider population, and their reality, with the result being a more welcoming attitude toward diversity for a New – and might I add, improved – Normality.
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]]>The post Brixton Finishing School and PUSH unite to improve youth careers and wellbeing appeared first on Brixton Finishing School.
]]>We are excited to announce a partnership with wellbeing company PUSH Mind & Body.
Read all about it here and at the original article on DiversityQ.
Wellbeing and mental health training company PUSH Mind and Body has partnered with Brixton Finishing School to help young people feel empowered about their careers.
PUSH’s partnership with Brixton Finishing School, an institution which seeks to change the way the marketing, advertising, and communications industries recruit talent, forms part of its pledge to ‘Make Work Better’ for three million people over the next three years, with a focus on organisations, communities and individuals.
Their PUSH Futures initiative helps safeguard youth mental health by providing them with the tools to manage work-life and articulate their mental health needs to employers.
Aiming to diversify entrance into creative and media-related industries, Brixton Finishing School offers free high-quality learning experiences. It also helps diverse youth develop creative, media, digital and “real-world advertising” skills and experiences.
Their ADcademy programme, which is work-focused and community aimed, helps 18-to-25-year-olds from underrepresented backgrounds upskill, grow their professional networks, and get inspired for their future careers.
Since its launch last year, over 1,000 students have participated. It includes ADcelerate – Get Hired, a two-week intensive programme that provides employment opportunities via employability-focused workshops and masterclasses. PUSH will support this programme from June 2022 and host wellbeing workshops for participants.
PUSH Founder Cate Murden said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Brixton Finishing School supporting its ADcademy programme, a fantastic initiative that’s making an immensely positive impact on young people within the community. PUSH’s expertise in promoting positive mental health and wellbeing and building resilience within the workplace will bring added value to what is already an exceptional programme.
“This partnership also contributes to our pledge to Make Work Better for three million people over the next three years. As part of PUSH Futures, a pioneering programme that invests in the next generation, we are passionate about proactively addressing the stigma around mental health within the workplace and ensuring that employees can communicate their needs effectively and openly.”
Jennie Dean, our Outreach Director and Wellbeing Lead at Brixton Finishing School, said: “We are excited to have PUSH and its highly experienced and well-regarded team onboard as a key partner for our ADcademy programme. PUSH’s people are industry experts in helping organisations and individuals develop workplace resilience. Their input will benefit our students’ experience by further enhancing the quality of our training initiatives.”
Watch this space for more updates on our alumni wellbeing offerings.
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