School's out for 2022

School is out for another year and it’s been a blast. School of DC is an incredible chance for anyone and everyone, all ages and abilities, to get a slice of agency life through a top-of-the-class, 2-week paid placement.

This year we said hello to an amazing bunch: The motion graphics and design-focused Katie Timmins, copywriter Emily Hall, creative hybrid Dylan Sykes, copywriter and strategy-keen Ben Brown, designer Anita Holme, and Paige Harwood, who’s found a new interest in digital account handling. “I went in with no knowledge of what path I wanted to take,” shares Paige, “but with people coming from different backgrounds, everyone could apply their varied knowledge and skills.”

They learnt all about the ins and outs of agency life, jumping into department masterclasses, creative catch-ups, and shadowing hours. Anita comments, “As I’ve never worked in the UK, I thoroughly enjoyed getting the full attention of one of the team to ask in-depth questions.”

Whilst they deep dived into the agency experience, they were also tasked with a live brief, seeing it through from planning and creative, all the way to the big client pitch. “We threw everything at them,” says Dan Appleby, Managing Director, “and they absolutely smashed it.”

It’s scary stuff to some, but these legends got on with it. “Coming from a tiny town printer business; it’s been daunting to see work of this scale.” Anita shares, “Big clients, big jobs. You learn so much about agency life and the process involved.”

It’s been great having them here, and especially great to hear how beneficial they’ve found the process. “I doubted my future in advertising for many years.” Emily reveals, “I’m leaving this experience with the confidence I was missing, and I can honestly say I didn’t expect to take this much away from my two weeks here.”

We asked the School of DC team what they would say to someone who was thinking about applying. Their answer… “DO IT.” “This experience has made me realise that I 100% want to work in advertising in the future,” says Paige. Emily agrees, “Don’t be scared, take the leap. This is the closest you’ll get to a taste of agency life and everyone has been so lovely.”

To top the experience off, the pitch itself couldn’t have gone better. “The final presentation was outstanding,” says Dan, “there’s some real talent there.” The team put forward three campaign concepts in front of Tracy Lynch from the Greggs Foundation, Fiona Mills from Greggs, and a whole load of DCers.

According to Tracy, “Not only had the team got right to the core of what we do and the values we work by, but they really understood the root cause.” She concluded, “What a great team of individuals, and I wish them all the luck in the future!”

We’re extremely proud of everyone who has taken part and as Dan states, “I’m sure they’re going to go on and do amazing things.” We can’t wait to see what will happen next for the team, and we’re excited to see who’s got the ambition to join us in 2023.