My road to social and content manager – Callam Hanks, NSW
Former AdSchool student Callam Hanks, NSW, says he has always loved ideas and finding ways to express them. One year on from his Strategic Planning course, Callam is now social and content manager at Infinity Squared and says upskilling was a win-win. What is the best...
Newly appointed Youngbloods QLD co-chairs proud to support Assisterhood Mentoring Program
Helmed by two new female co-chairs, Youngbloods QLD is wasting no time by teaming up with PublicisQ to launch a new mentorship program to help address gender imbalance. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the Assisterhood Mentoring Program will...
How the evolution of planning is affecting strategy
A ‘master of uncovering human truths’, Melbourne AdSchool lecturer Lily Tidy is an experienced strategic designer who draws on insight to connect user with brand. In her latest article for Comms Council, she says there are three key challenges affecting today’s...
“You’ve got to ask what legacy you want to leave behind” – Chiquita King, Managing Partner, DDB Sydney
What are the challenges facing account managers today? And what does it take to be a great leader? DDB Sydney’s Managing Director and AdSchool course presenter Chiquita King shares her insights and how you can benefit from the upcoming eight-week Account Management...
Why planners are going ‘back to basics’ in the digital era
Despite planning going through an ‘explosion of digital media’ in recent decades, the fundamentals of strategic planning are here to stay, says AdSchool lecturer and chief strategy officer Kate Smither. Speaking to The Communications Council in the lead up to...
Three key takeaways from the AdSchool Core Strategic Planning course
Former AdSchool student Jake Batty, NSW, says he first came across the Core Strategic Planning course after his agency put him forward to help further develop his skills. Recently promoted to Senior Account Manager at M&C Saatchi Australia, Comms Council caught up...
88 strong jury to judge 39th AWARD Awards
The Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association (AWARD) has today announced the full line up of jurors for the 39th AWARD Awards - an annual celebration of the most outstanding creative communications work in the Asia-Pacific region. A total of 88 jurors made...
Advertising Doyenne Susan Hoffman appointed Chair of Judges for 39th AWARD Awards
The Australasian Writers and Art Directors Association (AWARD) is pleased to announce Susan Hoffman, Co-Chief Creative Officer of Wieden+Kennedy, has been appointed Chair of Judges for the 39th AWARD Awards. Known to challenge the status quo, Hoffman is behind some of...
2018 AWARD School Heads Announced
2018 AWARD School applications now open - submission guidelines and application form available at https://awardonline.com/education/award-school. Learn Big Ideas For a Big Future - students to explore the “power of the big idea” during the 12-week course. AWARD...
5 tips for career satisfaction from Chiquita King, managing partner, DDB
The Communications Council 2017 Graduate Training Program came to a close in late November, and our talented graduates gathered to celebrate. Chiquita King, managing partner DDB galvanised the group with her unique story and advice, to follow and forge their own...
Gold Coast image a rich tradition to build on
For almost 60 years, the Gold Coast brand has been about the sun and the surf and all that comes with it. Throw in meter maids, theme parks, high-rise apartments and resorts, and it’s a brand image that is easily recognised. It has led to 13 million people a year...
Thomas Cleary from SapientRazorfish Sydney crowned 2017 APG Planning Idol
Thomas Cleary from SapientRazorfish Sydney has been awarded winner of the 2017 APG Planning Idol competition, announced last night at a ceremony at Hotel CBD. The brief, set by Red Cross Australia, was a complex one. Almost one million Australians are currently...
My Journey: Ant Melder, ECD Host/Havas
Are you confident about finding a bad ad and reworking it, to make a better one for the same product? That's what Module 2 of the AWARD School Application Workshop requires from its participants. Sydneysiders have a little while to ponder their registration for the...
Six key takeaways from The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Varying levels of experience and diverse categories shone as the panel of agency/client partnerships was showcased for the AMG event on Thursday evening. Steve McArdle, MD of BMF was on hand to moderate the conversation and the sense of camaraderie and respect among...
Tom Lawrence: diary from Manhattan (rooftops mainly)
This year I was lucky enough to be sent to NYC by AWARD School. The official trip was seven days, however I chose to extend it to allow for a week of unchaperoned fun in Brooklyn before the business end of the trip started. I won’t delve into the details of my first...
Tom Lawrence: diary from Manhattan
In August Tom Lawrence from NSW was crowned Australia's Top Student of the 2017 AWARD School. In an AWARD School-first, Lawrence (son of the late, great Neil) won a once in a lifetime trip to New York where, yesterday, he met David Droga to compare their winning...
Q&A with 2015 Planning Idol winner – Sam Geer
Time is running out to enter the APG Planning Idol competition and what better way to understand the process than to talk to someone who has experienced it. We get a debrief and some key advice from our 2015 winner– Sam Geer. He’s the national head of strategy for...
Daily co-chairs announced for Creative Leadership Residential
Chaired and curated by industry trailblazer Warren Brown, partner at Gutthink & Partners and BMF founder, The Creative Leadership Residential is Australia’s only custom-designed Residential for senior creatives looking to transition into leadership roles and...
Mind the leadership gap
I was 31 when I abruptly became a CEO when my boss got sick (Jon Clark, a wonderful man). Obviously it was unexpected, so I had no training, no succession plan, no support network, and NFI what I was doing. Predictably I failed miserably over the course of two...
5 takeaways for PR professionals from, A Conversation with Event Experts – leveraging large scale events.
Sydney’s PRC members assembled last Wednesday night at Woollahra’s Hotel Centennial to learn the tips and tricks some of Australia’s most revered event strategists apply to leverage optimum PR outcomes. Chaired by Annalise Brown (PRC) Emily Weight, innovation...
Q&A with national AWARD School winner Tom Lawrence
Prior to claiming the coveted national AWARD School prize–packing his bags and jetting off to meet acclaimed ad man, David Droga, in bustling New York City, Tom Lawrence was busy working in video production and documentary making. His communications campaign Proudly...
2018 Comms Council New Grad Program open
The Communications Council 2018 Grad Program is now open. Graduates from all disciplines who are looking to launch a career in advertising are encouraged to apply. Running successfully for 36 years, the program recruits on behalf of member agencies in NSW and VIC, and...
Q&A with Paloma Newton, The Grad Program
When you grow up watching your parents’ adverts and learning the industry lingo before you’re a teenager, it makes sense that you might choose a career in advertising. For current graduate, Paloma Newton, account executive at J. Walter Thompson (JWT) she applied...
AWARD School Launch Alumni Group
AWARD School announce the launch of the Award School Alumni, a group aimed at helping the transition from the intense 12-week course to a career in creativity. The initiative will assist recent graduates to establish and maintain connections, develop mentor...