Wonderday and Fatmelon Studios, in association with the Watford Advertising School, launch a new initiative to open the creative side of the industry to people of color.
Why are we doing this?
There's a severe lack of diversity in the advertising industry. We've created Shape the Narrative to change that. But this is unlike other types of funding...we’re giving a support network to two new creatives of color where they get a full scholarship to Watford Advertising School, career-long mentorship and paid work placements.
We want incoming creatives, who are of an ethnic minority, to have help and guidance navigating the industry. We’ve seen that a lack of this can leave people feeling isolated, causing them to leave it altogether.
Anyone over 18 can apply. You don’t need to have a creative degree or any creative experience whatsoever. Just the desire to come up with lots of ideas and show you have different approaches to problem-solving.
Who’s involved?
Wonderday: with their 30+ years of experience in advertising recruitment and helping people build their careers. Which is spearheaded by the wonderful Holly Day.
Fatmelon Studios: a black-owned storytelling company working across TV, Film and Advertising.
Along with our mentors and our partners who offer paid work after the course - those will be announced in the coming weeks.
How can creative companies/agencies get involved?
Get in touch with Wonderday (Holly@wonderday.com) and Fatmelon Studios (hello@fatmelonstudios.com) as there’s lots of ways to help, from funding and mentorship, to offering paid work placements for the candidates.
Placements: Placements must be paid and ideally for a minimum of 3 months. This would cover anything from 2 solo creatives, to 2 teams, depending on if our candidates choose to be in a creative team or not.
Mentoring: When it comes to mentors, we are looking for mid-weight to CD level creatives to check in with the candidates at least once a month. We’re looking for mentors from all backgrounds to get involved, including those from a diverse or neurodiverse background. The key thing is that they’re passionate and nurturing to the creative candidates.
Donations: We’re also open for people or businesses to support by donating to the fund and helping candidates along their journey. This donation can be used in the shape of buying course materials like books, a laptop to work from and software for them to use on the course.
Briefs: Another way to support the fund without putting hands in pockets is to give our students live briefs. These are briefs they can do whilst still on the course. They can be small social campaigns to big national and international campaigns. They can be weirdly shaped like a fame-driving brief or more collaborative as something the teams could brainstorm with an agency or strategist. This will give them a real taste of the industry.
Promotion: The simplest way to help is promote it on all your social media and tag @shapethenarrative @wondrdy @fatmelonstudios
Where can I find out more?
Head to wonderday.com/shapethenarrative
Or @shapethenarrative on Instagram for updates.
