The Academy @ GSP: Reflecting on Month One.
Since relocating to the Bay Area in June, I've been moving nonstop. I started classes with my cohort at The Academy @ Goodby & Silverstein. I've also been consulting with startups on GTM & Digital Strategy. I took a monumental leap of faith at 30, not knowing what to expect. I'm glad to report that this experience has already transformed my life in profound ways.
ALCH3MY: The Academy's 3rd Cohort
The experience starts and ends with our cohort. I got to connect with and learn from 12 of the most talented people I’ve ever met. They inspired me in ways I didn’t even think possible.
From the application process, I could see that everyone had unique talents. The GSP team (shoutout Dan, Zach & Chelsea) picked us from over 400 applicants. I remember thinking to myself on the way to orientation: "Each member of the cohort has something to bring to the table". From the moment I walked into the room, I knew that much was clear.
Meeting everyone at orientation crystallized that fact. If we're talking background & discipline, we’ve got a diverse pool of talent to say the least. We have comedians, photographers, filmmakers, screenwriters, poets, recording artists, fashion designers, and entrepreneurs. The diversity of our backgrounds and perspectives is beautiful as well. We cover almost every box I can think of from a demographic standpoint.
Some of us are making a career transition to the creative world. Others have been in the creative world their whole lives. The thing that ties us is an undeniable ambition to break into the advertising space and be our best selves in it. Sharing that kind passion, perspective and experience in one group is invaluable.
October.
I turn 31 in October. As I self analyze, I've lost a bit of the youthful spark I had as a kid. My "why" is a powerful force, but for a while, I felt like I was losing that ability to think "what if". When I met this group, I could immediately read the ambition and passion everyone emitted. I found a group of "dreamers" right when I needed to.
We’re fun, quirky, and energetic. We’re focused and playful at the same time. We bounce off one another's energy in a way I’ve never seen a group gel in any space. We come from different places. We have different objectives, strengths and weaknesses. All of that makes for an amazing melting pot of ideas, experiences and perspectives that make this process an "iron sharpening iron" experience.
Advertising 101: A Crash Course In Creative Thinking & Agency Anatomy
Our first class was a Creative Thinking course with Jeff Fang, Creative Director @ GSP. Jeff is a man who pushes you to think not outside the box, but outside the frame. His skillful explanation of story, point of view, and narrative sparked childhood creativity. I last took a creative course in person when I was in kindergarten. So, this was the reframing my mind needed.
The activities pushed us to think about situations, brands, and stories. We were forced to connect culture, context, and customers in unconventional ways. We explored the fantastical and gruesome with open minds. We got both playful and vulnerable with our ideas. We got personal. We made some pretty cool things. And we got closer as a group.
On the business side, we studied the "Anatomy of an Agency." A team of great strategists taught it. Our Academy Founder, Chelsea Bruzzone, Sr. Brand Strategist @ GSP, led the course. I’ve worked at a B2B agency, so I understood a few things about Agency Anatomy coming in.
Chelsea and the team stressed the importance of the communications team in execution. They also stressed the operational duties of the account team. They stressed the role of the creative, production, and analytics teams in execution. We still have Production and Business Affairs to cover. The first few classes were so informative. So going forward, we're in for a treat!
We had our first class on Strategy. It was with Kelly Evans-Pfiefer. She won the 2023 US Strategic Planner of the Year award for Campaign Magazine. She is also the Deputy Director of Brand Strategy at GSP. It was epic. She thinks about customer research, campaign concepting, and hacking culture with incredible clarity.
We got major insight on how some of the top campaigns in the world get conceptualized. We broke down timeless advertising case studies. We even got to see cool things that GSP’s got under the hood (#AcademyPrivilege). I am happy with my experience thus far. And glad I took the leap.
I’ll be back to fill you in on month 2 @ The Academy. Till then, later, gang. ✌🏿
