The Barkley/okrp Creative Accelerator is an intensive, 1-year, creative advertising program, where students from DIVERSE backgrounds are immersed in an agency atmosphere.
In the spring of 2021, along with Katy Hornaday, Sam Bonds, Kate Moore and many others, I helped conceive and launch this initiative.
Our goal was that, in one year, our students would have the skills, experience and portfolios to earn sought-after creative positions at any agency in the country.
Our program won the American Advertising Federation’s Mosaic Award in 2022, and we sent two of our students, Chase Chancy and Kim Chungong, to accept it.
In the spring of 2022, all four graduates were offered (and accepted) full-time positions at Barkley. And in 2023, as a copywriter on the Barkley FUEL team, Kim Chungong won a Clio for her work on Planet Fitness.
Below is the video our Creative Accelerator students created themselves (wrote, directed, shot, performed, narrated, and edited) for the AAF award submission:
The Creative Accelerator is a paid position with a competitive salary and benefits, making it a truly unique program. Year two is now in full swing in 2024, with four new students enrolled and immersed in the agency world.
