One Club still accepting applications for ONE School West’s fall session
The One Club for Creativity has unveiled the first-ever group of 15 talented students accepted into the East Coast fall session for ONE School, a free portfolio program for young Black creatives.
Students were selected based on their raw creativity, passion and commitment so as not to discourage those with no prior knowledge of advertising.
The inaugural class for ONE School East, starting September 8, are Trey Alston, Van Leigh Armer, Trey Bradley, Elizabeth Culton, Nicole Francois, Laura Eley, Asia Irvin, Mutaurwa Mapondera, Tarahgee Morris, Jamal Parker, Bárbara Polance, Temiloluwa Thomas, Tyler West, Miko White and Jasmine Williams.
True to the school’s mission to bring new Black talent into the industry, the first class represents a wide array of creative backgrounds, including a spoken-word performer, textile artist, animators, photographers, writers, an AI developer and UX designer, videographer, music journalist and teacher.
ONE School is run by Oriel Davis-Lyons, an award-winning creative director at Spotify, as part of The One Club’s Professional Development programming.
“Looking through all the applications confirmed to me just how much Black creative talent is out there that we, as an industry, miss out on because we rely on the same pipelines year after year,” said Davis-Lyons, “While it wasn’t easy to get to 15, the class we have represents such a diverse set of talents and perspectives, I can’t wait to see what they come up with over the next 16 weeks.”
Several of the students described their reasons for applying and their hopes for the program.
“ONE School is giving Black creatives like myself a platform to showcase our talent and be challenged at the level of our potential,” said Armer, a 27 year old photographer. “The program can be a true testament that you can live and thrive as a Black creative without compromise.”
Polanco, a 26 year-old stylist and music video director, added, “As an Afro-Latina Dominicana from the Bronx, NY–the birthplace of hip hop–I have a unique point of view and a much-needed perspective to offer the industry. I’m excited to be a part of the next wave of creatives who will shape the future of the way we all view the world.”
Applications are still open for ONE School West, deadline August 30, 2020. That program will be run by L.A.-based executive creative director Ez Blaine, ECD at ChowNow, who has previously held creative positions at Apple, R/GA, AKQA, TBWAChiatDay and Wieden+Kennedy London.
ONE School grew out of a June LinkedIn post by Davis-Lyons lamenting the high cost barrier of U.S. portfolio schools for young creatives of color, and his pledge to find a way to rectify the situation. The post was seen by Bob Isherwood, head of The One Club’s Professional Development department, who reached out to Davis-Lyons and started the collaborative process to make ONE School a reality.
The free online school will run two nights a week for 16 weeks, twice per year (fall and spring), with students getting 10 briefs over the course covering everything from OOH to Innovation and Data-Driven Storytelling. Due to the hands-on mentoring aspect of the program, enrollment in the course is currently limited to 15 students for each fall and spring session on each coast who have not previously attended an ad school.
Briefs will be written by Black strategists and taught by a majority of Black tutors and lecturers, and students will be paired with Black mentors in the industry. The program also goes beyond simply teaching students how to put a book together by also teaching them how to navigate the industry while Black.
The industry has quickly gotten behind the program, with sponsorship support and donation of creative tools for students to use.
Spotify is founding partner and Adobe is Creativity Partner. In addition, BBDO, Chobani, The Coca-Cola Company, Contagious, COLLINS, The Community, DAVID, DDB, Dentsu mcgarrybowen, Droga5, Deutsch, Edelman, Fallon, FCB, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Google, GUT, Hill Holiday, Leo Burnett Group, The Martin Agency, McCann Worldgroup, McKinney, Publicis, JOAN, Ogilvy, Restaurant Brands International, R/GA, Rauxa, S4 Capital, Social Club Seltzer, Squarespace and WPP are also on board so far to underwrite the program.
ONE School branding was developed by Black-owned design studio Vault49, New York and London.
More information about ONE School and application details for West Coast classes can be found here.
Review: Malcolm Washington Makes His Feature Directing Debut With “The Piano Lesson”
An heirloom piano takes on immense significance for one family in 1936 Pittsburgh in August Wilson's "The Piano Lesson." Generational ties also permeate the film adaptation, in which Malcolm Washington follows in his father Denzel Washington's footsteps in helping to bring the entirety of The Pittsburgh Cycle — a series of 10 plays — to the screen.
Malcolm Washington did not start from scratch in his accomplished feature filmmaking debut. He enlisted much of the cast from the recent Broadway revival with Samuel L. Jackson (Doaker Charles), his brother, John David Washington (Boy Willie), Ray Fisher (Lymon) and Michael Potts (Whining Boy). Berniece, played by Danielle Brooks in the play, is now beautifully portrayed by Danielle Deadwyler. With such rich material and a cast for whom it's second nature, it would be hard, one imagines, to go wrong. Jackson's own history with the play goes back to its original run in 1987 when he was Boy Willie.
It's not the simplest thing to make a play feel cinematic, but Malcolm Washington was up to the task. His film opens up the world of the Charles family beyond the living room. In fact, this adaptation, which Washington co-wrote with "Mudbound" screenwriter Virgil Williams, goes beyond Wilson's text and shows us the past and the origins of the intricately engraved piano that's central to all the fuss. It even opens on a big, action-filled set piece in 1911, during which the piano is stolen from a white family's home. Another fleshes out Doaker's monologue in which he explains to the uninitiated, Fisher's Lymon, and the audience, the tortured history of the thing. While it might have been nice to keep the camera on Jackson, such a great, grounding presence throughout, the good news is that he really makes... Read More