For the third consecutive year, DDB Worldwide (NYSE: OMC) is partnering with ihaveanidea, advertising’s intellectual archive, to stage Portfolio Night, the ad industry’s only global portfolio review and recruitment event.
Bringing Portfolio Night to students and young people aspiring to begin careers in creative advertising around the world, 10 DDB offices in seven countries will be hosting simultaneous Portfolio Night events on Thursday, May 8, 2008.
“By championing Portfolio Night, DDB is able to assist young people and the industry, while at the same time finding and recruiting the best new creative talent,” says Bob Scarpelli, chairman and chief creative officer of DDB Worldwide. “DDB’s extensive involvement with Portfolio Night again this year reflects our belief that creativity is the most powerful force in
business. The advertising community needs to foster the next generation of creative talent, and DDB is helping lead the way by taking events like Portfolio Night around the world.”
The partnership with ihaveanidea continues DDB Worldwide’s leading role as the first global agency network to support and promote Portfolio Night to the advertising community. The 10 participating DDB offices that will be hosting Portfolio Night events are:
— Toronto
— New York
— Chicago
— Miami
— Sao Paulo
— Auckland
— Sydney
— Melbourne
— Hong Kong
— Singapore
Together these DDB offices represent half of the cities where Portfolio Night is presently planned for in 2008. Additionally, creative directors from DDB’s other operations (not hosting events) will be taking part in Portfolio Night events held in their respective cities. Ihaveanidea will be releasing a composite list of cities hosting Portfolio Night events shortly detailing all DDB sponsored events, as well as those to be hosted by other ad agencies.
“DDB’s commitment to Portfolio Night shows foresight and represents an investment in tomorrow’s talent,” says Ignacio Oreamuno, president of ihaveanidea and founder of Portfolio Night. “Our continuing relationship with DDB, one of the world’s most historic and creative agencies, has allowed Portfolio Night to continually expand around the world, and is helping even more young people begin careers in advertising.”
Portfolio Night is an annual industry event organized by ihaveanidea. Styled on “speed dating,” the event gives students and young people the opportunity to meet with award-winning creative directors from DDB and other leading advertising agencies. Participants have their portfolios of
work critiqued, and gain the opportunity to get career advice and possibly even an invitation for a job interview. Additional information about Portfolio Night, as well as registration details for the events around the world, can be found at http://www.portfolionight.com.
“The advertising community needs events like Portfolio Night to help develop and discover tomorrow’s creative leaders,” says Scarpelli, who will be participating at the Portfolio Night event in New York this year. “Getting a job in our industry is a daunting prospect for most young people. Portfolio Night is the perfect vehicle for creative directors at agencies everywhere to help make the process more positive and constructive to attract the best new talent into the profession.”
DDB Worldwide first became involved with ihaveanidea and Portfolio Night in 2006. At that time, Frank Palmer, chairman and CEO of DDB Canada, saw potential and value in Portfolio Night, which had until then been localized in Canadian cities. Palmer backed the event and negotiated the initial partnership arrangement that made DDB the first-ever agency to become a Gold Sponsor of Portfolio Night.
Other global partners of Portfolio Night 6 include Corbis, BLACK BAG and VCU Brandcenter.
About Portfolio Night
Started in 2002, Portfolio Night (http://www.portfolionight.com) is ihaveanidea’s annual event where advertising’s top creative talents come together to review the portfolios of students, juniors and creative hopefuls in a positive and engaging environment. For eager up-and-comers
Portfolio Night is an incredible opportunity to meet the industry’s most acclaimed creative directors, have their portfolios of work critiqued, and possibly generate an interview that could lead to a job. For agency creative directors, Portfolio Night represents a chance to give back to the advertising community, and to meet or recruit the most talented young people trying to enter the business. Since its inception, Portfolio Night has always been held on one evening, simultaneously in all cities. This year, Portfolio Night will be held on Thursday, May 8th, in about 20 cities around the world.
About ihaveanidea
ihaveanidea (http://www.ihaveanidea.org) is “Advertising’s Intellectual Archive.”
Created by Ignacio Oreamuno, a former art director, and operating virtually from Toronto and Montreal in Canada, its mission is to serve the international advertising industry as a centre of self-analysis and intellectual growth. Based on the concept that disseminating and sharing
creative knowledge will benefit everyone in advertising, http://www.ihaveanidea.org is visited by thousands of creatives from around the world each month.
About DDB
DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc (http://www.ddb.com) is the fourth largest consolidated advertising and marketing services global network and the most awarded agency network in the world according to Creativity magazine 2006. In 2007 Tribal DDB was named Global Agency Network of the year by Ad Age. Four-time winner, Adweek and Advertising Age Global Network of the year, DDB also was named the World’s Top Network in Europe by the Gunn Report in 2006 and 2007. With more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, the DDB group believes that creativity is the most powerful force in business, building enduring and powerful brand experiences that create TalkValue(TM), influence social communities, and drive results.
