What area of the creative industries do you work in/want to work in and why does it interest you?
I want a career in advertising as a creative copywriter. I’ve always enjoyed writing, coming up with new concepts and bringing ideas to life and these interests lend themselves well to the campaign creation aspect of advertising.
How accessible do you think jobs in the creative industries are?
This is an interesting question and I would say that there are a lot of talented, ambitious individuals who want access to the creative industries and could do with guidance. I think SLP, with a name like School of Logical Progression, offers a strategic type of guidance and being able to apply a strategy to achieving your career goals is a great thing. Yes the creative industries should be more accessible, so creating an environment where creative professionals can nurture potential raw talent is key and tackles accessibility directly.
How important are mentors in the creative industries?
Mentors are very important in life and you are never too old or too young to have a mentor. I highly recommend the Meet a Mentor programme to aspiring creative professionals. I could easily say mentors are very important in the creative industries but I can map out how and why; from my personal ongoing experience with my mentor Louisa.
I was really happy with our pairing from the offset and I’m lucky that Louisa and I really get along and have a lot of shared interests. From our first meeting, Louisa has had a genuine interest in my goals for the year and gave me very clear and detailed advice on how to progress and the steps I need to take in pursuit of my career. We stay in good communication and I keep her in the loop of my progress so she is aware of where I am at, on a week to week basis.
I have followed Louisa’s advice and once she helped me get to a certain stage, she put me and my creative partner Mauro in front of a creative team at VCCPfor a portfolio review. They were very impressed with our work and this led to us securing a placement offer! VCCP is one of the top 10 advertising agencies in the UK so this is a great opportunity for my partner and I. It is our foot into the industry!
Having my mentor Louisa, guide me, track my growth and extend her network to me purely because she believes in me is priceless.
What would you change about the industry you’re trying to get into?
I would like for it to be more representative with more women and more cultural backgrounds. I am in support of programmes like The Girlhood and organisations like Creative Equals, who actively tackle representation within the advertising industry. I would like to see more young girls pursue creative careers and I would like to do my part in putting it on the creative industries agenda.
Tell us one fun fact about you.
I based my final uni paper on Shrek and how it broke the Disney Spell, you know beautiful princesses, waiting for prince charming. I think all young girls and boys should watch Shrek. I am in the early stages of creating my own brand that promotes feminism, culture and the new wave of afro lux inspired by storytelling and the diaspora. Check it out here and here.