As Night School entered its second year, the training programme run by The Brooklyn Brothers – which aims to attract young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds into the creative industries – was keen to collaborate with the graduating class of 2019/20.
The onset of the pandemic meant the programme moved to a virtual format, allowing the opportunity to be open to 18- to 25-year-olds across the UK. The six-part curriculum was designed to educate and empower young people, unlock their creative potential and open doors to a future career.
Last year's pilot of Night School, resulted in 80% of the students securing paid employment. The graduates worked with The Brooklyn Brothers and guest experts across a wide range of fields to share their learning with the new cohort.
"Night School was really born of the fact that despite the incredible momentum we see behind movements like Black Lives Matter, inside and outside of the [ad] industry you look at the hard figures around the percentage of people who identify as people of colour... and it's still really low," Will Sansom, head of strategy, The Brooklyn Brothers tells 北京赛车pk10.
He continues: "Night School comes from the belief that as much as talk and op-eds in magazines and campaigning matters, what matters most is rolling sleeves up and trying to actually do something about it. Night School has never been positioned as a silver bullet – it's a step to move that needle and create the opportunity for people to come into the industry."
Only 12% of UK advertising agency employees are from black, Asian or minority backgrounds, meaning there is an ongoing need for greater diversity in creative industries. The Brooklyn Brothers feels traditional internships are fit for only a select few, often unattainable for those with day jobs, or those without contacts in the industry.
As a final project, students created manifestos which they debuted in front of press and special guests from the creative industries at a graduation event held at The Brooklyn Brothers' Soho offices last week (3 November). Post graduation, The Brooklyn Brothers will continue to work with the alumni, offering mentoring as they continue their education or take the next steps in their careers.
Since graduating from Night School in the class of 2019/20, Saffron Renzullo has become a creative at The Brooklyn Brothers and launched the movement Dear White Parents. Resources including discussion guides and workshops have been created to encourage and fully equip white parents into a lifetime of commitment to raise anti-racist kids.
Talking about the next steps the industry needs to take, Renzullo says: "If I was to see a black woman as a creative director or ECD, it changes how you view yourself in that position. There needs to be more black women in senior roles, more black people and people of colour. It's about making [the industry] completely diverse, with gender, sexuality, disability. It needs to change. We are sitting here three years on from when we were Night School students and has it changed much? It’s not moving quick enough."
This year's Night School graduates share with 北京赛车pk10 what the programme has meant to them and what impact it will make on their future.
Sim Sohanpal
Night School was the creative space I needed to realise that I could make my passion a reality. Getting the Night School team's encouragement and support was a push towards creating a manifesto that was not only a real reflection of myself, my creative abilities and the issues I want to bring light to, but also a path towards a career. Without the Night School's connections, opportunities and guidance, I wouldn't have the relationships I've built with other creatives and industry professionals.
Gigi Gaspard
Night school has affected my creative outlook massively and most significantly gave me the confidence to know and believe there is a space to tell my stories in the way that feels most authentic to me. Navigating my future, I think I'll be more motivated to challenge the creative boundaries of existing spaces and even create new ones for marginalised audiences, as opposed to just trying to fit in.
Niha Miah
Night School has encouraged me to trust myself and my creative instincts in a way that I never have been able to do before. It has opened my mind up to different creative processes, ways of thinking and, more importantly, has reaffirmed and strengthened my belief in myself and my abilities as a creative. As someone who grew up believing I was not innately creative and took a more traditionally academic route, it has also provided me with a strong foundation on what the creative world entails, the potential it has to grow and the spaces that are opening up for people of colour to assist in this process of transformation.
Juliana Ogechi
Overall, Night School has given me the platform and the courage to test and interrogate my ideas. But it has also given me the freedom to discover more about the kind of creative that I want to be. Since exhibiting my work at the final showcase, I no longer see myself as just a writer or a storyteller. I'm an artist.
Mariana Goldsmith
The most important lesson of Night School was understanding that I wasn't a creative, a photographer, or an artist, but that deep down I was a storyteller. I've learned so much on how to believe in who I am and develop my full creative self. During my time as a Night Schooler, I had my eye behind the viewfinder, which allowed me to be present, to connect with myself and the world around me.
By meeting amazing people, a whole new world of jobs and opportunities opened up. It's given me an entirely different perspective of London's creative industry. George and his crew believed in every single Night Schooler and that, for us, the sky was the limit.
Samuel Botchey Jr
Through Night School I always feel like I can do anything. Some people are slowed down by their perceptions of themselves, [but] hopefully, mine and the other Night School graduates' stories can push people from an ethnic minority background to join internships like Night School and succeed. Night School has put me in a great space for the future to push on and continue working hard. I hope others get the chance to do it.
Cameron St Claire Aitcheson-Labarr and Rebekah Williams
Cameron: Night School allowed me to develop confidence in my artist expression/practice and proved to me the beauty of collaborative work. I think this will make an impact on my future by giving me the confidence to execute more artistic projects, seek out more opportunities for collaboration and take more risks.
Rebekah: Through Night School, I enjoyed having the opportunity to explore collaborative work and the challenge of making an outcome during a time where access to materials was limiting. I now feel more confident to continue that more collaborative way of working as it has allowed me to grow as a creative practitioner and understand the magic of working alongside other great creatives.
Muskaan Razdan
The Brooklyn Brothers' Night School is one of a kind; unlike other programmes, it doesn't focus solely on advertising but aims to foster creativity in all its forms. Additionally, all the speakers, mentors and fellow Night Schoolers, hailed from completely different backgrounds leading to exciting conversations, new perspectives and meaningful projects.
When I started Night School I was back home in India. Through this programme, I had a chance to continue learning across continents and not let quarantine contain my growth. After every session, I left feeling energised, inspired, and having learnt something new. This experience has helped me believe in my own power and creativity, and given me access to people who can help me cultivate it. I am extremely grateful for this experience and would like to thank the entire Brooklyn Brothers team for their support.
Tife Mogaji-Williams
Through Night School I was able to deepen my curiosities and discover new things about myself. Night School gave me a voice and the confidence to broaden my horizons and try things I had never done before.
Night School has enabled me to understand the importance of finding yourself and that is something that I will take with me in the future. Especially, believing in yourself and allowing yourself to be the best version of you.
Eden Ezinne Igwe
From Night School I mostly took away an awareness of the power of your story. I knew my experience of creativity couldn't be separated from my experience as a black, young person in Britain. But hearing about the power in relating that story to others, and the joy of letting go of perfection in favour of conveying what is most important, was a lesson that I've taken to everything I've made – from experiments in animation in my spare time to my work as head of video for my university radio station.
I also loved the meetings with my liaison and fellow cinephile George Bryant – watching (and becoming obsessed with) the film Rocks on his recommendation was a moment I won't forget.
Saadadden Monajed
The impact that my Night School experience will have on my future is difficult to wrap in language, but two things come to mind. Meeting the good people at The Brooklyn Brothers: George, Georgia, Saffron, Will and Bella, and getting to know them has already been formative and I'm sure it will continue to be. Their generosity when it comes to time, resources and networks is something my cohort and I have benefitted from immensely.
Experiencing the final projects of each of my classmates has forced me to rethink the parameters and purpose of my own creative endeavors. This is what I think will have the biggest impact on my future.
Toyah Demi Panton
For me, Night School taught me how to implement. As a creative, it's all too easy getting lost in your own mind but there comes a point when you must divorce yourself from the creative process and produce.
Night School provided me with the tools necessary to make my creative process actionable. Overall, I feel confident that I'll be leading more creative projects of my own in future.
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