On Wednesday night, 150 young creatives had the chance to present their books to 50 of Toronto’s top creative directors.
Some hoped for constructive criticism, while others hoped for a job offer at this year’s Portfolio Night hosted at BBDO’s Toronto office.
Andrew Chhour, a copywriting intern at LG2 Toronto, said, “It’s a deep talent pool of CDs and I wanted to get a lot of varied feedback on my portfolio.”
And, he said, “Especially as an intern, your student book doesn’t go away. I think a lot of interns still use [it] to get junior positions. It’s really important to still own your student book.”
Each student was given 15 minutes with three different creative directors. Each creative director saw nine students.
“It gives a good chance for a bunch of [young] creatives to learn from some of the best creative minds in the country,” said Timothy Welsh, BBDO’s senior vice-president of creative operations and new business.
Portfolio Night is an annual event organized by ADC that takes place in 24 different cities worldwide on the same day in May. This was the first year BBDO hosted in Toronto.
“It’s great to give back. It’s really hard to get a job so it’s a great opportunity; a place where lots of people can get together,” said Welsh.
Each city’s creative directors voted one young creative with the best portfolio as an all star. The winners will fly to New York and collaborate on a real creative project for a big brand.
