The D&AD Shift Sydney class of 2024 were celebrated over drinks and canapés at a graduate showcase in Walsh Bay last night.
Shift is a free, industry-led night school that helps self-taught creatives from under-represented backgrounds enter the advertising and design industry from outside traditional pathways.
The 18 creatives who were selected to take part in this year's programme have built portfolios and worked on creative briefs set by Mastercard, Pepsi and We Are Warriors.
D&AD Shift Sydney producer Lauren Chibert said it has been a privilege to run the program this year.
“We all know that our industry lacks diversity, but I often hear that agencies are struggling to find talent from diverse backgrounds,” she said.
“Shift forces us to rethink how we recruit by focussing on pure talent, not background or education, because you don’t need to have a degree to be a brilliant creative.”
Brittney Angus is a graphic designer and proud Indigenous woman who was tearful as she reflected on her time as a Shifter.
“I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be part of D&AD Shift Sydney 2024,” Angus said.
“I'm inspired by the 17 amazing creatives I got to learn, grow and work with.
“This experience has been a game changer for me, not just as a creative but as an individual.
“By providing opportunities for under-represented voices D&AD is helping to rewrite the story of who gets to be seen and heard in this industry.”
Latinx DJ, radio host and experiential designer Maz Campos told the audience that Shift helped her harness her skills, saying her parents who moved to Australia from Brazil 30 years ago are her biggest inspiration.
“They taught me how to be proud of my culture, work really hard, and believe in myself,” Campos said.
“That’s why I'm so passionate about connecting cultures together, because I know what it's done for me.”
Campos said pitching to global brands was both nerve-racking and the highlight of the program.
“I think the pitching process is daunting but you're going to have to pitch if you want to work in this industry,” she said.
D&AD Shift Sydney ECD and TBWA strategist Anna Thairs said she was incredibly proud of the Shifters.
“Particularly as someone who's from a minority background, we don't often get those opportunities to believe in ourselves,” she said.
“Seeing the investment that D&AD puts into this course is so inspiring and exciting… it gives me so much hope for the future.”
Internationally, Shift has trained over 300 creatives in London, New York, Sydney, Hamburg, Berlin, and São Paulo since 2016 with an average of 74% of Shifters going on to creative jobs and placements after completing the program.
83% of all Australia-based Shift alumni are still working in the commercial creative industry, employed by the likes of Heckler, Havas, Ogilvy, The Monkeys and BMF.
Aspiring creative strategist Cameron Kapadia is hoping to land himself a job in advertising.
“I definitely want to go into a strategic role in an ad agency,” he said.
“People to people connections is what I'm looking for and Shift has shown me that this industry is a people's industry.”
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