Creative Accelerator | Barkley | Handshake

For too long now, the advertising industry has experienced a dearth in diverse, young talent. Creativity demands diversity in its fullest expression: from the junior level employee all the way to the C-suite leaders. That time, is now.

Welcome to the Barkley Creative Accelerator.

This opportunity is intended to create inroads to our industry from underrepresented populations, and will be centered around BIPOC Creatives.

It’s a one year salaried position with full benefits, where we fast track young creatives and prepare them for a rewarding creative career in advertising. At the end of the year, our expectation is that you have the skillset and portfolio of creative work to be hirable at a top agency. 

To get this job, you should have recently completed your undergraduate degree or equivalent – understanding that you’re committing to a one-year adventure. We’re looking for people who want to pursue a creative career, so you must be able to demonstrate your passion, talent, and creative thinking in the disciplines of either:

• Creative Writing
• Art Direction / Graphic Design
• Video Production / Editorial 



We need to see creative samples of the above, but there are no rules. If your work samples are advertising ideas, that’s great – but they don’t need to be. The creative acts of writing and artistry can take many forms. You could point us to your Twitter or Insta feed, or your amazing Tik Toks. Poetry. Song lyrics. Artwork. Anything goes. We want to see creativity and talent, and get a feel for how you think, how you see the world, and how you want to change it. Effort and passion are a must.

What you can expect from this job: 

• Dedicated mentorship and guidance from professionals at one of the nation’s top independent ad agencies
• In addition to hands-on learning, course work from Barkley creative leaders
• Improved presentation skills
• Hands-on experience on real world creative assignments
• Ability to immediately impact / influence a creative company with your creativity
• Resources and guidance to create/expand your creative portfolio
• The creative qualifications and lifelong skills to succeed in this industry
• A robust network of not only creative professionals, but brand leaders, strategists, and more

What is expected of you:

• A one year commitment. Passion, dedication, hard work. Give us your best. 
• Bring us your style, taste, vision, imagination, point of view – we want to learn from you, too
• An open mind and a strong desire to learn and grow as a professional and as a person
• Willingness to push through tough times and respond positively to constructive feedback. This is how we get better.
• Ability to positively and constructively collaborate with pros and your peer group. 
• Ability to handle change and uncertainty. This is the first year of our program. We will certainly be calling some audibles and we’ll all need to roll with it. #Lifeskills.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated ability to think creatively
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent preferred

Apply at:

https://boards.greenhouse.io/barkley/jobs/4015520004

Barkley’s Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

• We believe being radically diverse and inclusive is the key to becoming one of the world’s great creative idea companies. By embracing everything that makes our partners who they are and what makes them unique to the world around them, we create the conditions and capacity to help creative, original thinking thrive. 
• Barkley is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging as part of our corporate strategic goals, supported by a formal DEI+B program, Employee Resource Groups, Director of Diversity leadership and agency commitment to The Brand Lab.