During the last two semesters of his BFA program in the School of Photography, Chad Jenkins decided to take classes in the School of Advertising. He spoke to the Photography directors, who set up a photography portfolio review for him with the Advertising School.
“This initial experience prepared me for what it’s like for a commercial photographer to get hired and eventually work with an advertising agency, says Jenkins. “The School of Advertising has a real working ad agency with real-world clients where graduate and undergraduate students run the show. The directors of the Advertising School act as creative directors. Having my work reviewed was my first introduction to the Young & Hungry Creative Co-Op.”
The agency is structured in a class that is made up of students who essentially interview for the opportunity to be a part of it. “The first day of class was amazing! I was the first photography student to participate, and I felt like the odd man out for the first five seconds, but that didn’t last long,” Jenkins says.
As the only photographer in a class with Young & Hungry art directors, he quickly had a lot of work to do. Clients, projects and students spill from one semester to the next, meaning that from day one the agency has work to do and is ready to go.
“The class was broken up into multiple groups that focused on individual clients. The average student is in three to four groups, but I had to be part of all them—which I really enjoyed. I assumed the role of in-house photographer and production manager, which required a lot more than just photography. I shot and edited video, art directed, and did anything else the agency needed me to do, including copy writing. I feel I had a very important role in the inner workings of the class and gained so many valuable tools from the experience,” he explains.
The relationships Jenkins made in this class also led to other collaborations outside the agency with Advertising students.
“I highly recommend reaching out to other disciplines at the Academy to collaborate on projects. Even if you don’t take a class, get to know your fellow students and create amazing work. The students and instructors have endless amounts of talent and knowledge to take advantage of. Plus, you never know what will happen when you graduate. I worked with over 40 young art directors who have all graduated and are out in the real world now. I’m still in touch with them and, needless to say, I am a very busy photographer.”
Featured images courtesy Chad Jenkins, Photography BFA
