BUILDING LEADERS AND CREATORS
An independent agency internship community
The world is missing out on immeasurable creativity when Black talent isn’t seen or heard.
BUILDING LEADERS AND CREATORS
An independent agency internship community
The world is missing out on immeasurable creativity when Black talent isn’t seen or heard.
Today, the advertising industry. Tomorrow, the creative and professional world at large. Wherever there is opportunity and lack of diversity, we seek to create change.
BLAC is a twelve-week, paid internship for creative thinkers that takes place at independent ad agencies across the country. We are a champion for the more diverse and inclusive advertising industry of the future and seek to inspire and be inspired by a new generation of Black talent. Interns participate in a shared curriculum with shared resources and projects, and upon completion of the program become part of a network of peers and agency leaders who will continue to provide support throughout their careers. BLAC is committed to providing safe and comfortable environments where all voices are respected and heard.
Want to make our industry more vibrant? It's going to take all of us—and every level of support helps.
Bianca Brutus
May 9 - July 29, 2022
Your first week of the program is an intensive agency immersion camp, giving you the chance to learn the ins and outs of the industry, agency roles, and skills you’ll use in your own agency during the next eleven weeks. Interactive workshops will help you get to know your fellow interns, build community, and prepare for the next few weeks. Best of all, you’ll get to connect with inspiring creative leaders and thinkers from across the industry. And that’s just the first five days.
Now you’re ready for the full advertising experience – seven weeks of real-time, on-the-job training inside a working agency, guided and mentored by some of the industry’s most respected and talented leaders. You’ll become part of your host agency’s energy and culture as it introduces you to all its disciplines and departments, including Strategy, Creative, Production and Client Service. You’ll learn about insights, ideas, and the important difference between good and great.
And because BLAC is all about community, there will be ongoing interaction with your fellow interns across the country. This includes virtual learning and training sessions hosted by BLAC’s directors, plus opportunities to share your knowledge and experiences, hear from guest speakers, join seminars, and prepare for the client project to come in the final weeks.
With real agency experience under your belt, you’re ready for the Big Game – a chance to work directly with one of the most highly respected companies in the world, P&G. This three-week part of the program brings the BLAC community together in a virtual collaborative environment. Here you’ll put to work all the skills you’ve learned in the program, with teams formed to develop strategies and creative campaigns for some of P&G’s most famous brands. It’s led by BLAC’s program directors, with continued advisory input from individual host agency mentors and culminates in a full-on “pitch” to the P&G client team.
As BLAC is all about bringing more Black talent into advertising prepared to thrive, actual employment is the goal coming out of the internship. That’s why the entire final week of the program is dedicated to recruitment and highlighted by a job fair. The job fair is your opportunity to share your work, experience and personality with some of the greatest advertising and marketing agencies in the country. The job fair is hosted by BLAC in a virtual dynamic that will allow for all interns to meet and greet as many potential future employers as possible.
National
East
South
Midwest
Racial inequality is the inescapable reality of America. It didn’t begin with us, but it can end with us. If we choose to act. For years, we have used our voice as a leading advertiser to shine a light on inequality, highlight bias, and spark dialogue that leads to understanding and action. We’ve brought companies together for collective action. And we’ve made equality a priority within our own walls. Through BLAC, we are proud to support an initiative that will help create more representative, equitable and powerful work across the advertising industry, shaping our world for the better.
Interested in being part of our 2023 cohort? Follow BLAC on social media and watch for updates in the spring.
Who can apply to BLAC?
You! If you’re a creative thinker, a problem solver, a writer, an artist, a strategist, a storyteller, you have a place here.
Do I need to be a marketing/advertising major?
No. We know talent comes from everywhere, and everyone is welcome to apply, regardless of background or age. Our camp week is designed to help everyone get up to speed and ready to jump into the workflow of an agency for the rest of the internship.
Do I need agency experience?
Nope. See above. This is your chance to get agency experience. We all start somewhere.
Is this remote or in person?
Our plan for 2022 is to hold our internship primarily remote, but give opportunities to come together IRL, when possible.
Is this paid?
Absolutely. Each agency will set their own pay rate, but every hour of the program will be paid.
What do I need to do to apply?
Create a two(ish)-minute MP4 video showing and/or telling what makes you a creative thinker and problem solver. Then email your MP4 video to submissions@blacinternship.com by March 18. In your email, please be sure to include following: your full name, phone number, city you'll be living in (or closest to) during the dates of the internship and let us know how you heard about the program.
We will accept submissions until March 18. We will review applications and conduct interviews the last two weeks of March.
Do I have to apply to a specific agency?
Yes. The city where you live matters because—even though we are mostly remote—each agency will be "hosting" a certain number of interns. Interns will be placed in the agencies closest to their residence.
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