BUILDING LEADERS AND CREATORS
An independent agency internship community
Within you is a creative thinker ready to shape the world.
BUILDING LEADERS AND CREATORS
An independent agency internship community
Within you is a creative thinker ready to shape the world.
This is an industry that can drive culture. It can tell stories. It can create conversations. It gives you an opportunity to do big, multidimensional, creative work that can shape the world we live in. Brands and audiences need to hear your voice and see your vision.
BLAC is an eight-week, paid, remote internship for creative thinkers that takes place at independent ad agencies across the country. Your first week is an immersion into agency life—a time for you to learn more about the industry, get inspired by creative thinkers from a variety of industries, and connect with your fellow interns from across the collective. After that, you’ll work within your individual agencies to do real, portfolio-worthy work for real clients. Applications open February 1—we can’t wait to see your video.
May 17 - July 16, 2021
The first week of the program is an intensive agency immersion camp, giving you the chance to learn about the ins and outs of the industry, agency life, and skills you’ll use in your own agency during the next seven weeks. No matter your background, this week will help you get up to speed on what day-to-day in an agency is like.
During this week, you’ll learn about agency roles and the process of delivering great creative work. Workshops like Advocating for Ideas—Yours, Mine, and Ours and Pitch as Performance will help you get to know your fellow interns, build community, and help you prepare for the next few weeks. You’ll get to connect with inspiring creative leaders and thinkers from across the industry. And, you and your fellow interns will build an entire creative campaign—for a real client—that you’ll present at the end of the week.
And, that’s just the first five days.
The rest of the internship will be spent at the individual agency where you applied—working on real projects with your fellow interns and the creative pros at each shop. Throughout your internship, you’ll have opportunities to reconnect with the larger group, building a community of creative talent you’ll be able to call on and work with for the rest of your career.
Applications open February 1, 2021, and close March 5, 2021.
Create a video that shows or tells us what makes you a creative thinker. Email that video to submissions@blacinternship.com, include your city so we can connect you with a local agency, and on March 29, 2021, we will announce internship selections.
South
West
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.
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 2021 is to hold our internship remotely, until we can safely get back together IRL. Things might be different in 2022, so stay tuned.
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 video that shows or tells us what makes you a creative thinker. Then, email it to submissions@blacinternship.com along with your name and city. Applications will be accepted from February 1 through March 5, 2021.
Do I have to apply to a specific agency?
Yes. The city where you live matters because—even though we are remote in 2021—each agency will be "hosting" a certain number of interns. Interns will be placed in the agencies closest to their homes. This ensures that interns will be paid fairly based on regional cost of living and, hopefully, making hiring much easier!
Agencies interested in participating in the BLAC internship program in 2022, please email sue@blacinternship.com.
