BICsters submit to D&AD

4/25/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

D&AD is a global non-profit organization that fosters a community of creative thinkers by celebrating and stimulating the finest in design and advertising all over the world. Its New Blood Award  aims to inspire the next generation of creative talent and stimulate the creative industry to work towards a fairer more sustainable future. And that's exactly what happened. BICsters Andy Kwan, Naushi Perera, and Marika Bailey responded to its Airbnb brief and created a campaign to increase travelers sense of belonging through truly authentic experiences by defining a whole new class of vacationers called "The Embedded Traveler." Judging is currently ongoing. Winners will be announced in May. Here's a look at part of their presentation. 

Clean Sweep for BICsters at CCNY Grad Symposium

4/24/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

On April 23rd in CCNY's Great Hall, BIC students placed first, second and third at the CCNY 8th Annual Graduate Research Symposium. Nehal Mahmoud was awarded first place prize for her presentation on the importance of internal communications to activate employees as brand ambassadors for CVS Health. Andy Kwan and Himani Gupta placed second for their multi-media campaign for New York Water Taxi ("Not the Only Ride You Wish Was Longer"). Megan Fullagar received the third place award for her examination of Chipotle's mission-based approach to advertising, leveraging social media and gamification. 

The CCNY Graduate Student Symposium is a platform for graduate students to gain recognition for their work by faculty, students and potential employers. It raises awareness about the wide gamut of programs housed at CCNY and helps distinguish the college as one of the premier higher learning institutions in the CUNY system.

Twitter's Global Head of Marketing Comes to Campus

4/24/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

What does Twitter's Global Head of Business Marketing do when she's in New York City for a conference? She stops off to speak to BIC students, of course! Thanks to an invitation from BIC Professor Madonna Deverson, Head of Intelligence at Ogilvy & Mather, Daina Middleton gave an inspiring guest lecture in last Monday's Brand Experience class. Afterwards, she autographed copies of her book Marketing in the Participation Age.


Prior to her position at Twitter, Daina was CEO of Performics, the performance marketing division of Publicis Groupe. A pioneer in the digital marketing space, Daina is known for creating a new “participant marketing” lexicon. Prior to joining Performics, she served for as SVP of the Sunao division at Moxie Interactive. Daina spent 16 years working at Hewlett-Packard in key marketing communications positions across the company’s $28 billion global Imaging and Printing Group. Daina serves on a number of industry boards and is a regular industry speaker at events including ad:tech, BlogHer, Conversational Marketing Summit, VideoNuze, and WOMMA.

Fall Admissions Deadline EXTENDED to May 5th

4/24/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

Haven't hit that SUBMIT button yet? Top reasons why INNOVATORS choose BIC: 
  •    BIC is located in the media and communications capital of the world. There is no parallel to studying at the nexus of your discipline.
  •    BIC faculty include active industry pros, such as the Head of Intelligence from Ogilvy, EVP of Research from Y&R, and Managing Principal at SS+K.
  •    BIC students get opportunities to work with creative professionals throughout the city -- such as TBWA, Y&R, DDB, FCB, Grey, McCann Erickson. Not to mention our own stellar award winning faculty -- all currently active in the field.
  •    Our Mix+Mentor parties -- one each fall -- have been held at the corporate headquarter of Y&R, Ketchum, and McCann Worldwide. Students get the chance to mingle with industry pros the first semester they enroll. Last Fall, BIC Board Member George Lois stopped by to chat with students.
  •    Our weekly Guest Lectures make it seem as though you're experiencing a semester-long TED Talk. Just this past Monday, Daina Middleton, Head of Global Marketing for Twitter, gave an amazing lecture on Marketing in the Participation Age (also the title of her best-selling book).
  •    BICsters are the BEST. Check them out. They're winners, too. Our BIC students have won scholarships, internships, industry competitions, invitations to conferences and panels, and many have secured impressive jobs at media companies across the city. Just last night, BICsters placed FIRST, SECOND, and THIRD at the CCNY Graduate Symposium. A BIC clean sweep!!
  •    Our BIC students and faculty make awesome things happen on a daily basis. Browse through the BIC Blog for a sampling of visiting lecturers, real-world clients, award-winning student presentations, and an inside look at the BIC program space located in one of NYC's most prestigious landmarks, Shepard Hall of The City College of New York.





If you've already started your application, NOW's the time to press SUBMIT. If you have yet to start the application process, go the CCNY Admissions site to plug into the process TODAY. If you have questions, email us at bic@ccny.cuny.edu.



CCNY Great Grad: Amber Lynn Jackson, BIC 2015

4/21/2015 Unknown 0 Comments


We are proud to announce that Amber Lynn Jacksonhas been named a 2015 CCNY Great Grad!

Amber Lynn Jackson
BIC Class of 2015
2015 CCNY Great Grad
Amber embodies all that is amazing about City College. Originally from Kansas, Amber chose CCNY based on a recommendation from a close friend who attended MCA's undergraduate program. She comes from the heartland, but applied to City College not just because of its academic offerings, but because New York City is the land of achievement. Amber is a striver and calculated risk taker. She’s also a builder, choosing to be a part of the inaugural class of BIC.  

By the end of her first semester at BIC, Amber secured a management position at Grey, a major global advertising agency. Despite the extreme demands of this job, she has maintained a 3.5 GPA and chose to be the project leader of BIC’s two capstone projects, creating multi-media branding and communications campaigns for Columbia Children’s Hospital and Univision. 

In addition, Amber has been active in diversity initiatives in the communications industry, both as a recipient (she earned a highly competitive LAGRANT Scholarship as well as a coveted spot in ADCOLOR Futures) and as a mentor who seeks to give back. She sits on the diversity council at her company. 

As a working professional and student, Amber wanted to use her degree to not only impact the communications industry but also the CCNY community. That is why she, with the support of her peers, started the BIC Alumni Association (BICAA). The goal of this organization is to support the students, future communications professionals, and staff of BIC as well as continue the fellowship and professional development of the program's alumni. To this end, Amber defines the ideal BIC student.

Few grads embody all that City College stands for as completely as Amber Lynn Jackson. Please join us in congratulating her for both her achievements and the role model she has become.

Read the full feature article on CCNY's Great Grads of 2015. 

Five BICsters selected for the CCNY 8th Annual Graduate Research Symposium

4/17/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

Five BIC students have been chosen to present their branding and integrated communications projects, campaigns, and research findings during the upcoming CCNY 8th Annual Graduate Research Symposium. Edmund Graham Balogun, who won third place last year, has been asked to present once again. Nehal Mahmoud will deliver her presentation on the importance of internal communications to activate employees as brand ambassadors for CVS Health. Megan Fullagar will share her examination of Chipotle's mission-based approach to advertising, leveraging social media and gamification. Andy Kwan and Himani Gupta will present their multi-media campaign for New York Water Taxi ("Not the Only Ride You Wish Was Longer").

The CCNY Graduate Student Symposium is a platform for graduate students to gain recognition for their work by faculty, students and potential employers. It raises awareness about the wide gamut of programs housed at CCNY and helps distinguish the college as one of the premier higher learning institutions in the CUNY system.

Please come root for our BICsters as they present in The Great Hall in Shepard Hall on Thursday, April 23rd from 5-8PM! 

LAGRANT Scholarship Awarded to a BIC Student for the Second Year in a Row

4/17/2015 Unknown 0 Comments
Donna Dei-Baning (BIC Class of 2016) has been selected -- among just 19 graduate students nationwide -- to receive The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF) scholarship for students who share the foundation's mission of increasing ethnic diversity in the advertising, marketing and public relations industries. Donna is the third BIC student (and fifth CCNY student) to win the highly selective LAGRANT Foundation Scholarship in the last two years. Fred Garcia and Amber Jackson, BIC '15, both received the $5,000 scholarship in 2014. Donna joins students from University of Chicago, Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and Duke.  

Prior to enrolling in BIC, Donna Dei-Baning received a Bachelors Degree in Linguistics/English from Dartmouth College in 2010. Currently an Integrated Marketing Communications Manager for Graduate NYC!, Donna was previously a Content and Community Manager at 360i. 

This year's scholarship winners will benefit from TFL's first ever partnership with Google Chicago. In addition to receiving the scholarships, TLF will also provide winners with airfare and lodging in Chicago to attend career-building events where they will meet with top communications professionals and participate in networking opportunities over the course of three days.

The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Los Angeles, was established in 1998 by Mr. Kim L. Hunter to address the lack of diversity in the advertising, marketing and public relations fields. TLF provides scholarships, career development workshops, professional development, mentors and internships to African American/Black, American Indian/Native American, Asian American/Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino undergraduate and graduate students. Since its establishment, TLF has awarded $1.56 million in scholarships to 221 ethnic minority students and has provided in excess of 278 internships and full-time employment.

Read the full TLF scholarship announcement here. 

The City College of New York Announces Two CCNY Students Awarded LAGRANT Foundation Scholarships.

She Works Hard for the Money

4/11/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

If only we could talk about our salaries the way we talk about sales... 

Organizer and moderator Neisha Tweed gathered four successful women in advertising to explore that issue for a panel discussion entitled "She Works Hard for the Money." Hosted by BIC on March 17th, this all female affair allowed pros to share their stories and offer advice about getting what you’re worth and managing your money like a boss. From negotiating an offer to investing in your 401K, the topics covered the questions students have but are too nervous to ask --  and some of the things you didn't even know you should be asking. 

It was an educational and empowering conversation that broke down the job offer process, unveiled salary ranges in the industry, demystified 401Ks and gave practical tips on everything from talking to recruiters and starting an emergency fund. Attendees were able to jump in, ask questions, share their stories and get straight-forward advice from the panelists and each other, making it a truly intimate and impactful. 

Khara Wagner, Shameka Brown Barbosa, Rati Vaishya, Neisha Tweed, Cristina Pyle






















Panelists included Christina Pyle, Director for ADCOLOR and Diversity & Inclusion Supervisor at Omnicom Group, Khara Wagner, Group Account Director, Shameka Barbosa Brown, Freelance Creative Director and Adjunct Professor at City College, Rati Vaishya, Talent strategist at McCann New York. The event was hosted by Neisha Tweed, Associate Creative Director and blogger, BabyFoodForCreatives.com. 

Selected comments from Attendees: 

* I learned so much that day and even started a savings. It's a small step but good one. :) 

* While college prepares you with the essential skills to be competitive in the job market, lectures are rarely geared toward managing the fruits of your labor.  The conversation we had was candid and powerful. It reminded me that as a woman of color it is my responsibility to be an exceptional worker and to insist I always receive the compensation I deserve.

* One of the most empowering things was hearing the panel of women talk about both the obstacles and achievements over the span of their careers. Neisha and the panelists reassured women that it isn't just okay to know of their worth and defend it in the workplace, but that it is important to do so in an effort to close the gender wage gap.

* It was beyond phenomenal.You have no idea how much the experience is already resonating with me and could not have come at a better time. I have found myself once again reevaluating a few major things in my life and I find that when I reach that point, it's usually my gut pushing me to make some changes, whether big or small.
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