PORTFOLIO BOOTCAMP WEEK @ BIC

3/28/2015 Unknown 0 Comments


A PARADE OF PROS came to campus last week to give advice, feedback and basically "kick ass" in BIC's weeklong Portfolio Bootcamp held exclusively for the BIC Class of 2015. All soon-to-be-grads skipped normal classroom hours to attend daily portfolio development sessions. Each evening was dedicated to refining specific elements of the professional portfolio in anticipation of the portfolio defense required of each graduating BIC student in May of 2015.

Monday kicked things off with a focus on case study development. Filmmaker and artist, Ash Meer; Director of Foresight, Manoj Fenelon; and Creative Director, John Colquhoun, were on hand to offer storytelling and video editing adviceTuesday was content night featuring Public Relations Consultant Sandra Stahl of jacobstahl, inc. and Monique Tapie, Vice President and Co-Founder of Triomphant Communications. Wednesday focused on design and digital platforms and covered best practices for showcasing portfolio pieces online. Featured mentors included Art Director/Branding Specialist, Gerardo Cid, and Web Strategist, Gahlord DewaldThursday night dug deeper into content development, with mentors Laura Bowles, former Partner/Managing Director of Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Creative Director Nick Scordato, and Courtney Kozloski, Graphic Designer at Gravity. 

Throughout the week, BIC students were paired in one-on-one sessions with each mentor and gained invaluable feedback and personalized attention late into the night. On behalf of BIC Class of 2015, we give an ENTHUSIASTIC "thank you!!!" to all of the mentors who took the time to offer their professional expertise, tips, and tools for creative and strategic enhancements to student portfolios. We look forward to seeing the results in May!

Feedback + Food on Day FOUR of the Bootcamp
Filmmaker, designer, artist, writer, Ash Meer.
Creative Director John Colquhoun. 
Ash Meer and BIC student Batikan Aslan.
Director of Foresight, Manoj Fenelon consults with BIC student Ruth Ogbeab.
Art Director + Branding Specialist Gerardo Cid and Web Strategist Gahlord Dewald.
Yanin DeJesus gets advice from Graphic Designer Courtney Kosloski.
Ruth Ogbeab and Laura Bowles formerly of Crispin Porter + Bogusky.

Three BIC Finalists in Human Rights Poster Contest

3/27/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

BICsters won BIG at the 2nd Annual Human Rights Poster Contest organized by the CCNY Human Rights Forum. The competition called for poster submissions from across the entire CUNY university system.

Andy Kwan and Himani Gupta (BIC 2016) joined the #whyistayed #whyileft conversation by focusing their poster on domestic violence. BIC Class of 2017 student Naushika Perera invoked the right to clean water and sanitation with her powerful image of a child.

For the past two years, CUNY has sponsored the Human Rights Poster Contest to highlight the inherent value of each person based on principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect, which are shared across cultures, religions and philosophies. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, sets out the basic rights and freedoms that apply to all people. 

Posters were asked to address the general topic of human rights or any one of the 30 articles comprising the Declaration.  Entrants are competing for one of two $2,000 prizes.  All posters will be displayed on the City College campus during the month of April 2015.  Winners will be announced on March 31st and honored at a ceremony to be held on May 4th at CCNY’s Center for Worker Education. 

View past submissions and winning posters created by CUNY students in support of human rights issues on the CCNY Human Rights Forum website.

Sally Rumble and Jeffrey Bowman: Insights, Experience + Confetti

3/25/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

All semester long, BIC Professor Madonna Deverson, Head of Intelligence Group at Ogilvy & Mather, has been introducing our first year students to trailblazing companies and leaders who are elevating brand experience expectations across the globe.

On March 16th, Sally Rumble, CreativeMornings’ Chief Happiness Officer, visited BIC to talk about how the team at CreativeMornings has built a global community of volunteers around the world to deliver free, monthly breakfast lectures designed for the creative community.


In truly happy form, Sally handed out confetti and colorful notebooks before guiding BIC students through the history of the company, how they’ve grown and how the company continues to scale at a global level while keeping the brand intact. CreativeMorning's novel idea has indeed caught on and ignited passionate speakers across the globe.

Follow CreativeMornings and view events past and forthcoming. BIC, Madonna and Sally have already begun brainstorming plans to bring a CreativeMorning event to our CCNY campus.


Professor Deverson invited another innovative leader to speak to her class this week: Jeffrey Bowman, Chairman of REFRAME and Managing Director of Ogilvy & Mather's Cross Cultural Practice. Jeffrey is one of the pioneers of the Total Market industry vertical and during his visit to BIC on March 23rd he shared insights into the Total Markets driving the ad world today.


Jeffrey invited students to attend REFRAME: The Summit —The 3rd Annual Total Market Industry Conference coming to Harlem on May 13th. Attendees will explore the New Marketplace and gain a clear understanding of what it takes to become a Total Market Enterprise. Mark your calendars. BIC will be there!




NYTimes Editorial Director Ann Derry lectures on latest initiatives in content marketing

3/24/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

On Thursday, March 5th, BIC welcomed Ann Derry, Editorial Director of The NewYork Times, to campus where she spoke about the NYTimes new initiative she heads which is identifying partner and sponsor opportunities for video, television and film. The Times is creating new models for curation, distribution, monetization and growth, while developing strategy and coordinating editorial and business execution. This includes leveraging Times production, audience development and marketing capabilities. In her new role, Ann works with editorial, advertising, business development and technology teams to align partners with The Times’strategic and tactical initiatives.



For the last fifteen years, Ann has been responsible for creating the video vision for The New York Times and helped pioneer the field of digital video. She founded and expanded The Times' video department, and developed its award-winning programs on television and all digital platforms. She’s won numerous awards including five national Emmy’s, four Alfred duPont Awards, two Edward R. Murrow Awards, too many Overseas Press Club Awards to count, and others.


Stuart Elliot at CCNY's Lunch w/Leaders

3/23/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

For nearly 25 years, Stuart Elliott was the advertising columnist of The New York Times writing the weekday advertising column to a circulation of 1.8 million readers. His weekly e-mail newsletter, In Advertising, was required reading for anyone in the media and communications business. And on Thursday, March 19th, Stuart Elliott was CCNY's guest in the Ad/PR lecture series Lunch w/Leaders to an SRO crowd.


Interviewed by BIC Program Director Nancy Tag in a Q&A format, Mr. Elliott had a lively back and forth with students as he nimbly displayed his deep expertise of advertising past, present, and future.  While admitting that he's not a good forecaster of trends (he confessed that he didn't think Facebook would ever catch on with adults), he predicted that the rise in social media would create even greater opportunities for advertisers in the next five years. He advised students to study "just about everything" in order to be competitive for the industry. He also mentioned that while there are fewer "three martini lunches" than in Mad Men days, today's fast paced professionals could really use a bit more relaxation. Other topics included how to advertise to digital natives and ethical dilemmas he's faced while covering the advertising business.

For the last five years, the Lunch w/Leaders lecture series, which is co-sponsored by the CCNY AAF Club, has hosted industry powerhouses and thought-leaders such as George Lois, Michael Roth, CEO of IPG, Barri Rafferty, CEO of Ketchum North American, Keith Reinhard of DDB, Roy Eaton, Faris Yakob, among others.

Our first Lunch w/Leaders lecturer of the spring semester, Mr. Elliott received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He lives in Manhattan where he enjoys immersing himself in politics, popular culture, American history, and nostalgia, especially old advertising.  

Spotlight on BIC at The ARF's Re:Think 2015

3/18/2015 Unknown 0 Comments


BIC Class of 2015 students Edmund Balogun and Nehal Mahmoudwere featured speakers at The ARF's Re:Think 2015 conference this week in NYC! Their presentation on storytelling asked audience members to share a story in just six words and drew several participants. BIC professor Madonna Deverson, Head of Intelligence Group at Ogilvy & Mather, praised the presentation as “best of the day.” 

Edmund Balogun and Nehal Mahmoud present at ARF Re:Think 2015.

Madonna Deverson invited BIC Program Director Nancy Tag to share a coveted seat with her and collegues at the Ogilvy table during the David Ogilvy Awards dinner. It was a special night for BIC Professor and Y&R EVP Belle Frank as she was presented with a Silver Award for her “Body Language” campaign for the pharmaceutical brand XELJANZ. 

Madonna Deverson at the Ogilvy table.
Silver award-winner Belle Frank.

You can browse all the Ogilvy award winning campaigns and follow the Re:Think 2015 conversation on Twitter via #rethink2015

Weeklong Portfolio BOOTCAMP starts today...

3/16/2015 Unknown 0 Comments

To prepare for their May 27th portfolio defense in front of a jury of professionals, the Class of 2015 -- our first graduating class -- will be "blowing off" classes this week to dedicate themselves to polishing up their digital portfolios. Each night, students will be working in the BIC lab with "over-the-shoulder" tutors giving them expert advice on how to make their portfolios more dynamic. There's a theme each night: for example, Monday welcomes two filmmakers to advise students on how to create video case studies of their projects. Wednesday is dedicated to digital design. As the  BIC students aspire to INVENT leadership portfolios, the Boot Camp is an opportunity for them to "kick butt."