TBWA M+M Launches 20/20 Visionaries

10/25/2018 Unknown 0 Comments


On October 18th, we introduced our latest batch of brilliant BICsters to the industry at our annual Mix + Mentor event. More than 100 guests gathered to enjoy hot hors d’oeuvres, cold drinks and fresh talent at TBWA\Chiat\DayNY’s Madison Avenue office in midtown.


Professionals from TBWA, VMLY&R, Porter Novelli, Edelman, The One Club, Ketchum, DDB, Golin, NYTimes TBrand Studio, Jack Morton, BBDO and more came to mix it up with their agency pals and meet their future recruits: BIC’s 36 students of the Class of 2020 (aka the visionaries with 20/20).


Also joining were a number of consultants and recruiters, plus mentor-worthy BIC alums Nehal Mahmoud BIC '15, Luz Corona BIC '15, Melissa Julien BIC ‘17, Dalyn Francis BIC '16, and Donna Dei-Baning BIC '16 - from companies like NBCUniversal, McCann Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, and The New York Times. As always, City College of NY colleagues MCA Chair Jerry Carlson, Humanities and Arts Dean Erec Koch attended, along with BIC Faculty member Angela Chitkara and alums turned Adjunct Faculty Vera Keiter BIC '15 and Cassondra Bazelow BIC '16.


BIC board members Donna RenellaHayes RothGustavo Stecher (all the way from Argentina) and of course TBWA host Rob Schwartz showed up in force to meet the newest BICsters and to celebrate BIC's year-long 5th anniversary.


Schwartz found it fitting for TBWA to host BIC's Mix + Mentor. "We talk about the power of mentors a lot in this building, starting with a mentorship between a guy named Steve Jobs and a guy named Jay Chiat. Jobs needed advertising mentorship and Jay, together with Lee Clow helped Apple change the world and create a lot of the amazing stuff that inspires us today to go into this crazy business. So we have to thank mentorship for making this agency and business into something we all want to do."


Acting BIC Program Director Gerardo Blumenkrantz thanked all of the Mentors for helping shape the careers of the BICster Creatives, Planners, Account Managers, and PR pros from the start. “It's no secret that mentorship advances careers. People with mentors are more likely to get promotions. But those being mentored aren’t the only ones whose careers are enhanced; mentorship is reciprocal. I can attest to that; I became a much better advertising professional since I started teaching, almost 10 years ago. And don't forget the BICster you mentor today could become the visionary who makes your company look good in 2020 – or even sooner.”


A big BIC thank you to everyone at TBWA\Chiat\DayNY who helped host the event and invited us to arrive early for their #DisruptorSeries event with Charlamagne Tha God. A special shout out to Monica Torres, Becca Lazarus and of course Rob Schwartz for making the evening a memorable one. We’re grateful beyond measure to them and to past sponsors of the BIC Mix+Mentor – Y&R, Ketchum, McCann, GREY, and R/GA.

More photos in the Gallery.