Spikes Academy draws enthusiastic participation for third year

This year we welcomed students from India, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia.

A total of 52 resumes were received from around Asia-Pacific. Selections were made by the Spikes Asia Festival representative offices and the final 15 decided by a panel at Cheil Worldwide.

The students bonded really well from the start, and camaraderie was built through the various activities put together.

One highlight was the After Dark networking session, where the group made their rounds to 3 agencies around town — Ogilvy, LOWE and JWT — to network and gain insights into the dynamic industry in Singapore and across Asia.

At the Academy den, students were provided with opportunities to get up close with speakers in a 'clinic' setting. Participating speakers included thenetworkone's Julian Boulding, Cheil Worldwide's Aaron Gomez, Omnicom Group's Tim Love, BBDO Guerrero's David Guerrero, Patrick Collister and Simon Kornberg, author of "Creativity 101" who engaged the students with unique delivery styles.

Student quotes

"During the festival, so many fresh ideas appeared before me, but the most impressive thing is the spirit of being an advertising designer. As Leo Burnett said, 'Successful people don't have more courage, but longer courage than normal people!' To me, this will be my motto in my design career! How fortunate I am to have this wonderful opportunity!"
Chen Wang, China

"There were innumerable insights, first hand experiences, brilliant stories, technologies,  awesome quotes and not to forget the late night networking parties. Before the Academy, I thought, 'India is big and challenging enough'. How wrong I was. The Academy has thrown up unlimited opportunities for me. A complete life changing experience.
Vivek Agarwal, India

"It was a great chance for students from all over Asia to seek international opportunities, meet the experts, and especially meet other talented students from various countries. A really great start up for a creative career!"
Lolitya Anindita, Indonesia