Global ad agencies with presence in the Middle East continue to look for skilled Lebanese, working in advertising, to send for training within their mainstream offices, in Europe or even the Americas. But there is one agency that has been doing a lot of that, in addition to a twist inspired from TBWA’s famous philosophy of “Disruption”.
TBWA/RAAD has been selected by Newhouse School of Communication at Syracuse University - in Upper State New York - to provide two graduate students – every year –with a summer internship program, here in the Middle East. This has been going on since 2011, and this year Sara Masa, a Master of Arts student in Advertising and Audra Linsner, an Undergraduate Advertising student will be completing their internship at TBWA/RAAD’s office in Dubai.
Before leaving, ArabAd had the opportunity of having a brief dialogue with the two young ladies.
Sara Massa said: “This summer I had the amazing opportunity to be an account management intern on the Nissan United team at TBWA/RAAD. The best part about this experience was being able to see the advertising concepts I learned in my graduate program, where I studied advertising, applied in real agency life (things happen at a MUCH faster pace here than they are when you're learning them in school!). The agency’s team was preparing for the launch of a new model this fall, so the timing of the internship couldn't have been better. From day one I hit the ground running, thanks to my supervisors who involved me on all different aspects of their new campaign. I have been able to write briefs, sit in on meetings with the creative teams and work on the creation of a new catalog for this car, from scratch. Being able to see what happens during the build-up of a large campaign has been an incredible experience. Being part of this experience has taught me the importance of meeting deadlines, setting clear expectations, building quality relationships and to always ask questions if you aren't sure of what is needed.
Before my internship at TBWA/RAAD in Dubai, I had never been outside of the United States for more than two weeks at a time. This experience has allowed me to grow as a person and immerse myself in a different culture and gain professional experience from a global perspective…”
Audra Linsner who trained as an Art Director at TBWA/RAAD’s Creative Department said: “I had a fantastic time interning in the Middle East, this summer. The experience has been full of growth, fun and challenging work. Everyone made me feel right at home, and I had many creative tasks working with multiple clients.
Not only is the community tight-knit here, it pushed me to think and act beyond my creative confines. My phenomenal supervisor and all my other outstanding coworkers helped me create some work I’m proud of. The Disruption mindset is something I’m going to carry with me in my next steps, for sure.
I am so thankful for the experience and support I was given, and while I’m definitely excited to get back to some cooler temperatures, I will one hundred percent be missing everyone at TBWA/RAAD!”
