Advertising Anonymous - Creative strategy masterclass

Advanced creative strategy training - 3 days over 3 weeks, 20 spots

What is it?

Currently, there is no agency-specific coaching available for senior teams, leaders, or client-side marketing and PR teams. This is a 3 part workshop that covers strategy, creative and pitching.  We want to change the way people think and act through immersive and interaction sessions with individuals from different agencies to share a joint-experience.

Details for each of the 3 sessions below.

Who is it for?  

Open to all agency and client-side teams all 3 sessions are for:

• Heads of department
• Creative and strategy directors 
• Practice leaders  
• Up and coming talent 
• Client-side teams
• Creative, media, PR/Comms, experiential and brand agencies

When is it? 

The event is three full-day sessions over three weeks - May 6, 13, 20.  

For team bookings - email me directly for invoicing jye (at) doublestar.co

Culture-lead

Your hosts will be Jye Smith and Tom Sigelski, and we invite those who are ready for a higher challenge and want to hone your craft, self-awareness and team culture - get involved, ready to work, and participate.  

Long, self-important biographies later below, but in short:  Tom spent 17 years in culture and strategy roles at Red Bull and is today a Master NLP Practitioner and Executive Coach; while Jye has a unique background in creative strategy, agency leadership and operationalising new teams and service offerings since 2006 including Redengine, PwC, and Weber Shandwick.  We will also have guest mentors and judges.

Strategists Anonymous - face the existential crisis together.

To begin, we set an advanced baseline to understanding insights, strategy and creative briefs including skills in research, strategic thinking & collaboration for leaders and senior team members.

Strategy is often a misunderstood part of any agency, marketing or PR business. Strategists all too often deal with a unique role and relationship within the agency on a personal level. Compounding both of these challenges is the fact that strategic skills are a mind-bending mix of analytics, creativity and culture. 

Strategists Anonymous connects strategy to the business, idea and: 


• Finding insight within data, truth and culture
  
• Strategy as a creative process
• Crafting insights
• The strategist's relationships with teams, clients and partners

Creatives Anonymous - break the bored and uninspired.

Day two goes deep on understanding creativity, ideas and strategic thinking and includes skills on inspiration, lateral thinking & presentation.


Ideas and ideation are lost in the chaos because the process can be opaque and personal.  From discipline to discipline, industry to industry, how ideas and creativity are defined and discovered is kept secret. 

Creatives Anonymous will cover:

• What (and what are not) ideas
• Ideation that works
• Framing ideas
• Creativity and processes
• Concepts and testing

Pitching Anonymous - truth, lies & persuasion. 

The final day brings it all together.  Participants will be split into working groups and learn advanced techniques on how to develop and deliver a pitch. Not just PowerPoint! We'll take a hard look at behaviours, messaging and value propositions.

You've likely realised that pitching is learned only through real-life and high-pressure situations and that time, resources & egos can get in the way.  This day is all about trying new things, and we're starting by actually making the space needed to explore without any fear of failure.

Pitching Anonymous will cover:

• What’s in a story
• The pitching process
• Positioning and framing
• Behaviours and delivery

Pitching anonymous finishes with a unique task.  That's all we'll say.

End of Anonymous drinks, comedy and live podcast 

We will finish our adventure in true agency style - drowning our sorrows and laughing at the reality we live in, with comedy powerhouse Grace Rouvray and Katie Lees. 

Maker & Creator (live podcast), co-hosted with Alex Adams (Founder of Secret Foodies and Eat Drink Play) and an interview with entrepreneur Emmy Samtani (Founder, Kiindred) and Tom Sigelski. 

Followed up by a live Strategy Hotline podcast session with Jye and Sophia Brockman (Creative Strategist, WE) with questions from the audience. 

Total perspective

We know, from experience that time to focus on and learn about self-awareness, how the brain works and the different meanings and perceptions behind strategy, creativity and storytelling will unlock new understanding and skills for the future. Rest assured, we will also share materials, frameworks and tools for you as jumping-off points so both sides of the coin can work together.

Experts and senior mentors will be part of your experience too. 

The days are framed:

• Morning - Self-awareness, team dynamics and culture
• Midday - Best practice, skills development and frameworks
• Afternoon - Practice, collaboration and wine

Overall, what’s not working, where are things broken, and how you can be an even more effective human.

Comments from our attendees

Wow. Wow. Wow! 
Totally pumped and still experiencing a mind explosion :)
Thanks so much for an awesome day. Incredible content. Super inspiring. Lovely peeps.

Senior Creative, Apparent 

It’s so rare to think about the pitching process before it’s too late and you’re already in the thick of it, Pitching Anonymous was the perfect environment to take a step back, think about the formula for success when pitching, and what makes a pitch itself so powerful: the story. This is the conversation your team has been missing.

Creative Strategist, WE Communications 

Jye Smith

Since beginning his career in 2006, Jye has been responsible for developing the cultural and commercial practices for innovative practices - including social media, digital marketing and content production. 

Most notably, developing six digital creative studios across Asia Pacific for Weber Shandwick, launching the brand and marketing practice for PwC, and leading the brand transformation of creative agency Redengine. 

Today, Jye consults to agencies, strategy and creative teams and as a coach to high potential talent. With a passion for team dynamics, pitching and deep skills development, he works with leadership to get the best from their teams. 

Highly specialised in agency relationships, strategy and communications, Jye uses a combination of agency leadership and consultancy experience to influence impact. 

Jye is also an avid podcast producer, copywriter and musician.

Tom Sigelski

Tom Sigelski has a wealth of experience in establishing strong relationships and supporting human development.

Tom has designed and delivered programs all over the world including Asia-Pacific, Europe and the United States.  He is dedicated to helping individuals and teams navigate their strategic priorities, visions and missions in a simplified, inclusive and engaging way.

Tom has developed a creative mind and broad sales and marketing skills over 20 years in senior strategy, consumer marketing, learning design, coaching, facilitation and project management.

Tom lives on the beaches in Sydney, Australia and is a passionate surfer.