Brixton Finishing School

What a year 2024 has been! We had a breakout year in 2023—landing amazing clients and seeing the business really take off—so 2024 has been focused on levelling up. 🚀 We know as well as anyone that growth isn't easy. It takes hard work, tough decisions, and the odd “are we seriously doing this?” moment. And while we’re proud of our numbers - +30% top-line growth, +40% bottom-line growth - what matters most to us is that we set ourselves up for the next stage of our development. 2024 was about investing in our wonderful team, solidifying our technology, and deepening our relationships, all anchored in the quality of our work - and not possible without the help of some great partners (Brixton Finishing School, Vida Carmel, Lunatix, & IIEX Greenbook to name a few!) Here’s what we learnt from another year Making Growth Visible... #MakeGrowthVisible #2024lessons #NewYear

Alumni Spotlight😊 🔦 Introducing Illya Bilyak! 2024 Summer school graduate and we're pleased to share that he recently started working with our partners at Mail Metro Media "Thanks to BFS, I went from industry newbie to working at one of the UK's most iconic brands in just two months!" #advertisingandmarketingcourse #creativeindustries #careersinmedia

We’re so excited for another year of in-person sessions with our incredible industry partners! 😊 Throwback to when Omnicom Health Group kindly hosted our summer school students for a deep dive into the world of healthcare advertising 🩻📈. We LOVED picking their brains and learning about their values. Huge thanks to the team for having us! ❤️ Maria Hazel, Sam Hall, Tyler Boorman, Andy Hayley, Alan Cinnamond, Dimple D., Jadyn Briggs, Izzy Gyarmati #careersupport #creativeindustries #marketingandadvertisingcourse #careerdevelopment

Happy Friday! We have 2 opportunities for you this week below! ✨👇 😊 Don’t forget to let our partners know, in your application, that you found out about these fantastic opportunities through Brixton Finishing School, as it will be to your advantage when applying: 💼Accounts Payable Administrator 📍The Guardian | London 💸 £30,000 DOE 🚨 Deadline: 15th Jan 💼Marketing Executive 📍PizzaExpress | London 💸 £25,000-£30,000 🚨 Deadline: 31st Jan #careersinmedia #jobopportunity #creativeindustry

✨ As the year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to share something special. A few months ago, I graduated from Brixton Finishing School, but I hesitated to celebrate my achievement. As i read my cohort share all their lovely testimonies and achievements, in the mist off all the excitement i was scared to share my own experience. BFS has truly had a massive impact on my confidence as I move forward in both my career and life. I faced quite the challenge being thrown into a group of strangers to produce a body of work in just a few weeks, all while attending daily industry insight sessions & working on a complex brief. I’m proud to say I never gave up, even when I really wanted to! Working with new people isn’t always a walk in the park 😅 — especially when everyone’s is at different stages of their careers. But this experience & challenges helped me discover a new skill: the ability to elevate others and make their ideas shine. Just another win to add to my collection! 😉 Special shoutout to Mandy H., Ozioma Ihesiene, Ahmed Abdullahi, Ashani Roberts-Adenitire, & Julian Agboola — we all shared a common goal: a passion to succeed and have fun. We might even call ourselves the self-proclaimed funniest (and most creative) group around! We consistently showed up for each other and lifted one another up when we weren’t at our best and took on every challenge face on TOGETHER. And a big thank you to our team leads Zaleta Kasenzi, Nicholas Pirard & Christina Chambers for helping us elevate our ideas and keeping us on track; learning from you all was a true pleasure! Team LADR. FOREVER! 🤍 I never knew a summer school could take me on such an emotional rollercoaster, leaving me questioning my abilities and even my character at times. But I can confidently say it has transformed my life. The conversations, the community, the friendships, and the future collaborations have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So much so that I was awarded THE TITAN AWARD — given to the person who never backed down, embraced constructive feedback, and always came back stronger! As we head into the new year, I’m no longer afraid to celebrate my achievements, no matter how big or small! A huge thanks to my mentor, Dave Newbold, for teaching me to proudly showcase who Tate is! I promise to keep taking up space and showing the world what I can do. 🌟 Here’s to the end of my shy girl era and a fabulous new year ahead! 🌟

First Alumni Spotlight of the year 😊 🔦 Introducing Joseph Ariyibi! 2024 Summer school graduate and we're pleased to share that he recently started working with our partners at Uncommon Creative Studio ✨ . "The summer school helped me both personally and professionally by pushing me out of my comfort zone. I had the chance to talk to brands I’ve always admired, which was an incredible experience. The biggest lesson I learned?Keep it simple, keep it key, curiosity and action turn dreams into reality." #advertisingandmarketingcourse #creativeindustries #careersinmedia

Another year in partnership with BBC Studios and we couldn't be more excited and grateful for their support 🤝 . Over the course of our partnership, we've had 5 of our students secure roles and 15+ BBC studio employees take part in our mentoring scheme or attend our Speed networking events! Thank you so much for all that you do, you're a joy to work with and we can't wait to see what this year brings ❤️. Mauvni Rathod, Solomon K., Esin Kart, Kris Kirova, Olivia D. Claudia Posada, Kerry Tai, Andrew Stevens, Roger Scott, Edel Erickson Melanie Edwards, Síofra Clancy, Timothy Smith, Dwayne Clarke, Alice Francis, Chris Allen, Oliver Guindi, Matt Bundy, Sophie Ogunyemi, Alex Rhodes Tom Hind, Sharon Hegarty, Katy Potts,

And that's a wrap! Thank you all🎉 ❤️ "Each year I’m blown away by the sheer volume of talent that we encounter across our programmes as well as the unwavering support of our incredible partners. We're incredibly grateful for all you do. It’s been amazing to see so many of our #Alumni RISE in new roles too and return to support us - each of them an example of what’s possible and hope for the future of the industry. While it’s not been an easy year, we’re excited to continue the development of our products from re-launching ADventure and The Finishing School Foundation, preparing for BFS 2025, to mentoring events and our Alumni retention scheme" - Ally Owen, BFS Founder ✨ #youthemployment #careerdevelopmentprograms #earlycareers #brixtonfinishingschool Stacey Stollery, Jonathan Emmins, BBC Studios, Katy Potts, Media of Monks, Tom Genower, Sergio Alves, Bruce Kerr, M&C Saatchi Group, Guy Reason, INVNT®, Pip Fann, Claudia Stephenson, Meta, Josh King, Genna Osler, Carys Rush, Anna Zolkiewicz, Karen Grillo✨, Amelia Barry, Faten AlMukhtar, Ben Major, Jo Hill, Zia Patel, Chris Bailey (he/him), Jordan Smith, Fleur Rollet-Manus, Kate Higham,

Last week we toasted to our friends at Brixton Finishing School who invented a brilliant new way to get the names and CVs of their talented candidates into our hands – beer!   Turning cans into canvases, they invited individuals to show off their creative skills to get noticed by people in the industry that might be looking for their next hire or be able to make a useful connection for those trying to catch a career break.   We are proud to be featured in LBB (Little Black Book) <link in comments> as a founding subscriber of this great initiative and look forward to enjoying more beers to start new careers in 2025!   Thanks also to Common People for the tip off about this and so many other brilliant initiatives to build a diverse and vibrant talent pool in the creative and comms industries.    #christmas #socialmobility #DEI #creativetalent

#FullCircleMoment ... From #1994 a day's typing as a temp on Marketing Week and discovering the 'invisible' marketing industry, to being named as a #2024 #Changemaker by Marketing Week. 30 years ago, I moved to London, with multiple overdrawn bank accounts, no access to more funds, sleeping on a friend's floor. I could type, fry chips, clean and serve drinks. I had no plan because no one in my family had graduated before. I had no idea publishing, advertising or marketing existed - at my socially mobile school 'secretary' was a very lofty vocation (Air Hostess if you were pretty and blonde). Early one morning I arrived at Office Angels and sat on a little wooden bench eating my free croissant (I thought I was so sophisticated and continental), waiting for a secretary in the west end to call in sick so I could get a day's work and a day's pay (which I needed as I had A FIVER and no one would lend me any more cash (true story)). The P.A. of Marketing Week was sick. I was sent in. It was a revelation, a publishing office, selling adverts - a different world. Unlike anything I thought existed. The publisher was A WOMAN. She wore a scarf thing that she threw over her shoulder as she walked through the desks being A BOSS. (This scarf thing, I later learnt, was a 'pashmina'). (Annie Swift I thought you were amazing and still do). Two things happened: 1. I realised this was what I wanted to do and I'd find a way to break in (and I did, joining the company a couple of weeks later as a P.A. on Design Week as I'd been so efficient on my temping day) (Top Tip: always smash every opportunity you are given, whether you like it or not). 2. This Boss was what I wanted to be. My horizon shifted completely. I had a north star and I had the representation of a female doing it. I also had to eat my first #avocado, which did not go well, but that's another story. And it wasn't easy, I worked 3 jobs for the first 2 years (9-530pm in the office, 6-9pm telemarketing and weekends 6pm -5am). So thirty years later, having built Brixton Finishing School, designed partly as a balm for my lived experiences as a socially mobile talent it is BIZARRE that I am featured as a #2024 #Changemaker in the title that started my journey. The programmes BFS has built work to ensure that ALL of the best talents are aware of our industry (through www.careeradventures.org for 14-19 year olds), The ADcademy (18-30) and our flagship Summer School (18-25). Our mentorship programme works on representation so you can see what you what to be. I am so grateful that I had my shot (and I had the hustle to take it). Social mobility is a it's worst for 50 years. I couldn't have broken through now. That's why BFS is so important and The Finishing School Foundation to close the practical financial gaps. #Brixton Family - THANK YOU - it's all of you that are changemakers!!! and congrats to all named Dino Myers-Lamptey Genna Osler Ben Major Frank Starling Caroline Forbes