YCC Unite

So it has been a long time since our last post, we have been very busy with a number of things - YCC being the one we're going to talk about!

Last Thursday, the YCC held our second Unite event, a night showcasing some of the best graduate portfolios out there. The turnout was really impressive, with over 20 teams in attendance and a host of industry representatives from agencies like Inferno, RGA, AKQA, Glue, M&C Saatchi, Work Club, JWT, Ogilvy, Arnold KLP and Creative Orchestra.


The aim of the night was to try and start a precedent within the industry, grads in particular, where the attitude of self-help and 'doing' is ever present. What the members of the YCC may not necessarily have had when we were looking for jobs is what we are trying to offer, and to create a group of future industry leaders who are united in one goal. We are not here to mentor, but we can offer a perspective that not many others possess as we’ve just gone through the process and know what is lacking.

In the wake of the event we’ve had a few people comment, namely Andy Sadoz from Work Club and Chris Arnold of Creative Orchestra. Chris' article on Brand Republic hit the nail on the head, and after all the work that went into the event, it was great to see that those already established in the industry can see how the YCC was born out of necessity - as Chris says "A group of young creatives who rather than sit on their arse complaining there's no jobs and the pay's crap, are getting out there and changing the game."


We may not be experts in our chosen field, but we are the most recent bunch of grads to get jobs after the recession and seeing as all of us are employed at agencies, we can offer those a year or two behind us some first hand advice that isn't available all of the time. Our main aim at the YCC is a sort of selfish selflessness, if that makes sense - the reputation of British teams is suffering (we have been told by a few people that some agencies would rather not hire British teams as they’re perceived as less forward thinking) and we are not prepared to let that happen. Grads from places like Sweden, Brazil and Holland are extremely impressive, and have a lot of backing behind them. If we want the next generation of British graduates to be competitive and among the best in the world, then it is up to us to affect this change.

As the YCC mantra dictates, "People who do, change the world. Everyone else is just living here." We'd rather not just live here.

Visit the YCC here.