Atlanta Agencies Form Coalition In Bid To Broaden Talent Diversity

Four Atlanta agencies - 22squared, Fitzgerald & Co., Moxie and J. Walter Thompson - are teaming for the Advertising for Change (AFC) coalition as a way to attract and retain talent and establish Atlanta as the city for diverse advertising professionals.

"Simply, the fact is that the industry is behind the curve on embracing and practicing diversity and inclusion," says Spence Kramer, CEO, J. Walter Thompson (JWT) Atlanta. "We don’t have the correct balance to reflect our community, and we wanted to do something about it."

The coalition has created what it says is a first-of-its-kind joint internship program that looks to showcase the collective strength of the Atlanta advertising community. The four agencies partnered with the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Intern Program to select a total of 10 interns that will spend time at each office this summer, gaining experience at four agencies instead of one.

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In addition to daily responsibilities, the interns will be split into two teams that will meet weekly to develop a pitch for an Atlanta-based nonprofit of their choice. The two teams will pitch against each other in a showdown at the end of the summer.

At the end of the internship, the agencies will agree on a standout intern and offer him or her a job at the AFC agency he or she chooses, with the same monetary offer across the board.

“It’s a unique opportunity. Each agency will agree on the recipient and extend the intern the same offer,” stated Liza Ramos, chief talent officer, Fitzgerald & Co. “This empowers the AFC Scholar to pick the agency he or she wants to work with, and it upholds our goal of attracting and retaining the best diverse talent in the city of Atlanta — even if the choice is a friendly competitor.”

JWT Atlanta's Kramer conceived this idea six months ago when police brutality and racial tensions in this country seemed insurmountable. He reached out to a handful of Atlanta advertising leaders to get together and discuss ideas over lunch and the coalition was conceived shortly thereafter.

The group hopes other Atlanta-based shops will sign up as well. "We welcome with open arms any agency that has D&I as a top priority to become a part of the coalition," they say. The four founding agencies also want the concept to expand to additional cities. "We’d be happy to support how we can."

Future initiatives include affordable advertising classes and portfolio boot camps as well as helping creative professionals in Atlanta transition successfully to a career in the advertising industry.

“We have as much responsibility to reflect our community as we do our clients’ brands and our own bottom lines,” says Kramer. “Atlanta is one of the most diverse cities in the world, so it’s incumbent on us to attract and retain the best talent for the city. This isn’t about ‘making a number’ or reaching a goal. It’s about doing what’s best for our business.”

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