Congress may have its issues with TikTok, but don’t tell that to The One Club For Creativity. The organization and the social media juggernaut are partnering on a new educational program dubbed the One Creator Lab.  

It's a 20-week training program that combines advertising fundamentals with the maker skills and tools needed to “bring effective short-form, video-first campaigns to life at the speed of culture,” according to the partners.  

The lab will initially accommodate 50 students with involvement from 20 agencies and brands.  Applications are now being accepted for classes starting in July with a May 21 deadline. Initially the program launches in the US and Canada.  

The idea for The Lab took shape as One Club program director Jerrod New engaged with a group of more than 150 agency CCOs and others to identify the skills and capabilities essential to emerging creator roles at ad agencies, design studios, production firms and in-house brand teams. New worked with the group to develop learning content. 

Target applicants include those currently outside of advertising, such as people making TikTok videos who want to build that ability into a career to help brands connect with customers.  

“Agencies and brands face a creator talent gap because traditional ad schools aren’t set up to produce grads with that skill set,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.  The lab is designed to fill that gap.  

"At TikTok, we always empower brands and creative agencies to trust creators and think about them as if they're part of the in-house creative teams,” said Krystle Watler, Head of Creative Agency Partnerships, North America, TikTok.  “We're proud to partner with The One Club to bring that advice to life in a way that serves creators, brands, and agencies alike."