Nicky Bryson And Youngbloods Launch New Cross-Industry Mentoring Initiative
A new cross-industry mentoring initiative has formed in a bid to help those facing increased pressure and exposure alongside the effects of a ‘longer deliverables, shorter deadlines, fewer resources, smaller budgets, “evolve or die” culture’.
Spearheaded by former TBWA head of strategy, Nicky Bryson (featured image, left), and developed in consultation and partnership with Youngbloods, The Trenches is the first industry-wide, free and inclusive mentoring initiative aimed to empower and support young talent professionally and personally.
With research conducted via the Youngbloods database revealing that 96 per cent of under 30-year-olds in the industry lack access to mentors or a mentoring program independent of their organisation, The Trenches aims to fill a much-needed gap in the market.
The research revealed the need for independent, objective and honest advice on the difficult to discuss topics from those who had experienced it or can give breadth of industry perspective.
The top four things young people find currently most challenging being (1) negotiating pay rises and promotions, (2) maintaining boundaries and saying no (3) mental stress and anxiety, and (4) managing workload and burnout.
After being hospitalised with severe burnout earlier this year Bryson found herself approached by others wanting to share their stories, challenges and journeys, but it was young people in particular who felt fear around where they were now, and where they were going.
Bryson said: “I believe hearing about others’ experiences and challenges can be a catalyst of change in yourself.
“Be it general career advice or progression, navigating politics or real personal struggles, nothing is off limits, our mentors have signed up to a vacuum of vulnerability.
“Seeing how leaders have gone through similar situations removes the stigma of guilt and failure or the inertia to empower positive action.
“This is why The Trenches is about experience sharing as much as advice giving.”
The Trenches is available for anyone in the Media, Creative, Marketing, Consulting or Technology sectors, with over 50 big name mentors already signed up across Sydney and Melbourne.
There are no age barriers, and mentee’s gain access to up to 5 mentors over a 6-8 month period.
Byrson continued: “We often get siloed in our bubbles and there is a lot to learn from the different perspectives and disciplines across the industry.
“Maybe the grass isn’t greener on the other side, maybe it is.
“Our research showed a hunger for a less competitive, more collaborative industry.
“We have a tiny hope that by opening up access to a broader view, particularly for the next-generation of leaders, we could make some movement toward this.”
Youngbloods national chairman, Matt Gardener said: “A key focus for us this year is to encourage our peers to be more honest and vulnerable with themselves and each other in order to create a more open and empowered industry.
“The Trenches is a massive step towards this.
“This program will reduce the barriers in genuinely connecting, being vulnerable and feeling comfortable in discussing the topics that affect us – resulting in a healthier, happier, stronger industry.
He added: “We hope that breaking down these existing silos and internal feedback loops will also result in a bit of industry cross pollination and stimulate growth or at the very least more expansive thinking.”
The Trenches mentors include (in no particular order):
Anshika Grover – Director, Product development and transformation, Optus
Nicole Bardsley – Head of Brand and Strategy, Westpac
Ian Edwards – Managing Director, Wavemaker
Adam Slattery – Head of Brand and Communications, Vodafone
Paul Everson – Marketing and Advertising Executive
Chiquita King – Founder & Managing Director, Cocoa Coffee Gunpowder
TC Miles – Director CMO Advisory, PwC
Jane King – Group Director of Marketing, Val Morgan
Anthony Dever – Editor and Researcher, Fanbloodytastic
Brooke Tierney – Founder, The Sister Consulting
Henry Innis – CSO / Founder, Mutiny
Mike McKeown – Managing Director, Shareablee Inc APAC
Alex Conomos – Senior Marketing Manager, Audible, Amazon
Mitch Parkins – Founder, Nanna’s Little Secret
Alex Light – Head of Brand Partnerships, VIRTUE
Jane Merrick – General Manager Marketing & Distribution, World Nomads
Myriam Conrie – Director of Marketing, Sofitel
Paul Den – Partner & Co-Founder at Banter
Anna College – Agency Director, Ikon
Ali Tilling – Chief Strategy Officer, VMLY&R
Tracy Hall – Marketing Director, Go Daddy
Genevieve Reynolds – Manager, CMO Advisory PwC
Michaela Futcher – Head of Strategy, The Royals
Yash Gandhi – Head of Marketing, Baiada
Jemma White – Marketing & Communications Manager, MontBlanc
James Boardman – National Strategy Director, Bohemia
Cally Scivetti – Brand Solution Strategist, Google
Paul Connell – GM & Marketing Director, Unilever
Hannah Sturrock – Managing Partner, The Hallway
Lucio Ribeiro – Lucio Ribeiro AI
Martin Cutris – Head of performance agencies, Google
Adam Ross – Content Lead, Coca-Cola
Sarah Murdoch – Global Marketing Director
Kate Smither – Founder, The Tall Planner
Kammeron Cran – Executive Coach, Director, Red Nose
Laura Johnson – Chief Marketing Officer, PASS Technology Group
Carly Du Toit – Marketing & Communications Manager, ACRF
Richard Woods – Group Account Director, Naked/BMF
Sarah Knox – Director, Res Publica
Sean Hall – Founder and Chief Energist, Energex
Katrina White – SMB Strategy, Microsoft
Ben Shepherd – Chief Media Officer, CHE Proximity
Kate Gamble – General Manager – Resolution Media
Sarah Palmer – Head of Talent, Leo Burnett Australia
Susie Bayes – Head of Partnerships & Philanthropy, The Guardian
Evonne Williams – Marketing Manager, Simplot
Kelly Tagalan – Holiday Club Manager, Camp Australia
Joel Pearson – Executive Strategy Director, RGA
Renee Garner – COO RevTech Media
Amy Lee-Hopkins – Head of Marketing, Southern Queensland Anglicare
Justin Carew – Creative Director, McCann
Iggy Rodriguez – Creative Director, McCann
Melissa Webber – Founder & MD, Holy Cow Creative
Cameron Brown – Senior Copywriter, McCaan
Latest News
Dentsu’s iProspect Partners With MOOD Tea Ahead Of May Campaign Launch
Dentsu’s iProspect has partnered with MOOD tea to empower the advertising and media community to make a difference in youth mental health. The partnership with MOOD tea will see iProspect support the brand from a strategic business level through to media partnerships, to build the brand’s salience and ultimately drive retail distribution and purchase. Marcelle […]
Opinion: When Culture Starts Eating Itself: Navigating The Age Of Self-eating Nostalgia
In this opinion piece, Born’s co-founder and strategy director, David Coupland (above), considers whether cultural nostalgia offers genuine comfort or stifles innovation in light of McDonald’s bringing back “The Original Mouthful.” Sitting there watching The Beckham documentary, shortly after I’d watched the Robbie Williams’ documentary, not that long after I’d watched The Last Dance it […]
Who’s Going To Cannes?! The TikTok Young Lions Winners!
With super short notice, the winners produced incredible work featuring Tim Tams, League of Legends & fishing lines.
Adobe Launches Express Mobile App With Firefly AI
Adobe has launched a new Adobe Express mobile app, giving users Firefly AI on the go. Adobe Express is the all-in-one AI content creation app that makes it fast and easy for anyone to ideate, design and share standout social media posts, videos, flyers, logos and more. Millions of users around the world are turning […]
ThinkNewsBrands & IMAA Extend News Publishing Education In Brisbane
ThinkNewsBrands in collaboration with the Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), continued the in-person education rollout of the Publishing & News101 learning module yesterday, extending its reach to independent media agencies in Brisbane. That means Queensland has become the second state to benefit from the special in-person training and certification program. The program delves into […]
B&T Chats With Wavemaker’s Provocative Pioneers On Their Cross-Pacific Sojourn
B&T had the honour of travelling to GroupM’s lush North Sydney offices to chat with Tatiana Patrón and Missie Saroyan, who had travelled all the way from the US to see how we do things down under. Patrón is an associate client investment lead in Wavemaker’s New York office, while Saroyan serves as a programmatic […]
HoMie & Champion Launch “Give One. Get One” Campaign Supporting Youth Homelessness Via Town Square
HoMie, a Melbourne-based streetwear label that supports young people affected by homelessness or hardship, has turned traditional buy-one-get-one-free retail offers on their head with a special promotional campaign developed by Town Square. HoMie has launched ‘Give One. Get One,’ where for every HoMie hoodie purchased for Youth Homelessness Matters Day, fellow streetwear label Champion will […]
Thinkerbell Takes Us Back To Summer In Latest Work For XXXX
Lion and Thinkerbell have launched new work for XXXX Summer Bright, reminding everyone that it’s a beer to drink all year round. The idea is now live across social, digital and OOH. It centres on the insight that around here, unlike most places in the world, we only have one season really, summer. So it’s […]
Cannes Lions Unveils 2024 Programme Featuring Queen Latifah, Jay Shetty & P&G’s Mark Pritchard
The programme has been revealed for this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity featuring more than 150 hours of content and some 500 speakers. About this year’s line-up, Natasha Woodwal, director of content, LIONS, said: “Our open call for content gives us unparalleled insight into what matters most to the industry right now, and we’ve […]
Scroll Media Recruits Costa Panagos From Twitch
Digital publisher network Scroll Media has employed ex-Amazon Twitch gaming executive Costa Panagos (lead image) to strengthen its Scroll Gaming capability. Panagos is highly experienced in game advertising and media sales professional with two years in account management at Twitch and three years in media sales at News Corp, so will bring his extensive media agency […]
Year13, Microsoft & KPMG Australia Launch AI Course For Gen Zs
School-leaver service Year13 has launched a new Artificial Intelligence course to upskill young people in AI, made in collaboration with Microsoft and KPMG, at an event to rally industry support behind youth AI fluency. The free online course AI Amplified which is part of Year13’s Academy aims to provide all young people with the opportunity […]
General Motors Snares Heath Walker From Scania
General Motors has announced the appointment of Heath Walker (lead image) as the new marketing director for GM Australia and New Zealand, effective April 23, 2024. Walker brings a wealth of marketing and communications experience gained from working across various industries, including IT, sporting, and auto – notably Tesla, Nissan and most recently, Scania in […]
VML Launches New “Envoyage” Brand For Flight Centre
VML unveils new brand for travel operator Flight Centre. Alas, no sign of those paid actors pretending to be pilots.
Subaru Places Media Account Up For Review
Subaru puts media up for review, as adland journos get set for mandatory "agency drives off with..." headline.
TV Ratings (17/04/2024): Contestants Faced With Harsh Realities As Alone Australia Heats Up (Or Cools Down)
Alone still doing the business for SBS. Overly long train journeys not doing the business, but they persist anyway.
Ben Fordham Loses Number One Spot As Ray Hadley Celebrates 156th Ratings Win
The radio numbers are in! Discover who's off for a boozy lunch today & who's waiting for the dreaded HR death knock.
Gourmet Ice Cream Brand Connoisseur Launches New “Thrill Your Senses” Iteration, Via SICKDOGWOLFMAN
Rattling the old "truth in advertising" adage comes this ice-cream spot full of noticeably thin people.
Paramount’s Global Sales Boss: ‘Australia’s Converged Model Is A Blueprint For How I’d Like All Of Our Markets To Be’
Paramount's global sales boss gives local sales ops the thumbs up. Didn't weigh-in on the Lisa Wilkinson debacle.
TikTok Starts Testing Its Instagram Rival In Australia
In exciting news for piano playing cats & brattish pranks in shopping centres, TikTok unveils its Insta rival plans.
Man Wrongly Named By Seven As Bondi Killer Hires Lawyers
Struggling to save for a house deposit? Why not get wrongly identified by Sunrise!
Smartsheet Appoints Indie Agency Sandbox Media To Its Media Account
Can't stand your colleagues? Like to dob them in when they miss a deadline? These work management platforms are ideal.
Boss Not Letting You Come To Cannes In Cairns? Use This Business Case To Convince Them!
Stingy boss won't spring for a ticket to Cairns? Add this to your persuasive argument repertoire. Or grovel.
Alt/shift/ Brisbane Builds Portfolio With Ausbuild Creative, PR, Content & Social Account Win
The Brisbane comms/PR agency lands constructor Ausbuild. Also hoping for a discount on its new glass conservatory.
Young Guns Versus The Old Guard: Who Adds More Value to Our Industry?
Cannes In Cairns poking this hornet's nest in a lively debate. Just so long as the oldies can get up the stairs.
70% Of Aussies Don’t Have Green Power Plans ENGIE Says In Major Brand Campaign Via HERO
Are you the notorious "light leaver on-er" in your flatshare? Quell any infighting with this green energy news.
PrettyGood Launches Offering Brand & Media Solutions For Australasian SMEs
B&T applauds the charitable nature of this new agency. Although we'd hate to see it impact any Chrissie present sends.
A Blunt End: Dolphins Medicinal Cannabis Sponsorship At Risk
Yes, it's another NRL drug story. Yet, thankfully it doesn't involve coke in Kuta during the off-season.
Slew Of New Creative Hires At Leo Burnett Australia
Ahhh, all black! The outfit of choice for agency creatives, David Jones staff and everyone in Melbourne.
Under Armour Unveils Local “Live in UA” Campaign
American apparel brand set for yet another tilt at the Aussie market, as Nike declares "we'll see about that".
Pepsi Launches New Look, Refreshing Classic Fashion Staples Via Special PR
Are you always the bridesmaid, never the bride, as the old saying goes? How do you think Pepsi feels?
Pure Blonde Returns To A Place Purer Than Yours In New Campaign Via The Monkeys
B&T's always been a huge fan of the 'drink yourself thinner' diet plan. So big thanks to Pure blonde, vodka & tequila.
Spotlight On Sponsors: Carsales Strikes With Another Storm-Based Team
Think our hacks are living their sports journalist dreams vicariously through B&T? Confirm it with this reporting.
Commission Factory & AGL Energy Ignite Strategic Partnership To Empower Australian Energy Consumers
Concerned by global warming yet ran the fans non-stop over summer? Add to the guilt with this read.
Allied Nabs Nicola Gold From Pico International Dubai
Seasoned marketer relocates from Dubai to Sydney. Says the shopping's not as good but at least you can get a drink.
Nine’s Push For Gold, Silver & Bronze Ad Opportunities Could Break New Ground In Broadcasting
Nine insists that AI won't dominate its Olympics coverage. And not merely because Bruce McAvaney doesn't understand it.
TV Ratings (16/04/2024): Toxic City Girls Too Much For Farmer Bert
Fans calling out toxic behaviour on Farmer Wants A Wife, seemingly unaware that's the very premise of any dating show.