It was an event to rival a Gatsby party. The 2015 graduating advertising students got their Charleston on at the end of year exhibition of student work.

It was a chance for the family and friends who have supported the graduates on their journey throughout the year, to celebrate the students’ graduating portfolios. A year of hard work, perseverance and incredible opportunities displayed for all to see.

Highlights of the evening were the keynote address from Macleay advertising graduate and now Associate Creative Director at JWT Will Edwards, who will be teaching ‘Brand Experience’ in the Bachelor course next year. Will gave our graduates some sound advice about the industry noting that “we have the opportunity to influence change and make things better; environmentally and socially”. With a list of ten tips for surviving the industry he reminded the graduates to “never, ever panic” and to always be a sponge.

It was wonderful to welcome so many family, friends and industry guests including the team from The Hallway; Brad Bennett, Hannah Sturrock and Catherine Alexander who were there to support graduate Ashleigh Hogan – who won the award for Best Print Ad.

It was also a great chance for previous graduates to catch-up and share their stories now working in the advertising industry.

The students’ work included print, digital, social media, radio, tv, marketing and media projects. Macleay College prides itself on offering students real-world learning, and this year’s show features collaborations with industry partners such as campaign ideas for ‘Our Watch’ against domestic violence with GHG, the home-cooked food delivery service ‘MyDish’ and designing the “If” section for B&T Magazine, a series called “Untranslatable Words”.

The winners of the awards for BEST OF on the night were:

• BEST PRINT AD: Ashleigh Hogan | “Peckish Crackers – Keep it a Secret”
• BEST OUTDOOR: Dion Heal | “Thredbo – Boredom Free Guarantee”
• BEST RADIO: Nathan Sarmiento | “Coke – Australian Athletes”
• BEST VIDEO: Dion Heal | “H&M – Prove them Wrong”
• BEST SOCIAL: Samantha Harley | “Netflix – Summer Fix”
• BEST MEDIA PLAN: Kyra Brown, Jaime-Lee Mills, Samantha Harley | “Green Mosquito”
• BEST MARKETING PLAN: Kyra Brown, Samantha Harley, Ashleigh Hogan | “The Rhino Project”
• BEST CAMPAIGN: Dion Heal, Tegan Gallagher, Laura Hemsley | “Our Watch – the Pig”
• BEST PORTFOLIO: Samantha Harley

Click here to see the gallery of photos from the event. 

In 2016, in addition to the 1 year Diploma,  Macleay College will also be launching a 2 year Bachelor of Advertising and Media.

For more information email advertising program leader Ian Thomson on ithomson@macleay.edu.au