This post originally appeared on Butchershop's website.
It all comes down to our ethos at Butchershop, Help People. After two incredibly successful Editions of the “World’s Greatest Internship,” we’ve decided to challenge ourselves to do more. After a year of research and listening to our WGI community of agency partners and talent, WGI has evolved beyond the internship experience alone to launch the WGI Talent Network for job creation and hiring. A hiring tool for businesses ready to put their money where their mouth is, the WGI Talent Network exists to support the hiring of diverse emerging creative talent from around the world. To date, over 2,500 emerging creative portfolios have been collectively vetted by 15 of the best creative agencies in the world. WGI talent are from over 32 different countries around the world with truly unique and diverse backgrounds.
How it works? Emerging creatives apply for free. Applicants who are vetted by partnership agencies like Collins, Character, Prophet, W2O, Gretel, Base, and Made Thought to name a few. Whether an applicant is selected or not for the internship experience, they have the opportunity to join the newly launched WGI Talent Network. Creative talent portfolios are then showcased for member agencies to seek out new hires and start conversations. Requiring partner agencies to have consensus on their talent selections creates a pool of emerging creative talent that is ready to contribute immediately to client work and agency culture in meaningful ways.
“We designed WGI over the past three years listening to talent and creative companies. Many of us have experienced internships and entry level jobs that didn’t inspire or create value. Instead of a right of passage, we asked ourselves how we could make these early career experiences impactful. As a CEO and ECD of Butchershop, one of my main focuses is finding and hiring the best talent and I don’t think this is dissimilar for other creative companies. We wanted to find a way to immerse emerging talent in the business of creativity in a way that has value and impact for both agency and talent. WGI Talent Network combined with the sourcing of a new pool through the internship experience is what makes this so unique,” said Trevor Hubbard, CEO and Executive Creative Director of Butchershop.
In partnership with Factry, Gretel and Prophet, applications are now open for Edition 3 of the “World’s Greatest Internship” experience. The internship experience will select interns to travel around North America with program stops in New York, Montreal and San Francisco, spending two months at three agencies, totalling six months. As the foundational aspect of WGI, the internship experience application is open to everyone. Interns selected are fully compensated, with salary, travel and accommodations paid by the program through our agency partners.
Ian Ernzer, Director of WGI at Butchershop added, “It has only become more glaringly obvious to us and other agencies in the industry just how important it is to elevate undiscovered voices from all walks of life. We want to help people trying to make a way for themselves and companies that are willing to invest in diverse talent in a real way.”
The internship experience will postpone commencement until Spring 2021, with selections announced shortly before. More importantly, all applicants will immediately, once vetted, be integrated into the talent community, paving the way for potential employment today.
For interns looking to apply to the internship experience and creative companies interested in hiring the best-in-class emerging creatives, please visit https://www.worldsgreatestinternship.co/.
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