Phil Cookson
Founder, School of Thought
Phil Cookson, Founder, School of Thought
“The life of a creative is about getting rejected every single day,” says School of Thought founder, Phil Cookson. “You pitch ideas daily and you receive constant feedback. You’ve got to learn to take that on the chin and not take that rejection to heart.”
The industry can be an intimidating place for budding creatives unaware of its fast-paced and aggressively competitive nature. Thankfully Phil’s not-for-profit initiative, launched in 2015 as a combined competition and course, nurtures and prepares prospective talent for entering adland. With a focus on developing their pitches and building their confidence, the 12-week course –currently held in Manchester and Leeds (as of 2020) – takes 12 applicants on a bi-annual basis, who are committed to self-improvement and bolstering their portfolios, with a first prize of an all-expenses-paid trip to Cannes Lions.
“The course attracts a really broad range of ages, backgrounds and levels of experience,” he explains. “So, they’re all learning from each other and responding to briefs in completely different ways.” School of Thought operates as a meritocracy, with applications assessed on the quality of their ideas, rather than their previous experience, which means all ideas are fair game, so the creative standard and calibre of candidates is high. Most will be in the early stages of their careers, working as junior or mid-weight creatives, but students, graduates and even people outside of the industry can get in – if their work is big, bold or brave enough.
Phil hopes to encourage young talent through the industry’s doors and prides himself on upskilling creatives. He feels like a “proud dad” when he sees previous participants excel, beaming when he talks about two former students who went on to win the prestigious Cannes Young Lions award.
It is a strenuous training ground, preparing creatives for the reality of working in an agency. Twelve agencies participate in the programme, tasking candidates with a pitch brief on Monday which they need to respond to by Thursday. “It’s about training your mind to think at speed and under pressure,” says Phil. “Once you’ve proved that you can do that, most alumni find industry life a lot more comfortable. The course really puts them through the mill.” He cites being overly apologetic and pitching too many ideas, as some of the main problems he sees in applicants, but notes that these are easily worked on throughout the three months. “It’s important for us to reflect how the industry actually is,” he adds. “We try to make the experience realistic.”
Candidates can build relationships with others on the course as well as agency figures, who host them each week in-house. Being exposed to numerous agencies allows budding creatives to “see how different agencies function. It often gets candidates thinking about where they want to work or what type of agency might suit them.” Former alumni go on to senior roles at agencies, but return to host some of the competition’s events and scout out the next generation of talent. “There’s a camaraderie between people who’ve completed the course. There’s an awareness that you know what someone can do.”
“We’re helping to put northern creatives and agencies on the creative map,” says Phil. “And remind clients that they don’t necessarily need an agency in London anymore.” Though the competition currently operates in Manchester and Leeds, he’s been asked to bring it to other cities too – so there’s potential and demand for it to grow. It’s already built an industry reputation as an incubator of new talent that’s designed to help creatives and agencies. “We’re upscaling northern creatives and developing northern talent, which can only be a positive thing,” he adds.
Interview by: Olivia Atkins
