Much has been written and said about developing new talent in the media agency space, and much of the conversation centres around mentoring youngsters, and expanding their skills to deal with what is a demanding sector of the media industry.
As a result, the AMF Masters Development Programme was initiated in 2011 when Wag the Dog Publishers raised funds through a golf day supported by media owners and media agencies. This initiative allows promising young candidates to further their studies.
Applicants for this year’s programme exceeded all expectations and more nominations were received than ever before, testament to the vital role it plays in the media agency environment.
“I was really impressed with the calibre of the applicants – their enthusiasm, energy and passionate commitment to our industry gave me enormous hope for the future,” said Maria Phillips from Mindshare World.
Now, after the process of nominations, shortlisting and interviews, the 2014 candidates has been announced. They are Kefentse Masuku (Mindshare World), Lynette Naidoo (Initiative Media), Nthabiseng Morake (Mindshare World), Lerato Tsotetsi (Starcom MediaVest) and Lorraine Gwewera (PhD Network, Johannesburg). All applicants received outstanding endorsements from their companies.
Three of the candidates, Lerato, Kefentse and Nthabiseng, will study Digital Media Management at AAA School of Advertising while Lynette and Lorraine have opted for Business Management at Varsity College and Mastering Strategy Design through GIBS respectively.
“The standard of the candidates, from a diverse range of backgrounds, was extremely high and the various personalities refreshing,” said
Rob Smuts from RMS Media. “We met with some great young people. If we can nurture and retain this pool of talent within our industry – we have an exciting and bright future!”
The Media Online asked the successful candidates what they hope to achieve, the challenges they experience and where they hope to take their careers over the next five years.
Nthabiseng Morake
What do you hope to achieve by being awarded this opportunity? The chance to broaden my understanding of digital as a channel, and thus become a stronger cross media planner.
What do you love about media?
Nothing stays the same! It’s an ever changing, dynamic and exciting industry to work in.
Is there anything you would change about your sector?
We could do with formalised mentorship programmes for young people starting out in the industry.
What’s your five year plan?
To position myself as a thought leader in our industry.
What are the challenges for young people in your sector?
Low entry level salaries which don’t grow very quickly either. Opportunities for growth do not come by as quickly as one would hope.
————————————————————————————
Lerato Tsotetsi
What do you hope to achieve by being awarded this opportunity?
Given the colossal explosion of digital media and the resultant implications on the landscape, embracing the digital age is not an option anymore but an absolute necessity. My current scope of work is limited to ATL strategy and planning and through this opportunity, I hope to tap into the digital sphere which will broaden my scope and capabilities. Digital is expected to lead the industry segment growth while traditional ATL platforms are expected to show the most sluggish growth. The growth of the industry lies in innovative forward thinking, the constant exchange of dynamic knowledge and experience as well as embracing new developments.
What do you love about media?
I love media because it is a massive vibrant, ever-changing industry that offers many opportunities. The industry embraces innovative forward thinking, sharing of resources, assets and many opportunities to grow. It is a fast paced industry with multiple platforms that encourage learning, knowledge sharing and mentorship. Everyday is a learning curve, no day is the same! I love how I am exposed to a wide network of media owners and different individuals all from whom I can learn and develop relationships with. I appreciate the opportunity to be exposed to varying client portfolios as well as working in an environment that embraces who I am and who I want to be. Media is a space where I am empowered to follow my passion for analysing, research, the opportunity to constantly learn, public speaking as well as writing.
Is there anything you would change about your sector?
Definitely. Firstly, rhere are very few black faces in the upper ranks of the industry. I understand that this is merited by hard work, but as a young black woman, I find this quite disheartening. On the other hand it is quite inspirational as it presents an opportunity for the younger generations to change this.
Secondly, I would drive more education around the media Industry and what working in my sector entails to students. Having been at an advertising school for three years, I found that many a student aspired to either become a brand manager or be a part of one of the great creative agencies as these were perceived as the highly coveted titles. We were not fully exposed to the media world and their ample opportunities or the realistic expectations of the day-to-day jobs.
And finally, many people in an agency space can attest to the disjointedness caused by the separate design of ATL and digital strategies and planning. And although many media agencies have come to embrace the digital age and correct this disjointedness through the changing structures and mergers, I think it is necessary for all agency players to move beyond the confines of ‘ATL’. Although I do not dispute specialists giving their input to optimise solutions, I think the possibility of improving the design and execution of truly effective, integrated solutions necessitates a holistic approach. I think that we as strategist/planner/buyers should go beyond the ‘confines’ of ATL media and all classified as media specialists.
What’s your five-year plan?
I would love to work towards gaining more experience across varying clients. I would like to expand my current skills and of course develop new skills. I am very open to all the opportunities that will come my way in the years to come however; ultimately, I would love to become an all-encompassing media ‘practitioner’. I want to become a learned media specialist who provides innovative, effective and integrated client solutions and is able to share their knowledge, learn and make robust contributions to our dynamic industry. Having drawn inspiration from industry opinion leaders, I have learnt that in order to become a person of this calibre, I would need to work extremely hard, obtain as much knowledge and experience as possible across varying client portfolios and beyond all media disciplines and to always embrace every opportunity.
What are the challenges for young people in your sector?
I think I am blessed to be working in an agency that embraces change and growth and is dedicated to training young professionals as myself. The main challenge that comes to mind is that of age-related scepticism; the knowledge and credibility of a young person is often doubted first-hand because of our age.
There is a vast difference between student life and work life and because of this is it is quite a struggle to adjust to the ‘professional life’. There is no manual on how to interact with agency partners, clients, media owners, colleagues, what the boundaries are, how to structure professional emails, how to carry yourself etc. In an industry where it is easy to cross the line due to the naturally social nature, the only real learning of what the boundaries are is through experience, which is always a bit of a struggle. (Such is life). I don’t think there is enough guidance for us in this respect; some of us are lucky enough to begin our jobs with amazing colleagues who are absolutely exemplary in this regard however, many of us are really oblivious to such.
————————————————————————————–
Kefentse Masuku
What do you hope to achieve by being awarded this opportunity?
The opportunity to learn and grow within this exciting world of digital media, taking me further into my career and enabling me to be the best I can be by applying all the knowledge gained on the brands that I work with.
What do you love about media?
I love media as it is the ability to execute creative ideas and using ideas to connect brands with consumers and obtaining positive results, and how it all begins and ends in media.
Is there anything you would change about your sector?
I would introduce an internship programme within agencies, in order for interns to get used to the systems and media software before they are exposed to clients, as well as building the culture within agencies creating a fun and creative environment.
What’s your five-year plan?
Study further and get my Honours in media or marketing, expose myself to all aspects of the industry as well as learning, working smart and hard and most importantly having fun.
What are the challenges for young people in your sector?
Being thrown into the deep end and learning how to swim can be frustrating, and not having the answers to solve problems, fortunately all challenges become opportunities to rise to the occasion.
————————————————————————————-
Lynette Naidoo
What do you hope to achieve by being awarded this opportunity?
This is an amazing opportunity, which I am truly grateful to the AMF for. Through the course I have chosen (Business Management) I hope to gain extensive knowledge about the business world and how one can apply such business skills within the media industry. I believe that education is the driving force behind success and therefore I am extremely appreciative to have been selected as a Media Masters candidate.
What do you love about media?
This is a fast paced, pressured industry that is always changing. One needs to keep abreast of new trends, research and insights. I enjoy the challenges that media brings with it as it keeps me motivated. There is never a dull day in this industry.
Is there anything you would change about your sector?
I think one of the biggest challenges of our time is getting creative agencies and media agencies to work in tandem to bring about the best strategy for the client. Too much of the groundwork is done in isolation when a solid working relationship would be mutually beneficial and rewarding.
What’s your five-year plan?
I hope to gain further experience as a media strategist. Additionally, as a member of the Junior Board at Initiative Media, my goal is to further my leadership and business skills.
I would also like to get more involved in strengthening the representation of the Durban media industry.
What are the challenges for young people in your sector?
The major challenge is to be given a chance. Many young adults have the qualifications but not the experience and unfortunately are overlooked when it comes to job applications. We need to start employing more young people who will provide a fresh, new perspective on media and business in general.
————————————————————————————-
Lorraine Gwewera
What do you hope to achieve by being awarded this opportunity?
Mastering strategy design focuses on the content and process of strategy formulation in the rapidly changing global business landscape. This will expose me to the latest thinking, concepts and analytical tools in strategy.
What do you love about media?
The media Industry is dynamic and can be very challenging on a da- to-day basis. It’s also the link to the rest of the world in real time.
Is there anything you would change about your sector?
To be more integrated
What’s your five-year plan?
My goal is to become a heavyweight media strategist equipped with the relevant knowledge and experience to create more informed, creative & innovative solutions in the media industry. I also intend to study for my MBA.
What are the challenges for young people in your sector?
Getting the relevant education base which not only tells you the “what is” but also the “how to” of the latest thinking in the industry. But I guess there is never a predefined process that works for all in media; like I said before it is dynamic. Another challenge would be the transition that media is going through…traditional media to traditional with digital integrated.
