Student Profile: Shane Sumner

Shane Sumner

Where did you complete your Undergrad Degree/Diploma and in what subject area?

I finished my undergrad at Fanshawe College in Broadcasting: Television.

When did you first discover an interest in Advertising?

I have always had an interest in Advertising. Even while at Fanshawe, and throughout my broadcasting career I was always fascinated by commercials and advertisements. I was always interested in the effort and production that goes into them. Why did you choose Sheridan’s Advertising Account Management Program?

I chose Sheridan College’s Advertising Account Management program because of the reputation that not only the HMC facility has but the reputation the professors have. Sheridan college and their professors have a great relationship with many industry experts and companies/agencies. Due to the Co-op term with this program the relationships that Sheridan professors have was a decision maker when I was deciding on which college I would attend. How are you finding your experience at Sheridan?

I am having a very positive experience at Sheridan. While the workload is quite a bit, I have been able to learn more than I even imagined. The partnership with agency TAXI has been very fulfilling and has not only given me work experience but more confidence in my work. What advice would you give to someone who is considering our post grad program?

I definitely recommend this program to anyone considering joining this Sheridan program. The only advice I suggest would be to look at the program one week at a time and one project at a time. The workload can be overwhelming, but it is very manageable and worth it. What would you consider your main areas of interest and expertise as a result of your learning in the Program so far?

My main areas of interest as a result of this program are definitely Accounts and Creative. I have always been an artistic person but the creative thinking and strategy within Accounts really fascinates me. While with Creative it is amazing to see the visions come to life.

Student Profile: Glenesha Grant

Glenesha Grant

Where did you complete your Undergrad Degree/Diploma and in what subject area? I completed my Combined Honours Bachelor of Arts in Communications and Multimedia at McMaster University.

When did you first discover an interest in Advertising?

In my final year of university, I had spilt my final year so I could focus on my thesis, but also look into what I could do with my Communications and Multimedia background. After doing my research, I found out about advertising and how I could apply what I learned from university into a career. Why did you choose Sheridan’s Advertising Account Management Program?

I chose Sheridan’s program compared to other schools because I wanted an one year program that not only had co-op but was more strategic-based in learning about advertising. Also, I was convinced after attending the open house where I meet the program coordinator, Peggy Barnwell, and got a better understanding on how transferrable the skills that I learn in the Advertising - Account Management program could be used in many industries.

How are you finding your experience at Sheridan? Compared to my university, Sheridan College is a much smaller campus and classes, but I love it! I am able to build amazing relationships with my classmates, which is very important in the advertising industry. The program is very fast paced with lots of group projects, so I have improved my time management skills and learned how to work with so many different types of people.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering our post grad program?

Don’t be worry if you come from an academic or professional background that isn’t based in communications, marketing, or multimedia. Some of my classmates come from so many different backgrounds such as Psychology! This program will equip and prepare you perfectly for the advertising industry. All you have to bring is grit and passion to learn everything about advertising and be prepared to do your best!

What would you consider your main areas of interest and expertise as a result of your learning in the Program so far?

This program has opened my eyes to all areas of advertising. You will get to explore everything that has to do with the advertising industry in this program such as creative, media, digital, and account management. So far, my main areas of interest lay with account management and strategy. I love the fact with accounts you are the liaison between the client and the agency and with strategy, you are practically the foundation for creative campaigns.

The Weekly Journal of Sheridan's Advertising Students

Title: The Weekly Journey of Sheridan’s Advertising Students
By: Jacqueline Davis-Freeman & Claudia Gonzalez 

Monday:

Mondays are our day off this semester.  It’s the perfect time to catch up on errands, Netflix, and homework.  My day started off with getting all my errands done.  Once all my errands were done I had just enough time to eat a quick lunch before I had an online group meeting to work on our Media Brief assignment for our Media and Campaign Strategy and Tactics within Sheridan College’s Advertising Account Management Post-Graduate Certificate program.  The group wanted to finish the Media Brief assignment this day so the online meeting lasted until close to dinner time.  Fortunately, when this was done we were able to sit back and catch up on Netflix while enjoying the free time.

Tuesday:

On Tuesday morning, we got woken up by a message from Sheridan College saying that all classes and campus events are cancelled for that day due to another heavy winter storm.  This is our third snow day this month. Sheridan has a lot of international students so it’s a great opportunity for them to build their first ever snowman! I discovered that building a snowman is not as easy as it seems.

We were so excited to attend the guest speaker session featuring Hero Certified Burgers, but unfortunately that was cancelled with the classes.  However, the guest speaker sessions happen every Tuesday afternoon, so we are still lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn and grow from other industry leaders.

Wednesday:

On Wednesday morning when we woke up, we were delighted to see clear skies, which means classes were back on.  On the agenda for today was an Event Pitch Presentation for our Integrated Campaign Strategy: Sales Promotion, PR, and Digital course.  For this assignment we had to create an event for a brand-new product that was released last year.  The product that we chose is the June Smart Oven.  Before class, our group met before class, so we could practice our presentation.  Luckily, we were able to find a study room in B-Building that we can practice in.  In the past we haven’t been this lucky, but recently we discovered that we can book study rooms online in advance! This will become incredibly convenient as we move on with the rest of the semester.

After class we had meetings with our media professor, so he could review our Media Brief assignment one last time before we submitted it.  After the meeting we added the finishing touches to the assignment and handed it in later that evening.  When that was done we had to sit down with a different group to complete our Creative Strategy report for our Agency and Campaign Management class. 

This assignment is a small component of a larger assignment that takes course over the entire semester.  For this particular assignment we are partnering with Taxi Agency and Canadian Tire Corporation to create an advertising campaign for Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart Charity.  This is a very exciting project because we are working in close contact with Canadian Tire’s accounts team at Taxi and members of the marketing department at Canadian Tire Corporation.  We are gaining lots of hands-on industry experience and valuable knowledge from this project, which is great!

Thursday:

Thursdays are our longest days, we start at 8am with our Media and Campaign Strategy course, and we end at 4pm with our Strategic Creative Development course.  Even though it’s an early morning, our media professor makes media incredibly fun and enjoyable! Today, we discussed the upcoming Media Rationale assignment and our professor gave us in-class work that was prepping us to do the Media Rationale assignment.

In our Strategic Creative Development class, we had a workshop where we brainstormed ideas, crafted creative concepts and designed our campaign for our PSA assignment. This is what makes Sheridan’s Advertising Account Management program so captivating, it gives the students the opportunity to explore different ways of approaching campaigns.

Friday:

TGIF! We’ve finally reached the last day of the week.  On Fridays, we have another early morning attending our Personal Branding for Advertising Professionals course.  There was no better way we could’ve ended the learning journey we had this week.  We learnt different strategies on how to connect with our sales prospects.  However, this information isn’t limited to just building sales prospects, but it is also useful for job interviews.  The most exciting and engaging thing we learnt this week happened to be in this class, which is how important of a role social media networks play within the advertising industry.

Now that our weekly educational journey has come to an end it’s time to go home and get a good night sleep.  Have a great weekend!

Student Profile: Joycelin Francisca Sequeira

Joycelin Francisca Sequeira

Where did you complete your Undergrad Degree/Diploma and in what subject area? I completed my undergrad Degree in Mass Media - Journalism from Wilson College, Mumbai.

When did you first discover an interest in Advertising?

Prior to taking up this course I worked for five years as an E-commerce fashion Content Writer. I was also indirectly working on new-season campaigns and it was then I realised that I belong in the Advertising industry. Why did you choose Sheridan’s Advertising Account Management Program? Sheridan is known for delivering quality education to its students and I wanted to absorb the best I can in order to feel confident in the industry. How are you finding your experience at Sheridan? I have had a very good experience so far. The teachers are very experienced and supportive—they always encourage you to push your limits and grow.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering our post grad program?

Have no second thoughts about it. What would you consider your main areas of interest and expertise as a result of your learning in the Program so far? Creative and Accounts.

Student Profile: Brandon Kong

Brandon Kong

Where did you complete your Undergrad Degree/Diploma and in what subject area?

I did my undergrad at the University of Waterloo in their Rhetoric, Media, and Professional Communication program. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2018.

When did you first discover an interest in Advertising?

In my final year of university, I had the opportunity to take a course called The Discourse of Advertising, where we not only had to examine advertising from a critical perspective, but also design our own campaigns. I was hooked from then on. When did you first discover an interest in Advertising?

In my final year of university, I had the opportunity to take a course called The Discourse of Advertising, where we not only had to examine advertising from a critical perspective, but also design our own campaigns. I was hooked from then on.

Why did you choose Sheridan’s Advertising Account Management Program? I chose Sheridan College for two specific reasons: 1) it was close to home and 2) a few of my friends went here and I heard nothing but good things about the school itself. Then, I discovered Sheridan had an advertising program and I immediately enrolled. How are you finding your experience at Sheridan? I'm definitely enjoying it so far. It's a fresh change of scenery compared to university and getting hands-on experience with some of the assignments is very valuable. It feels almost as if I've learned a plethora of useful information all in a couple of months. The teachers are also very friendly and experienced in their fields, which makes learning a lot more enjoyable and worthwhile. What advice would you give to someone who is considering our post grad program?

I would recommend it - absolutely. If you're eager to enter the ad industry, this program will definitely prepare you for it. What would you consider your main areas of interest and expertise as a result of your learning in the Program so far? 

I spent my childhood drawing comics and writing stories so I'd say my main area of interest so far is definitely leaning towards the creative side of advertising. I love the craft of creating things and taking a step back to admire the finished product. I love to tell stories in a variety of ways, so I'm hoping I can use this hobby to excel in creative.