ONE School

Jennifer Skidgel

Global Director of Creative Development & ONE School, The One Club for Creativity

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I spent the bulk of my career working at Leo Burnett Worldwide with Mark Tutssel. During my tenure, I saw firsthand that diversity of all kinds—gender, ethnicity, culture, and lived experiences—produces the most original and world-changing creative work. I learned that the best ideas don't come from sameness; they come from difference. 

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I naively thought that everyone knew diversity makes everything better. But seeing the U.S. advertising industry up close, I realized how wrong I was, particularly in the Black creative community. It struck me that the very differences that drive the most original, world-changing work were the ones the U.S. market was systematically overlooking.

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Sergio Claudio

Head of School, ONE School & VP of Global Brand, Huntress 

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Coming up as a Black creative myself, lack of access and opportunity are the right words I keep coming back to. Depending on where you come from, you might not be exposed to what this career path looks like. Then, it’s not knowing people in the network who can help introduce you to their career path. On top of that, it’s not living in markets where those opportunities exist. And the last is not being able to have the network and the opportunities to be able to then do work that would qualify you for a creative job. Those are all the headwinds that people are facing. 

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JS: ONE School was launched by The One Club for Creativity in August 2020, and in 2021, they reached out to me. The opportunity to work with the co-founders Oriel Davis-Lyons and industry legend Bob Isherwood, to help open doors for talented creatives—many of whom didn’t even know a career in advertising was possible—was an easy yes. 

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ONE School gives Black creatives a free, 16-week online portfolio school experience, with cohorts of 15 students guided by a tutor, weekly lectures, and one-on-one mentorship. All tutors and mentors, and the majority of lecturers, are Black to allow students to see a pathway for themselves in the industry. We run five cohorts a year in the US and UK, and our 300-plus alumni network provides ongoing connection and support.

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SC: With this program, you don't have to pay $50,000 for portfolio school, on top of paying back student loans. We have a lot of people who are parents with a nine-to-five job. The fact that it's remote means, “Oh, I don't have to pick up and go live in New York or California for three months. I can do this from Memphis or Yakima, Washington.” And it gives you access to people who can understand, maybe empathize, with your lived experience and how you translate that into a career. It’s this idea of being unapologetically Black and having Black tutors, Black classmates, and Black mentors who can help you navigate the feelings that you might be feeling—whether it's imposter syndrome or just being able to connect this skillset to this outcome.

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JS: As we enter our fifth year, the impact is clear. We have 311 graduates in two countries, 60% of whom identify as female. Eighty percent have been hired into the industry. We have 138 global companies and brands that have hired our graduates, 423 total jobs, fellowships, or internships were given to our students. They are in the industry doing Super Bowl ads, designing Clarks Wallabee boots, winning awards, and bringing their authenticity to every piece of work they touch.

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We’ve also seen hundreds of personal stories of people who’ve been able to build a career path out of what they've learned at ONE School. One success story that always brings me joy is Bárbara Polanco, one of our inaugural top students, who is now leading our LA cohort. Sergio was her mentor, and we watched her not only rise through ONE School but also in the industry. 

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SC: When Bárbara arrived, she hadn't worked professionally as an advertising creative, though she had done some work in music videos and art direction. After she came through our program, she landed at Ogilvy, and they moved her from New York to LA. Since then, she's led large campaigns for software companies and global brands, including the rock star campaign for Workday. Ultimately, she’s won accolades at the highest levels. Her younger brother, John, then came into the program after seeing her success. He graduated from the New York cohort and ended up going to Google. 

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JS: Ultimately, we are not teaching students how to fit in; we’re teaching them how to lead. They learn to handle feedback, articulate what makes work strong, how to improve it, and how to collaborate effectively. We are teaching creative ideation, using creativity to solve business problems, and navigating the creative pressure cooker of feedback and revisions, which often means learning to kill your favorite ideas. It's fast and furious, but it builds the skills and resilience that prepare them to be the next generation of creative leaders.

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ONE School is truly life-changing. It’s rewriting what access, opportunity, and excellence look like in our industry. I am very humbled and honored to be a small piece of the school’s story.