Portfolio 2014: What the ad-men expect?

One of the most popular platforms for young minds to meet the biggies of the ad-land and make their careers in of the most creative industries is here! With the 12th edition of Portfolio Night around the corner, the young creative minds wait to get their work approved by the Ad-men..

As is known, the Portfolio Night has been a highly anticipated fraternity event where aspiring young advertising copywriters, art directors and designers meet with several renowned advertising creative directors in a fast-paced evening of advice, networking and recruitment. While the evening has been jokingly called “speed-dating for creatives”, it is really much more than that. In the eleven years since its inception, Portfolio Night has grown to become a global event, reaching creative hubs in every continent which culminates to an evening where the best of the present meets the best of the years to come.

Adgully caught up with few ad-men to know what they expect from this edition of the the Portfolio night. Our panel includes Josy Paul, Chairman & CCO, BBDO India; Raghu Bhatt, Founder Scarecrow Communications; Santosh Padhi, CCO & Co- Founder of Taproot India, Mumbai; Arun Iyer, NCD, Lowe Lintas; Abhijit Avasthi, NCD of O&M.

Josy Paul believes that advertising is more than just about advertising. It's about brands finding communication solutions that create positive change. He says, “I hope to meet that one person who will shed new light on advertising. It's possible!  I'd like to believe that the world is full of amazing people waiting to happen.”

Raghu Bhatt feels that ad industry needs a regular infusion of talent as there is a constant exodus happening anyway. If we can source this talent from the widest possible net, the quality of the search will be that much better. Portfolio Night is useful from that context. He says, “I expect to meet young creatives with a completely fresh take on life and advertising. It’s about guys who aren't inspired by advertising that has already happened but have a non-formulaic approach to creativity.”

On the other side Arun Iyer eagerly wants to meet the ‘Young Turks’ but hopes that they come prepared for such a big event and wants to get surprised this time with some really good creative work. He believes that such a platform like portfolio night should be considered as one of the most genuine platforms with respect to pick up future talent. 

Abhijit Avasthi waits to see some maddening work full of creativity and courage at Portfolio Night 2014. He is expecting to meet some incredible young people with loads of passion and fresh approach to advertising industry.

Santosh Padhi says, “I have been witnessing mix of work from last few years hence I am expecting something really bigger and better this year. I would want to meet some great candidates who passionately want to make their careers in the advertising space.”

Why and how Portfolio Night helps?

Josy Paul: Portfolio night is a reality show where passion finds motivation. If you are a new entrant and you want to create impact, this is your moment. The stars are all aligned so that you can shine!

Raghu Bhatt: It helps new entrants get the right advice at an early stage of their careers. Even in advertising, some people might be better at certain things like print or radio. The strong areas can be improved and weak areas can be worked upon, based on the advice.

Arun Iyer: It is a great initiative that helps both, the industry and young-creative-minds in many ways. It gives the new entrants an opportunity to meet and deconstruct their work with the ad-men and industry leaders get a chance to spot some really creative Turks. 

Abhijit Avasthi: Being a phenomenal forum it gives the advertising industry a chance to find fresh talent who can add value to the advertising industry and young people gets a nice opportunity to be guided well for a better future in advertising industry.

Santosh Padhi; it is one of the great initiatives as new entrants get a chance to meet and showcase their work/talent/creativity to really big names of the ad-industry. I feel that there should be a filtration process so that some really deserving candidates should be chosen among the entries. This will help the ad-men to meet commendable candidates rather relying upon first-cum-first serve basis.