The Agency at UF announced that 30 of its 33 spring 2017 graduates were placed in jobs within six months of graduation. The students majoring in advertising, public relations, journalism, telecommunication, graphic arts, business and computer science are working in agencies and companies across the U.S., including BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Disney’s Yellow Shoes, Facebook and Google.
Last year, The Agency, an auxiliary of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, established “The 100 Project,” an ambitious initiative to place 100 percent of the firm’s amazing graduating seniors in equally amazing jobs.
The initiative, through a dedicated website, aims to increase awareness among employers about the unique on-the-job-training The Agency’s team members receive and agency tours where students meet management and human resource staff. Earlier this year, 50 students visited 23 agencies in New York and Orlando. This week, a group of 31 students will tour 11 Atlanta agencies.
“Once employers learn about the unique training and mentoring provided to our student team members, the program sells itself,” said Andy Hopson, executive director of The Agency. “When they enter the job market, The Agency’s graduates have worked in a research-based environment on various advertising, PR and digital campaigns for major brands. They are prepared to hit the ground running.”
The Agency is led by a suite of professionals and staffed by over 120 students who develop and execute campaigns for companies including P&G, McDonald’s, Best Buy, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Xcaret (an ecotourism destination in Mexico) and numerous other clients.
“The fundamental skills and professionalism I learned at The Agency, combined with the introduction to agency leaders in the field, helped me land my job,” said Chris Kennedy, a former account executive at The Agency, who is now an assistant account executive at Saatchi & Saatchi in New York. “I have the confidence that comes with having worked in a creative agency helping to build brands and solve client problems.”