BBH launches creative incubator course led by Tony Cullingham

Bartle Bogle Hegarty London has enlisted the help of respected luminary Tony Cullingham as part of its refreshment of its creative placement scheme, Barn.

Previously programme leader of the Watford Advertising Course, Cullingham’s resignation from (and de-facto end of) Watford was much mourned across adland over the past weeks. But now, the BBH partnering sees the iconic teacher once more put in front of young creatives.

The Barn refresh, initiated by BBH’s executive creative director Helen Rhodes, will see Tony lead a new creative incubator course designed to give individuals without any industry experience a gateway opportunity for a career in advertising, removing traditional barriers to entry and opening it up to more people from different backgrounds.

Rhodes said: “Tony is one of the most respected figures in our industry, who has been fuelling our creative departments for years. The opportunity to partner with him to refresh Barn and expand the pool of brilliant, diverse talent entering our industry today is not only really exciting but also essential. As a former student of Tony’s, I know what learning from him is like and I’m so pleased other students will be able to experience it.”

Cullingham added: "I've gone from running the best ad school in the UK to running a better one at BBH. The creative lambs at BBH Barn will have the oldest shepherd in town. I can't wait to take them to green pastures."

In our recent feature on the causes of the courses’ closure, a tension between the old-school ways of teaching and the new internal initiatives was made clear.

Cullingham was much softer than some of his counterparts in regards to such concerns, but as he told Creative Salon at the time, “As long as these new initiatives don’t compromise creative ethos in training these talents, then it will be ok.” Let’s hope the grass is indeed greener on the other side.