AdSchool students receive Silver Bullet
The AdSchool at Media Design School is kicking off 2011 with a bang, as two of its latest graduates, Ed Knowles and
Charles Twaddle, scooped up a Silver Bullet at YoungGuns 2010 – a celebration of the hottest creative talent in the
world under 30.
Last year, the AdSchool was named the fourth best creative school of the decade by YoungGuns. No other New Zealand
institution made the top ten list.
Knowles, frontman of Kiwi band The Checks and Twaddle won a Silver Bullet in the student YoungGuns for their entry
titled ‘Reflections’ – an ambient outdoor advertising campaign which plays on famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower
and the Sydney Opera House for banking giant HSBC.
YoungGuns 2010 chairperson Duncan Marshall, a partner at Droga5, says that the awards are a platform for young and
emerging talent worldwide.
“The winners of the past ten years have gone on to inspire and drive agencies everywhere, not just to the benefit of
their own careers, but all those working with them.
If the next ten years are a reflection of this year’s work, we’ll all be in good shape, I feel. Just remember a few of
the names [in these awards], they’re going to be our bosses tomorrow.”
AdSchool course leader Kate Humphries says that the school is proud to continue its tradition of sending out some of the
best, award-winning creative advertising graduates in the industry into the job market.
“This is an outstanding achievement for Ed Knowles and Charles Twaddle, who both stood out in a class that was already
full of creative and talented overachievers. They walked into paid jobs at Ogilvy straight after graduating, which is
almost unheard-of in the advertising industry.
Ed and Charles also won the main prize at the annual NAB Newspaper Ad of the Year Awards last year. We expect to see
more great things from them in future,” says Humphries.
Both Knowles and Twaddle are excited by the win and says that it will motivate them to aim for the Gold Bullet in the
main YoungGuns category next time they enter.
“It’s absolutely brilliant to win a Silver Bullet – the most genuine excuse we’ve had for a beer all year,” says
Knowles.
Media Design School is the only school from New Zealand to win an award at YoungGuns 2010. Last year, AdSchool graduates
picked up both Gold and Silver Bullets in the student category at YoungGuns 2009. Previous YoungGuns winners from Media
Design School have gone on to work for leading advertising agencies such as Colenso and Special, DDB Switzerland, Taxi
in Toronto and The Hive in Dublin.
ENDS