Meets 4 days a week | In-Person or Online | App deadline June 16
Did you miss out on a summer internship? Or did you not even bother to apply for one because you've got a sneaky suspicion it would suck? Welp, lucky for you we've got something better. If you're hoping to actually learn and grow creatively this summer, you don't need an internship – you need a Nonternship.
We're selecting up to 12 students to spend 10 weeks this summer taking 4 classes at Denver Ad School – for free. You'll get to work in an ad agency-type environment with real, active creative directors on realistic spec briefs for real clients that you could potentially add to your college portfolio. You'll also gain valuable experience that will better help you determine what your path towards a creative career looks like after college. If your current classes aren't quite cutting it, the DAD Nonternship is the extra boost you've been looking for.
1. Campaign Development
Art directors, & copywriters work together to identify interesting and relevant human truths, combine them with brand or industry insights, then turn those into creative and captivating big ideas which will act as the foundation for a huge, integreated ad campaign.2. Social & Stunts
Where the Campaign Development class focuses on big, integrated campaigns, this class sets your sights on the smaller stuff. Here art directors & copywriters work together to concept social media campaigns, PR stunts, experiential activations, and whatever else you can dream up.3. Headlines
You’ve got a lot to say and only so much room to say it. Learn the structure and rhythm of all the projects that copywriters are expected to know, from headlines to taglines and every line in between, and how to be concise yet bold when grabbing your audience's attention.4. Adobe Photoshop
Whether you’re a n00b or you've been Photoshopping fake IDs since middle school, in this class you'll get personalized Photoshop instruction from our very own certified Adobe expert and non-certified wizard, Michelle Graves, from intro to advanced lessons.
You can expect the following over the course of the 10 weeks:
A workload of around 24 hours a week
Work with partners and work solo
Complete weekly assignments and attend 4 DAD classes
Document your entire experience each week on DAD social media platforms
Requirements
Must be a college junior or senior, or have graduated within the last 3 years
Major in a creative field like advertising, marketing, film, art, writing, etc.
Must be available for ~24hrs a week for classes, meeting, and individual work
This program is great for students who...
...want to work on big brand briefs and other assignments that might supplement their college portfolio.
...want to "try out" portfolio school before applying for the full-time program.
...don't have an agency internship lined up and want to experience what it's like to work in an agency environment.
...want to learn from real, working creative directors.
You're a tourist
Interns can often times be siloed off from the real creative process, excluded from important briefings, ideation meetings, or client presentations. It’s hard to prove yourself — or learn much — when you’re not in the room where it happens.No portfolio building
While summer internships often assign you to production tasks, internal projects, or leftover briefs that no one else wanted, none of those are the kinds of conceptual campaigns or creative projects that build a strong portfolio.Experience ≠ Hireability
You want to believe an internship gives you a leg up in hiring, but in reality junior creative roles are won with literally one single thing — a killer portfolio — not with summer internships on your resume.Mall-wage pay
Summer internships usually pay the lowest that's legally allowed. They'll claim to be giving you exposure or experience, but you're really giving up your summer to work for cheap.Churn & Burn
Agencies cycle through interns quickly and rarely have the time to invest in your long-term growth. Even if you impress, they likely won't have a junior position waiting for you at the end. You’re cheap labor for the summer, not necessarily a future hire.DAD has the advantage
Agencies prefer hiring juniors who went to ad school because they come with polished portfolios and are more agency-ready. So even if you spend a summer interning, you'll probably still be expected to go to ad school if you want to taken seriously.
Wanna talk some things through first before committing your time to DAD? We’re always happy to chat, just smash that link below and hit us up.
A very limited number of students will be accepted into the Nonternship. Due to the expected number of applications, only those considered will receive replies. This program is not intended to be a replacement for portfolio school and in no way would we say this summer session will improve your portfolio enough to compete with a full portfolio school portfolio. Students who enjoy the session and wish to enroll in our full-time program this fall will receive a tuition discount.
