152: Ally Owen on why a more diverse creative industry is better for everyone

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This week we very tentatively clambered on top of our desks to bellow ‘Oh Captain, my Captain’ to the most inspirational educator in advertising, Ally Owen.
The brains behind one ad-lands most invaluable teaching programmes, Brixton Finishing School, Ally has done more than literally anyone to help young, multicultural and neurodiverse creatives find a way into advertising – kickstarting hundreds and hundreds of creative careers, while most big agencies were sat fiddling with the font on their DEI policy PowerPoints. For most people, transforming all those lives would have been enough – but Ally has also gone on to launch ADcademy, a free virtual programme that provides 2,500 students a year with top-class creative training. Ally is also one of the brains behind Visible Start, an incredible program designed to help women over 45 to re-enter the workforce. So, in a nutshell, just imagine what a huge stinky poo-fire the creative industries would be without her.
In this episode we ponder everything from the real value of diversity and inclusion in all kinds of business, the financial and emotional hurdles she helps young creatives navigate at Brixton and how a Friday-night shift at Portsmouth McDonald's gave her the skills of a UN negotiator.
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Follow Ally on LinkedIn
Visit the Brixton Finishing School website or follow them on Instagram
Head to Career Adventures where tomorrow’s creatives are being inspired
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Timestamps
(04:10) - From Selling Shoes to McDonald's: The Early Gigs
(06:49) - The Skills of a UN negotiator: Friday night in McDonald's Portsmouth
(09:23) - The Great Escape to University
(10:56) - From Pharaohs to Advertising and the House of Stolen Things
(13:39) - Pure Luck or Destiny, The Path to Advertising?
(15:22) - A Relentless Career Pursuit
(18:04) - Setting out to make things better with Brixton Finishing School
(24:13) - Building a Bridge into Advertising
(28:04) - Office Etiquette, Don’t Microwave Fish
(31:36) - How to Support Brixton Finishing School
(33:07) - The Finishing School Foundation: Practical Help for the NEET
(41:19) - Four Pertinent Poses
(45:45) - Honouring Carol Tully
Ally’s book recommendation is:
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
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