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Veteran creative Jason Bagley stepped away from Wieden+Kennedy nearly four years ago with a plan to teach others and help them excel in the agency world.
Now, Bagley has enlisted some of the industry’s top creatives for his project, the Audacious School of Astonishing Pursuits (ASAP). As it launches its latest sessions, Bagley is joined by FCB global creative partner Danilo Boer, master presentation coach Ben Levy, former Wieden+Kennedy managing director Jessica Monsey, former Mekanism chief social officer Brendan Gahan and former Grey global creative chairman John Patroulis, among other guest lecturers.
“The whole positioning of the Audacious School of Astonishing Pursuits is to provide the best of the best, world-class coaches. If they’re not that, then it doesn’t really fit what I’m trying to do,” Bagley told ADWEEK.
Upskilling ad professionals
Bagley had a successful career as a creative, mostly at Wieden+Kennedy as a creative director and executive creative director. He also had a stint as CCO at Deutsch LA, and worked on numerous award-winning campaigns including “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” for Old Spice.
He valued the creative mentorship he received as he climbed the ladder at W+K for 16 years, and in 2021 he decided he wanted to help others in the industry. He started ASAP in November 2021 as a virtual mentorship and training platform to provide advertising professionals with the skills they need to excel in the agency world. It has since expanded beyond just Bagley, including guest lecturers and now top industry pros.
“I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be traveling the world, making crazy, amazing campaigns for brands and getting to do all the fun stuff that I did. And none of that would have been remotely possible without the incredible mentors that I had at Wieden+Kennedy,” said Bagley.
He noted that the level of mentorship he received is not accessible to the vast majority of people in the industry, so he started ASAP to remedy that.
The six- to eight-week courses are designed to fit into the schedules of working professionals. They consist of weekly on-demand video lessons that participants can watch on their own time, followed by weekly live Q&A virtual sessions led by coaches with small cohorts. The cohorts are limited to 15-20 participants to maintain quality learning and discussion.
The video sessions also include an extended interview series where industry legends share principles for making great work. Instead of homework assignments, the tools and techniques discussed in each lesson are designed to be immediately implemented into current projects or briefs.
Unlike a portfolio school or university course, the ASAP program is for any professional at all levels. Bagley originally thought it would mostly be junior level creatives, but he has seen a wide spread of talent.
