A Rough Guide To SCA Mentoring

For those of you unfamiliar with it, the School of Communication Arts has a teaching model that relies on professionals in the creative and communications industries to visit the school (some regularly, others just once a year) and go round the students, offering feedback and advice on ongoing projects. It goes something like this:

Mentor 1
He's won 2 golden pencils, a Cannes Lion, and he's a published novelist and successful poker player.

"Hmm, ok, ok, advert A is ok, not so keen on B C and D. I'm not sure what your strategy is, it looks like you've rushed into execution too soon. Right, so you're positioning your product as an exciting new way to remove body hair. I'm going to need to see evidence for that, this could be an advert for any body waxing brand. Good luck guys."

Mentor 2
She's won 3 Cannes Lions, uses golden pencils as actual stationery, and beat every single male Creative Director in a charity boxing match.

"Right, A, B, C, and D, well, it's a start. Maybe B would do, I can't imagine a client would ever accept A. Where's the rest? No, you need to be sketching more, get more ideas on paper. Don't worry too much about the strategy, coming up with creative executions is a good way to test whether it's right or not. Ideas ideas ideas. You're doing well. Right, I'm off for a fag."

Mentor 3
He's wrestled lions for a living, he invented the word "advertising" and once on a safari to Prague told David Ogilvy to stick a Hathaway shirt up his arse.

"OK, never mind A B C or D, where's the engagement? If your idea has legs it will run into all media like piss in an alley. Fine, but why would anyone want to do that? Why should I send photos of my newly-waxed anus for anyone to look at on Facebook? Oh, there's a prize? How original. How about digital? How about DM? More more more. If you get stuck, just get on a plane, see a new city, get inspired, maybe live somewhere different for a week, like a church or an aircraft carrier. Become more rounded and so will your work."

Mentor 4
He designed the Nike swoosh, made a series of classic public information films during the Black Death, and wrote the Sermon on the Mount.

"Ooh I like A, and B. C could work, I suppose. Oh I really like D. And this is for Special K, is it? Oh, body wax. Right. Yes, you'd better start again."

And 2 aspiring creatives gather their pads and pens and head to the pub to rebuild their fragile egos.