It's time to #ShiftCreativity
D&AD Shift New York is an award-winning, free industry-led night school for self-taught creatives entering the advertising, design and creative industry from outside traditional pathways in New York.
Meet the New York Class of 2025 below, the talent you need.
4 Months, 17 Shifters, 3 Pitches and 1 Showcase
D&AD Shifters have embraced four months of online and in-person learning with more than 15 creative agencies across multiple disciplines, from creative direction and design thinking to ideation, pitching, and strategy.
They worked with Diageo and Airbnb on real-life creative briefs as well as a brief from Kraft Heinz for New Blood.
Now ready to apply their skills to the industry, here's your opportunity to see what they're made of.
D&AD Shift New York Class of 2025
Meet this year's cohort and filter by creative discipline.
Thank you to our supporting agencies, contributors and mentors
Industry teachers & collaborators
Zahra Bukhari, SYPartners
Megan Broyles, SYPartners
Grace Dawson, Freelance
Joseph Koroma, Mother
Donna Dei-Baning, The Martin Agency
Tosh Hall, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Hayley Burnham, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Maxwell McBride Peterson, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Becca Lee Keith, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Amy Maw, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Lisa Smith, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Dyesha Hicks, Jones Knowles Ritchie
Augustus Cook, R/GA
Bayyina Black, R/GA
Linh Duong, R/GA
Richard Llewyn Swain, DesignStudio
Filipe Peregrino, DesignStudio
Luke Winn, DesignStudio
Perry Mayo, DesignStudio
Mary Lou Bunn, Flower Shop
Alastair Merry, Flower Shop
Allie Lightcap, Flower Shop
Bridgette Guzman, Flower Shop
Bill Afonso, Flower Shop
Dakin Moore, Flower Shop
Amine el Filali, StoryScience
Jocelyn Brady, StoryScience
Simon Chong, Wolff Olins
Ben Greengrass, Stampede Creative
Tet Marti, Stampede Creative
Tilona Moore, Jack Morton Worldwide
Tristan Howard, Jack Morton Worldwide
Remy Patrizio, Jack Morton Worldwide
Marco Jimenez, Jack Morton Worldwide
Cristian Palma, Off The Cuff
Adam Francique, Adidas
Lucas Ribeiro, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Alexandre Kazuo Kubo, Goodby Silverstein & Partners
PJ Pereira, Pereira O'Dell
Jason Apaliski, Pereira O'Dell
Emma Swanson, Pereira O'Dell
Megan Coats, Pereira O'Dell
Julie Rutiglanio, Pereira O'Dell
Peter Wortmann, Pereira O'Dell
Wayne Best, VML
Abigail Baehr, VML
Stephanie Mohorn, VML
Industry teachers & collaborators
Christian Bird, Bird&Co Design
Ryan Browning, WPP
James Friedman, Freelance
Caitlin Robinson, Publicis
Andy Maskin, Publicis
Yunzhu Holly Zhang, Publicis
Brandon Veale, Publicis
Marieme Ndoye, Publicis
Yash Balaji, Publicis
Sam Dailey, Publicis
Lee Heflin, 72andSunny
Scott Sitman, 72andSunny
Eddy Hiraldo, 72andSunny
Ram Rey, 72andSunny
Mari Escobar, 72andSunny
Anne Marie Wonder, 72andSunny
Julianna Cobb, 72andSunny
Julia Lafferty, 72andSunny
Juliet Penn-Hughes, 72andSunny
Kate Dell'Aquila, Bulletproof
Eric Higgins, Bulletproof
Tony Connor, Bulletproof
Gregor Johnstone, Bulletproof
Michael Refuerzo, Apple
Jack Llewellyn-Karski, Freelance
Mentors
Stephanie Cajucom, Amazon
Raphaelle Mahieu, forcemajeure
Nihara Gonsalves, NVE Experience Agency
Mina Mir, Freelance
Mike Cuthell, Dentsu Creative
Max Gaudelli, Dentsu Creative
James Mitchell, DAVID New York
Christopher Butler, Uber
Nick Rhodes, R/GA
Maya Shaddock, R/GA
Roshi Givechi, Consultant
Marcelo Ramirez, Freelance
Matt Walker, We Are Social
So A Ryu, Energy BBDO
Fernando Pereira Passos, Pereira Odell
Sharon Cordon, Goodby Silverstein & Partners NY
Wayne Best, VML
Alumni mentors
Shakira Polite, Freelance
Zane Durham, Splice
Ash Level, D&AD
Sasha Fyffe, Coffee & TV
Kurtis Hilliard, Apple
Ben Tofan, Zeiger Studio
Cindy Rodriguez, 72andSunny
Devante Washington, Neon
Syreeta Williams, Ogilvy NY
Jazzmine Bustamante, McCann Worldgroup
Jobanny Cabrera, Rosewood Creative
Devante Washington, Neon
Syreeta Williams, Ogilvy NY
Jazzmine Bustamante, McCann Worldgroup
Jobanny Cabrera, Rosewood Creative
Leqwan Bumford, Google - Brand Studio
Meilei Paet De-Silva, Freelance
Kibria Chavez, Spotify
Erinn Budd, Freelance
Program Partners
Airbnb
Teo Connor
Caroline Crandall
Katherine Robinson
Kate Walsh
Elena Farrar
Jessica Hernandez
Martin Walvius
Michael Kremer
Michelle Priano
Alison McNai
Lexie Kaback
Andrea Alabastro
Andreas Viglakis
Haley Harada
Kyle Stuart
Miyoung Lee
Nick DiLallo
Tessa Ndiaye
Tomoko Yates
Rene Arvizu
Jared Fancy
Diageo
Hania Midura
Maggie MacCallum
Tara Goutermout
Ruth Ingram
Justin Faiber
Be part of Shift New York in 2026
Want to be involved in the programme? If you're in the industry and want to support the programme as a teacher, mentor, employer or partner, click below to sign up.
Shift Stories
Since Shift’s launch in 2016, we've trained over 340+ creatives across New York, London, São Paulo, Sydney, and Berlin. Shifters go on to write for Apple, design for Spotify, create for Disney, direct Stormzy, animate for Katy Perry, and shoot for Vogue. They’re employed by every major advertising and design network, win Pencils, and even sit on the D&AD Board.
Key dates
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22 November 2024
— <p>Application deadline</p>Application deadline
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Submit your application by 12 pm (EDT)
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2 December 2024
— <p>Immersion day</p>Immersion day
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Shortlisted applicants will be invited to our in-person creative immersion day
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11 January 2025
— <p>Programme kicks off</p>Programme kicks off
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8 May 2025
— <p>Programme ends/final Showcase</p>Programme ends/final Showcase
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A celebratory event showcasing the portfolios to industry and securing paid placements
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What to expect on Shift
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What does Shift offer?
- Learn from top creatives across the industry
- Access a global network of like-minded peers and industry leaders
- Gain mentorship from experienced professionals
- Develop essential collaboration and teamwork skills
- Join an international community of creatives
- Opportunity to collaborate with alumni worldwide on real projects
- Build your portfolio with projects from world-leading brands
- Earn accreditation from a globally recognized creative organization
- Enjoy continued support and learning opportunities beyond the program
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How does Shift work?
Shift is a night school designed for aspiring creatives who want to break into the industry without sacrificing their current commitments. In-person sessions take place in the evening and occasionally on weekends, so there's no need to take time off work. We also offer transportation support for eligible applicants.
Through sessions led by industry professionals, agency visits, and opportunities to tackle real briefs from global brands, you’ll gain hands-on experience and exposure to the commercial creative world. Every Shifter benefits from one-on-one mentoring, portfolio development, and networking opportunities.
Over the course of five months, the program covers essential disciplines in advertising, design, and production while also equipping you with professional skills like collaboration, resilience, and creative bravery.
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What’s expected of you
At Shift, your success is driven by your creativity, curiosity, and commitment. We believe that what you get out of the program depends entirely on what you put into it, so bring your bold ideas, your drive to make things happen, and a readiness to push your creative boundaries.