Advertising Students Take Home Two ADDYs and an ADC Gold Cube
Shravan
Hegde & Michael Waldman at the ADC awards
Getting your foot in the door in advertising can be challenging, but two Academy of Art
University
advertising school students just gained an impressive
edge. Shravan Hegde and Michael Waldman won big in two world-renowned advertising competitions,
taking home a Gold and a Silver ADDY award as well as an Art Directors Club Gold Cube.
Both art directors, Shravan and Michael make an unusual duo in advertising, where art directors
are typically paired with copywriters. Encouraged by their respect for each other's work, they
teamed up to create fresh and original ads that got the attention of the competition judges.
For their print campaign for Mission Bicycle in San Francisco, which won a Gold ADDY award, the
two students looked to local cyclists for inspiration. The final ads, in which riders make up the
frame of their bike, cut to the heart of cyclists' connection with their bikes. "We were intrigued
by the fact that each bike was representative of its rider's personality," said Shravan.
Their campaign for Blu Tack, a series of magazine ads personifying the adhesiveness and strength
of the product, also won a Silver ADDY award. "It was nice to have someone with no bias and
complete honesty give that kind of recognition to my work. It's humbling," Michael said.
Print
advertisement for Mission Bicycle
In the Art Directors Club and Nissan's first-ever student pitch competition, Shravan and Michael
received top honors and won an ADC Gold Cube. Challenged to make their target audience see the
Nissan Cube as a natural extension of their lives, the pair created an interactive first person
shooter
video game that combined social media and gaming with
face-to-face interaction. Their pitch video featured a group of friends racing through streets,
driving a Nissan Cube and playing the interactive game on smart phones.
Reflecting on their impressive awards, both students felt the top-notch work they did was made
possible by their instructors at Academy of Art University. All three of the award-winning projects
were created in a Creative Concepts class led by Mike Brenner and Greg Coffin of creative agency
Attik.
In addition to the influence of Brenner and Coffin, Michael mentioned former Director of
Advertising, Melinda Mettler. "None of this would have happened without Melinda," he said.
Shravan, who last year won a One Show Silver Pencil and a Merit award, decided to pursue a
Masters Degree in
Advertising because of his love of art that conveys a message. "My passion for and
experimentation in advertising has prepared me to work in different options and to stretch beyond
the given parameters in order to explore something new and different," he said.
Currently, Michael is working with friends to set up his own agency in San Francisco. Through
their dedication and unique talent, the team has been able to nab local clients such as video
company Rehab.
Both students plan to complete their MFAs this December. With such amazing student work, it's
obvious that Shravan and Michael will be shaping the future of advertising very soon.
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