By Drew Thompson

Students and recent graduates from the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter stood out among the advertising industry’s brightest creatives at an illustrious awards program last month.

The D&AD New Blood Awards recognize students, recent college graduates and emerging creatives. The competition celebrates excellent portfolios and campaigns across a number of disciplines and acts as a potential jumpstart for young creatives looking to land a job in the industry.

Eight portfolios from Brandcenter students and alumni were honored with D&AD New Blood Portfolio Awards, which recognize “the ones to watch” based on their body of work. Seven of those portfolios accounted for nearly 22% of the recipients in the Advertising, Marketing & PR category. Additionally, four student teams won the highly sought-after D&AD pencil award.

Among the portfolio honorees, Brandcenter graduate Claire Casalaspi was honored for her work on “Revenge Bears” with Teddy Grahams. The ad pitch centered on Teddy Grahams making a personalized box for Valentine’s Day that allowed consumers to get revenge on someone who may have wronged them.

“When I got the email that my portfolio won, I think I had to reread it five times because I was in disbelief,” Casalaspi said. “Our class is so insanely talented and it’s amazing to be recognized alongside my fellow Brandcenter classmates.”

VCU Brandcenter graduate Hannah Kakish and team won a graphite pencil for “No Exclamation Needed,” which touched on research that shows that women use exclamation marks 170% more than men when communicating online. The ad pitched Yahoo! getting rid of exclamation marks on International Women’s Day before bringing them back as a way of showcasing that women shouldn’t have to shout to be heard. Kakish also secured a portfolio award.

“I’m honored to have received a D&AD New Blood Graphite Pencil and Portfolio Award, but even more than that, I’m grateful for the people at the Brandcenter who helped me get there,” Kakish said. “The work is better because of them. And so am I.”

VCU Brandcenter graduate Joe Wint and team won a yellow pencil for his work on “Chewelry by Extra,” which pitched creating chewable jewelry to assist with stimming, which is a term for self-stimulatory behavior through the use of repetitive actions or movements. Approximately three out of 10 people stim, and the jewelry can potentially destigmatize stimming by providing something that can be safely chewed on. Wint also won a portfolio award.  

“I remember looking at the New Blood award winners a few years ago and wondering how they could do stuff like that,” Wint said. “Now I can do stuff like that — and that feels good. It’s a nice milestone for me and, especially as I leave school, it’s nice to know I’m in the ballpark of other creatives I look up to.”

One team from VCU stood above the rest, winning both black and yellow pencils. Graduates Henry Coffey, Alex Ward, Boyan Zlatarski, Callum Leitenberg and Emma Kerencheva created “ads for rats,” which turned New York City’s rat problem into an opportunity for brands. (Coffey, Ward and Zlatarski also won portfolio awards.) The pitch detailed making small ads for rats across the city, including tiny billboards and becoming “thought leaders for rodential marketing.” The pitch got noticed by Kraft, who would similarly make an Instagram post about “ads for pigeons.”

The team won a black pencil last year for their “Scan to Revolt” pitch to Adobe, making them the first to win a black pencil in back-to-back years.

“It was shocking to win one, especially knowing that there are something like 6,000 entrants from 65 countries,” Coffey said. “Winning two is just unbelievable. I’m so grateful I get to work with Callum, Boyan, Emma and Alex. They’re insanely talented.”

Kakish said the Brandcenter develops the next generation of creative professionals in part by helping to cultivate their uniqueness – leading to work that stands out.

“The Brandcenter promises to teach you to be more like yourself and less like everyone else,” Kakish said.