BRACAU 27 BLOG'S

From left: Darren McCormick, Mattias Hansson, Jeff Benjamin, Scott Belsky and moderator David Michel-Davis
Hyper Island CEO Mattias Hansson was on a panel discussing the Digital Talent and Leadership Dilemma during 2009's Advertising Week in New York City.

Together with a panel consisting of:
Darren McCormick, Digital Agency Cultural Lead, Microsoft
Jeff Benjamin, VP, Interactive Creative Director, CP+B
Scott Belsky, Founder/CEO, Behance
Mattias offered his perspective on if a change needs to happen in the way we educate the digital leaders of the future. The panelists also discussed what they are doing about it and what must be done as an industry to find and develop the thought leaders of the future.

An excerpt from Boards Magazine's capture of the discussion:
"Asked by moderator Webby Awards executive director David Michel-Davis whether there was a lack of talent, the speakers agreed the problem was not talent per se, but rather finding it.
(...)
When Michel-Davis asked where the most demand for his students came from, Hansson was quick to answer: 'The most need [for our students] is from agency networks,' said Hansson, 'but it's not where they want to go.'

Hyper Island, which does not follow a formal curriculum, encourages its students to find their own voice by taking up creative pursuits outside the school's walls, a practice that, he intimated, is not always fostered at agencies.

Hansson added that many agencies try to resolve the digital brain-drain by simply parachuting in digital talent in a bid to magically effect change. Those types of hires are frustrating turn-offs for young graduates, especially if the agency does not also devote resources to retraining existing staff."

Click here to read the rest of the Boards Magazine article!