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Sunderland students create London advertising buzz

Two ambitious Sunderland University students have won placements with six international advertising agencies and are up for a top creative award after filming the whole process.

Marc Rayson and Callum Prior spent the seven-hour coach journey from Sunderland to London creating advertising campaigns for global brands they read about in a free paper on the trip.

The final year advertising and design students used the on the hoof project, called The Megabus Book, instead of a traditional portfolio to secure placements with digital agency R/GA London.

Sanam Petri, the agency’s creative director, said: “I’m seriously impressed by these guys. They showed me how much they want to be in the industry.”

The pair then attended the Creative Circle Advertising Awards that evening and were stunned to be summoned on stage by the president Ed Morris, who revealed their efforts to make their mark in the industry. As a result, they were offered another five placements.

Marc, 22, from Newcastle, said: “Seven hours of madness had London talking about us and six placements secured after we graduate in July.”

Marc and Callum filmed the journey and entered the video in the D&AD Student Awards 2013, where it is now in the running for a prestigious Student Pencil award in the Make Your Mark / Open Brief category.

Keith Nevens, the university’s course leader for advertising, said: “Marc and Callum are so talented and they thoroughly deserve their nomination, which is a huge accolade in itself.

“There were something in the region of 20,000 entries into the competition as a whole and only 64 nominations across all categories. We can’t wait for the awards ceremony on July 4.

“To win a D&AD Student Pencil would be a dream come true for Marc and Callum, and is a great endorsement of the University’s Advertising Course and the Design department here. It once again highlights the strength of creative talent within this region. I am so immensely proud of these guys, it’s a massive award.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Karen Dent .