They started solo: Bayleigh at FCB Aotearoa, Alyssa at TBWA NZ. 6 months later, knowing they had good chemistry at MDS, they accepted a job as a creative team at indie agency Yarn (where they managed to snag the winning spot for Hell's Pizza in Lumo’s Pixel Competition). One year later, the big smoke called with an opportunity to work at one of the world’s most iconic agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi, London. Last year, the opportunities continued apace when they not only accepted a position as a creative team at Droga5, London; Bayleigh accepted an offer to join the judging jury for the 2025 Berlin Commercial Awards; and they were nominated as Most Promising Creative Team by the prestigious Creative Circle Awards.
Did you do any previous tertiary study before joining MDS?
Bayleigh: Yes, I did a bachelor’s in Communications. It was a solid foundation, but I knew I wanted to push into doing more creative work. So, given its award-winning reputation, the Creative Advertising course at MDS felt like the perfect next step.
Alyssa: My bachelor’s degree was in Commerce, but no one with a Commerce degree really wants to do Commerce. So, I put that degree to hard work and got a job at a bar.
What were you doing before MDS, and how did that lead you to the course?
Bayleigh: I’d been at FCB New Zealand as a social content lead for three years. I loved it, but I wanted more creative ownership over the work. And as any creative in the industry will tell you, AdSchool at MDS is the best way to become a working creative.
Alyssa: I decided I wanted to move into a job that I saw as a career. I saw that path being something creative and fun. I really liked how the CA course was organised around industry competitions, awards, and making sure you’re ready to work in a creative department. I made the jump, and at the end of it, Bayleigh were able to walk straight into jobs in creative departments.
What are you up to now?
We’re a creative team at Droga5 London. Moving to the UK felt like a big, exciting leap - especially as a way to escape the post-Covid gloom. Day to day, our job is about coming up with ideas, which basically starts with us just yapping back and forth until one of us says: ‘Yeah, that’s a good one, write that down’.
How did you get there from MDS?
The course used competition after competition as a way to not only fine-tune our creative skills, but also to help us learn how to work in creative teams. The whole class learnt to operate as a creative department, which meant we learnt from tutors, from each other, and from the great industry mentors that MDS assigned to us in the last 10 weeks of the programme. In short, AdSchool did what they promised they’d do; they were the launch pad for the start of our careers.
What’s the most surprising, disappointing, and thrilling thing about working as a creative?
The most surprising: How much of the job really is just getting on with your teammate, throwing ideas back and forth, and seeing what sticks. Chemistry really matters.
The most disappointing: You’ll make amazing work that sometimes never sees the light of day. But hey, at least you learnt stuff and had fun doing it. And one day, who knows, you may find the perfect client for that idea.
The most thrilling: When your work lands, gets noticed, or even wins an award. And just getting noticed generally is a thrill – as with the Creative Circle win last year.
What creative skills from MDS did you learn that still matter today?
MDS taught us what makes an idea truly good and insightful, not just mediocre noise slapped on an ad space. The course prepared us for the reality of creative work: everyone has bad ideas, you’ll get rejected, but it’s all part of the process. It helped us build resilience and dig into the real problems and insights behind every project that actually meant something. By the time we entered the workforce, we weren’t shocked - MDS had already set the stage.
One thing still left to do in your career?
Become best friends with Jason Mamoa by casting him as the lead in our ad xx
Tips for anyone looking to get into creative/advertising
Don’t deep it. Making ads should be fun. You’ll get criticism, ideas will get shut down, but that’s just part of the process. Keep pushing for ideas you’re passionate about, and just enjoy the ride.
Top three tips for coming up with a creative concept
Write everything down - even the silly stuff. The gold often hides in the bad ideas.
Root your work in a real insight; that’s where the richness comes from.
Everyone works differently. Some of our best ideas happened at the pub, so don’t chain yourself to a desk. Take a walk, hit the driving range, clear your head - you never know when inspiration will hit.
