The Creative School selected by Aller Media Denmark for immersive training on creativity
This summer, 10 media professionals from Aller Media Denmark, the leading publisher of magazines and weeklies in Denmark and the Nordics, joined students from The Creative School and Stuttgart Media University to embark on a two-week transdisciplinary intensive course GCM 810 - Creativity, Clients and Design (opens in new window) .
Spearheaded by the Graphic Communications Management (GCM) program, the course offered students a unique opportunity to collaborate with international peers on projects that stimulate creativity and social imagination. With a focus on design as a human-centred and problem-solving process, students worked together on management and communication challenges between designers, printers and clients and applied them to real-world scenarios and practical exercises.
Aller Media Denmark professionals attend Welcome Meet and Greet, hosted by The Creative School International Team
In addition to in-class content, local students and Aller Denmark industry professionals participated in an interactive Industry Week. Led by The Creative School Innovation Studio, the week-long immersive experience consisted of daily innovation-focused activities and workshops, including Live Journalism Performance, a panel discussion surrounding creative entrepreneurship, and an industry futures round table on artificial intelligence.
Expanding global boundaries with experiential learning
Upon learning about The Creative School from the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX), the team at Aller Denmark became interested in sending industry professionals to engage in a tailor-made training program concentrated on topics such as design thinking, media technologies, and business development. Noting The Creative School as a leader in creative education, DMJX connected Aller Denmark with the international development team at The Creative School and together they developed an immersive experience that would take place in Toronto.
“We were interested in The Creative School because the program was interesting for both experienced industry professionals and young people that just finished their Bachelor's degree,” said Jesper Jungersen, a board member from Aller Denmark. “[It is a great] opportunity for our foundation to give grants to younger professionals within the media industry to go abroad to get more knowledge and inspiration from outside Europe.”
The Creative School students and Aller Denmark professionals participating in Industry Week, led by The Innovation Studio. Photo courtesy of Mark Francis.
Toronto-centric innovation offers new perspectives
Along with learning firsthand about the varied approaches to creativity and design, the cohort also had the chance to explore local perspectives in Toronto and build a flourishing network of contacts. The immersive experience included several site visits to media-related organizations such as The Globe and Mail and CityNews Toronto.
“The whole experience made me more confident and comfortable in my creative abilities,” said Angelika Westby, an industry professional from Aller Denmark. “My advice for future students would be to be open-minded and don’t be afraid of crazy ideas. Creativity is meant to be fun and wild.”
Aller Denmark professionals touring CityNews Toronto.
Unparalleled global experiences
The Creative School offers a broad menu of experiential learning opportunities to both domestic and international students, in partnership with academic institutions in major cities around the world. Students can enroll in one of many immersive virtual or travel-intensive courses.
Natalia Lumby, Chair of Graphic Communications Management at The Creative School (GCM), emphasized the importance of supporting international initiatives and offering unparalleled global learning experiences to domestic and international students. “GCM is extremely experiential - we physically make nearly everything we design. We have an incredible relationship with our industry spanning decades,” noted Lumby. “Unique to GCM, we have some great intensive courses that allow partners to be immersed in their studies for as little as two weeks.”
Interested in learning more about international opportunities? Visit The Creative School International page.
The Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University
The Creative School is a dynamic faculty that is making a difference in new, unexplored ways. Made up of Canada’s top professional schools and transdisciplinary hubs in media, communication, design and cultural industries, The Creative School offers students an unparalleled global experience in the heart of downtown Toronto.