UNKNOWN – the talent specialist for the creative and tech industries – has launched a pro-bono initiative called Good Brains for Good Brands to help struggling charities fund-raise through compelling creative comms devised by some of ad land’s top but currently jobless talent.
Because COVID-19 has radically changed how we work and give, many charities are under threat. Through a lack of fundraising events and sponsorship deals, the sector is predicted to lose £4 billion by July 2020.
UNKNOWN’s Founder, Ollie Scott, realised he could help address the problem by tapping into the business’s extensive network of talent to identify people who want to use their skills whilst twiddling their thumbs during furlough or redundancy.
Over 100 top creatives, strategists and suits have signed up to the initiative; including Cathy Hutton (who has worked as Creative Director at agencies including Karmarama and Grey) and Will Townsend (former Managing Partner at Uncommon Creative Studio) who are helping Scott set the wheels in motion. Good Brains for Good Brands is already working with a homelessness social enterprise and a children’s charity, with more organisations due to be announced in the coming weeks.
As the driving force behind Good Brains for Good Brands, Ollie Scott, said: “We’re keen to provide a place for our talent to go to and grow. A community of do-gooders, if you like. If they get on a brief, and crack it, we will do everything we can to raise their profile. Because we’re here to help, we ensure any work we give to charities on a pro-bono basis doesn’t replace a service that would be otherwise paid for.”
Cathy Hutton added: “When Ollie told me his idea, I just said let’s just do it and get it out there. The UK creative industry is packed with the best talent in the world. In total we’re worth £84 billion and some of those billions are sitting at home in their pants. Linking talent with charity briefs is bound to help both sides. We’ve got a clean accelerator process down too, streamlined with no agency fluff, which protects the work and those that give their time for free.”
