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MDC PARTNERS ANNOUNCES NEW NOT-FOR-PROFIT INSTITUTE AS MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE WINNER
New Digital Works Institute, Focusing on Digital Arts and Sciences
Education, Will be Directed by Industry Veteran and Visionary Kip
Voytek.
NEW YORK, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ - MDC Partners (http://www.mdc-partners.com) announced today that they have created a national non-profit institute
focused on digital arts and sciences education. The Digital Works
Institute will be run by industry visionary Kip Voytek, who won the
Million Dollar Challenge based on his proposal to expand digital arts
and education. Headquartered in New York, the Digital Works Institute
will offer multi-disciplinary, project-based, learning programs
designed to provide the skills needed by future digital leaders and
entrepreneurs.
The Digital Works Institute comes about as a result of the Million
Dollar Challenge, an initiative proposed last June at the Cannes
International Advertising Festival during a presentation given by Chuck
Porter, Chief Strategist, MDC Partners, and Chairman, Crispin Porter +
Bogusky, and Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners. The intent of
the challenge was to discover innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers
with groundbreaking ideas, and partner with them to bring their vision
to reality.
The Digital Works Institute will build upon the success of Boulder
Digital Works, a learning program founded jointly by the University of
Colorado and CP+B, and initially funded by MDC Partners. Kip Voytek,
who has served as an advisor to BDW since it's inception, had a vision
to build upon the core philosophies of BDW on a much broader and
comprehensive scale by creating a non-profit national institute. He
leaves his role as SVP, Communications Planning, at award winning
digital agency Rapp, to take on this new endeavor. In his last
position, he was responsible for developing and managing the overall
branding of the agency, all communication planning, and digital thought
leadership and strategy. Prior to Rapp, he spent nine years as a
creative director and designer of websites, PC / web games, CD-ROMS,
and kiosks, and five years as a designer and developer of information
systems for small and medium size businesses.
"Perhaps the biggest challenge our industry is facing today is the huge
dearth of digital talent and future leaders. The most effective digital
leaders are collaborative with a broad base of skills, which is hard to
find and even harder to cultivate. Traditional curriculum doesn't
address this, which was one of the key motivators in the development of
BDW. The learning model is adaptive, integrated and practical, and it
covers the spectrum of digital disciplines and media. First year
graduates had a 100% placement rate with students getting jobs at
Wieden + Kennedy, Saatchi & Saatchi, CP+B, and Comcast among others.
The Digital Works Institute will take these learnings, and couple them
with the expertise and teachings of the most innovative thinkers,
scientists, and scholars in a wide array of technological and academic
arenas. I am very grateful to MDC Partners to have this incredible
opportunity to bring my vision to life," said Kip Voytek.
"The vision of The Digital Works Institute is to be a powerful resource
for learning and innovation," said Chuck Porter. "Our expectation was
that the Million Dollar Challenge would go to a new business start up,
but this not-for-profit initiative was the most compelling idea we saw.
Hopefully, it will help to enlarge the pool of digital talent and
enhance the quality of digital innovation across a broad array of
businesses. It's not really a business investment for MDC, it's more of
an investment in the future of the industry."
About MDC Partners Inc.
MDC is a Business Transformation Organization that utilizes technology,
marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic
consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and
Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United
States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean.
MDC's durable competitive advantage is to Empower the Most Talented
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders to Drive Business Success to new levels
of Achievement, for both our Clients and our Shareholders, reinforcing
MDC's reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives."
MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the
symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
"MDZ.A".
SOURCE MDC Partners Inc.
MDC Partners Inc.
CONTACT: <p>Katie Kempner<br/> Sr. VP, Corporate Communications<br/> 305-646-7366<br/> <a href="mailto:kkempner@mdc-partners.com">kkempner@mdc-partners.com</a></p>
MDC PARTNERS ANNOUNCES NEW NOT-FOR-PROFIT INSTITUTE AS MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE WINNER
New Digital Works Institute, Focusing on Digital Arts and Sciences
Education, Will be Directed by Industry Veteran and Visionary Kip
Voytek.
NEW YORK, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ - MDC Partners (http://www.mdc-partners.com) announced today that they have created a national non-profit institute
focused on digital arts and sciences education. The Digital Works
Institute will be run by industry visionary Kip Voytek, who won the
Million Dollar Challenge based on his proposal to expand digital arts
and education. Headquartered in New York, the Digital Works Institute
will offer multi-disciplinary, project-based, learning programs
designed to provide the skills needed by future digital leaders and
entrepreneurs.
The Digital Works Institute comes about as a result of the Million
Dollar Challenge, an initiative proposed last June at the Cannes
International Advertising Festival during a presentation given by Chuck
Porter, Chief Strategist, MDC Partners, and Chairman, Crispin Porter +
Bogusky, and Miles Nadal, Chairman and CEO, MDC Partners. The intent of
the challenge was to discover innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers
with groundbreaking ideas, and partner with them to bring their vision
to reality.
The Digital Works Institute will build upon the success of Boulder
Digital Works, a learning program founded jointly by the University of
Colorado and CP+B, and initially funded by MDC Partners. Kip Voytek,
who has served as an advisor to BDW since it's inception, had a vision
to build upon the core philosophies of BDW on a much broader and
comprehensive scale by creating a non-profit national institute. He
leaves his role as SVP, Communications Planning, at award winning
digital agency Rapp, to take on this new endeavor. In his last
position, he was responsible for developing and managing the overall
branding of the agency, all communication planning, and digital thought
leadership and strategy. Prior to Rapp, he spent nine years as a
creative director and designer of websites, PC / web games, CD-ROMS,
and kiosks, and five years as a designer and developer of information
systems for small and medium size businesses.
"Perhaps the biggest challenge our industry is facing today is the huge
dearth of digital talent and future leaders. The most effective digital
leaders are collaborative with a broad base of skills, which is hard to
find and even harder to cultivate. Traditional curriculum doesn't
address this, which was one of the key motivators in the development of
BDW. The learning model is adaptive, integrated and practical, and it
covers the spectrum of digital disciplines and media. First year
graduates had a 100% placement rate with students getting jobs at
Wieden + Kennedy, Saatchi & Saatchi, CP+B, and Comcast among others.
The Digital Works Institute will take these learnings, and couple them
with the expertise and teachings of the most innovative thinkers,
scientists, and scholars in a wide array of technological and academic
arenas. I am very grateful to MDC Partners to have this incredible
opportunity to bring my vision to life," said Kip Voytek.
"The vision of The Digital Works Institute is to be a powerful resource
for learning and innovation," said Chuck Porter. "Our expectation was
that the Million Dollar Challenge would go to a new business start up,
but this not-for-profit initiative was the most compelling idea we saw.
Hopefully, it will help to enlarge the pool of digital talent and
enhance the quality of digital innovation across a broad array of
businesses. It's not really a business investment for MDC, it's more of
an investment in the future of the industry."
About MDC Partners Inc.
MDC is a Business Transformation Organization that utilizes technology,
marketing communications, data analytics, insights and strategic
consulting solutions to drive meaningful returns on Marketing and
Communications Investments for multinational clients in the United
States, Canada, Europe, and the Caribbean.
MDC's durable competitive advantage is to Empower the Most Talented
Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders to Drive Business Success to new levels
of Achievement, for both our Clients and our Shareholders, reinforcing
MDC's reputation as "The Place Where Great Talent Lives."
MDC Partners' Class A shares are publicly traded on NASDAQ under the
symbol "MDCA" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol
"MDZ.A".
SOURCE MDC Partners Inc.
MDC Partners Inc.
CONTACT: <p>Katie Kempner<br/> Sr. VP, Corporate Communications<br/> 305-646-7366<br/> <a href="mailto:kkempner@mdc-partners.com">kkempner@mdc-partners.com</a></p>