The Miami Ad School has announced that the scholarship programme introduced in 2011 to promote creativity in the marketing communications industry in Nigeria will now be known as Adebola Babatunde Scholarship for Miami Ad School. This is in honour and recognition of the remarkable impact made by the late Adebola Babatunde while he was a student at the school in Germany.
According to Niklas Frings-Rupp, Managing Director, Miami Ad School Europe
“Babatunde Adebola was not only ambitious but someone who saw no obstacles. He was not only a gifted writer and thinker but was passionate, thoughtful and dedicated to whatever he did. We feel honoured that this scholarship is being named after this outstanding creative that left us way too early.”
The Managing Director of CHINI Africa and coordinator for Miami Ad School
programmes in Nigeria said “the idea to name the scholarship after Adebola Babatude started with some of his colleagues in Germany and all of us quickly agreed that this was the right thing to do. At least in our own little way, we could immortalize the hope that he represented to the youth of our industry.”
Reacting to the development, Abolaji Alausa, Executive Creative Director, Noah’s Ark, who shared exciting working relationship with the deceased says the decision to name the Miami Ad School scholarship after Babatunde Adebola is a commendable one.
According to Alausa, Debola was a legend in his own right, who fought many battles. “He was resilient and never hid his intentions to change the face of advertising and communication in its entirety”.
The Adebola Babatunde Scholarship for Miami Ad School is a two-year tuition scholarship for Nigerian creatives to study for a portfolio certificate course in Copywriting, Ad Direction, Digital Design, Photography and Video at Miami Ad School locations of their choice in Europe and the USA. Entries for 2016 scholarship will open on November 16, 2015 with new categories of scholarship for Bachelors and Masters programmes offered by Miami Ad School Europe in conjunction with Steinbeis University.
Underscore as he was popularly called by his friends, colleagues and admirers, withing his very short but sparkling stay set a record which is yet unequalled by anyone. He started his advertising career as a creative intern with LTC/JWT and later moved to Bates Cosse as Creative Executive where he worked on Virgin Nigeria and UBA accounts.
He left Cosse for DDB Lagos where he was part of the MTN team. He has the credit for the MTN epic Fisherman corporate tv campaign amongst others.
While working at DDB, where he paired with his friend and colleague, Abolaji Alausa, he won the Young Lions Film contest in Nigeria which qualified the duo to represent Nigeria at the 2009 Cannes Festival of Creativity.
Fired by the quest to improve himself at all times and at every opportunity, Babatunde sought and got a recommendation letter from ‘Adolf Hilter’ for a scholarship at the Miami Ad School. His letter went viral and earned him the Lurzer’s Archive’s scholarship plus a Miami Ad School Grant at the Miami Ad School Europe under the mentorship of Sir Niklass Frings-Rupp, Director & Ad tutor of the year 2010. He left an indelible mark at the school, far and above his peers of all colours and races.
In Germany, he worked at German’s number one agency, Jung Von Matt on Benz, Bild and Vodafone accounts. He later moved to German’s 3rd Digital agency THJNK where we worked on Audi, IKEA etc.
Babatunde has the credit for being the first Nigerian to get his ad into the Lurzer’s Archive. He is also the only Nigerian student to be nominated for the Lurzers Archive International Student of the Year two times – academic session 2012/13 and 2013/14.
His end of first year incubation start-up project at the Maimi Ad school, won him finalist certificate at the Golden Awards in Switzerland in 2012. He also won silver at the Young Glory awards in 2011/12 for using bitcoin to help the 99% win the 1% during the occupy wall street movement. He equally won the best online ad campaign awards at the Chip Chop awards for his PETA Last horse win project.
After his two years stay at the Miami Ad School and internship in Germany, Adebola returned to the country and pitched his tent with Noah’s Ark as Associate Creative Director yet again joining his trusted friend Abolaji. Colleagues see him as a good team player, witty, sharp, resourceful and a dependable ally.
On Miami Ad school’s commendable action to immortalize Adebola, Alausa says , the significance of this noble idea is to help us remember a rare gem that he truly was, someone who did all to get the requisite training and was ready to pour himself into his younger colleagues. “Indeed, it is hard to see him leave us so soon, but I am pleased that Miami Ad School has decided to immortalize him”, Abolaji enthuses. {fcomments}
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