The BrandLab, a Minneapolis-based non-profit organization working to change the face and voice of the marketing and advertising industry, opened applications for its 8-month, paid fellowship program, in partnership with Best Buy, Optum, part of UnitedHealth Group, and Wunderman Thompson’s Midwest office.

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“The LabFellows program is pushing us to re-think how we engage with younger talent across our entire organization. We can’t wait to see all the impact LabFellows will have on the industry now and in the future.”

Last year, the first for the program, 16 fellows from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds rotated across the companies, participating in an immersive experience that included working with brand and digital marketing, art direction, design, copywriting, and media.

At the end of last year’s program, 94% of participants transitioned into full-time employment through the partnership and The BrandLab’s network.

“I learned so many things about myself through the LabFellows experience. I found out more about my career interests, how I approach projects, how I handle conflict, and more of who I am as a person,” Pa Shia Lee shared. Pa Shia joined the industry as an Assistant Media Planner.

Applications for this year are officially open (as of March 1). The 2022 LabFellow experience will run from June 1, 2022, to January 27, 2023.

This year’s cohort will experience even more opportunities to gain skills and expand their professional network as The BrandLab works with its partners to apply learnings from last year and introduce in-person components, as well as a Skills Lab experience mid-fellowship.

“In year two, we want to build off what’s working and evolve the parts that we believe, when shifted, will create even more impact,” said Michaela Clubb, The BrandLab’s Program Manager leading the LabFellow program. “We know we have something special here and look forward to how this program can complement our other programming, engage partners more deeply, and further fuel the momentum and urgency of our mission.”

Together, Best Buy, Optum and Wunderman Thompson have made a combined 3-year financial contribution of over $1 million to help fund the fellowship and place diverse students in advertising and marketing industry internships.

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Karyn Rockwell, President at Wunderman Thompson – Midwest said: “The LabFellows program is pushing us to re-think how we engage with younger talent across our entire organization. We can’t wait to see all the impact LabFellows will have on the industry now and in the future.”

“Across our company, we are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve and the LabFellows program perfectly aligns with our work to advance a culture that embraces inclusion, diversity, innovation and growth,” said Ben Meents, senior vice president, Optum Corporate Marketing, and Brand. “We are excited to continue our partnership with The BrandLab and to help enable meaningful change across the marketing and advertising industry, particularly within health care.”