How to unpack a brief like a pro
17 SEPTEMBER 2026, 6:00 - 7:00 PM AEST
FREE LIVE VIRTUAL MASTERCLASS
Got big ideas but no idea where to start? Stared at a creative brief and thought, “What does half of this even mean?”
Whether you’ve never seen a brief in your life or you’ve tackled a dozen and want your ideas to land harder, this is for you. Breaking down a brief is an art form - and it’s the exact skill that turns a confusing problem into a game-changing creative idea. Join us for Series 1 of your creative journey: an exclusive, live, highly practical one-hour masterclass designed to strip away the jargon, sharpen your thinking, and give you the confidence to crack open a creative brief.
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No dry lectures, no heavy advertising jargon. Just a clear, insider walk-through on how top-tier creatives actually turn blank pages into brilliant ideas. Led by AWARD School VIC Heads Rachel Blacklaws and Stephanie Gwee, this session will take you step-by-step through reading, dissecting, and unpacking a creative brief from scratch.
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Demystifying the Brief
Learn what a creative brief actually is, how to spot the human problem hidden inside it, and how to cut straight to the core idea.
Case Study: From Brief to a New Zealand Cliffside
Executive Creative Directors Hugh Gurney and Joe Sibley (Kerfuffle) behind iconic Australian work like Macpac’s “A Bit Precarious”, Enter Asahi, and Summer Lamb give an exclusive breakdown of how they turn raw briefs into award-winning campaigns—including how a simple piece of paper ended up with three people dangling off a mountain.Practice Brief
Get immediate access to an official, self-guided practice brief released live during the session so you can apply what you've learned right away. -
Short answer: Yes.
You don't need agency experience, a fancy portfolio, or a background in advertising—just a curious mind. This masterclass is built for:
AWARD School 2027 Hopefuls
Get a massive head start on your application and learn how the judges actually think.Total Beginners
Curious about copywriting, art direction, or commercial creativity, but don't know where the front door is.Designers, Writers & Strategists
Look inside the heads of top agency CDs to turn good ideas into undeniable ones.Career Changers
Want to see how your transferable skills apply to real-world creative problem solving.Zero pretension. 100% practical. Completely free.
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RACHEL BLACKLAWS
Creative Director, R/GA | VIC School HeadSTEPHANIE GWEE
Creative Director, TBWA\Melbourne | VIC School Head+ SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS
HUGH GURNEY & JOE SIBLEY
Executive Creative Directors, KerfuffleHugh and Joe are the minds behind some of Australia’s most celebrated campaigns, including Macpac’s “A Bit Precarious”, Enter Asahi, BCFing Fun, Summer Lamb, Aussie Beef, Seek, Victoria Bitter, and Telstra.
In this session, they’ll provide a super-compressed telling of how they made Macpac’s precarious commercial - from brief - through to the moment they found themselves dangling three people off a cliff in New Zealand.
Check out their portfolio at thebestcreativesintheworld.com.
DON’T WAIT. RESERVE YOUR SPOT.
Your creative journey starts right here.
A quick note from us:
AWARD School is powered by Advertising Council Australia (ACA). ACA makes no guarantees that participating in this masterclass will automatically secure your place in AWARD School, but it is explicitly designed to sharpen your skills and significantly boost your chances of success.
