I was Late to the party - mid career and wanting to learn advertising, Western Sydney Ad School looked good and turned out great. Rocky and Matt cut through the crap and are the right type of teachers, articulate, honest and encouraging. Having two of the greats in this industry leave you with a portfolio and the wherewithal to have a crack yourself with confidence is not nothing. I’d recommend them in a heartbeat.
Duncan F.
Winter 2020
I honestly cannot recommend this course enough. Thanks to Matt and Rocky's amazing tutelage, and some excellent guest lecturers, I've learned more about advertising in twelve weeks than I have over several semesters of my Bachelor of Communications. Coming into each week's class with new ideas for Rocky, Matt, and your class to pull apart, critique, and reconstruct was worth it alone. It's tough, energetic, personal, and professional; you'll come out of it with not only an excellent book, but a great insight into how to do advertising differently in this day and age.
Albert S.
Winter 2020
Western Sydney Ad School gave me the hands-on learning I needed to start my career in advertising. I learnt so much more in 12 weeks than I did in my 3 years at university. Rocky and Matt went above and beyond to help us unlock our creativity and produce the best work we could. Their industry experience and connections were invaluable. Plus, they had alright banter for a couple of old boomers.
Casey C.
Rocky, Matt & other tutors at WSAS have shaped me by giving me a practical view into what creativity is. They all bring their extensive industry experience to the room, daring me to think beyond what was previously impossible. At the same time, they demonstrated to me how to simplify ideas when addressing client briefs. I would recommend this course to anyone wants to challenge their creativity. Creative or not, there is plenty of room for surprise and growth at WSAS.
Kenneth Z.
Rocky and Matt's guidance has been really valuable in developing my understanding of advertising and how to come up with good ideas. I highly recommend WSAS for anyone who is interested in advertising and is enthusiastic about growing their creative thinking.
Alice Z.
Rocky and Matt have such an impressive wealth of knowledge and experience. With lectures from industry luminaries, I feel very lucky to have been a part of the first WSAS group. Truly inspiring and motivating. If you get the opportunity I highly recommend signing up with these guys.
Miriam N.
Some more nice things people have said about us.
“I was lucky enough to have Rocky as my creative mentor after I finished AWARD School. Rocky always gave helpful feedback and guidance across everything from ideas to art direction. I am still to this day, inspired by the simplicity of his thinking and his brilliant ideas”
Julie Matthews.
Creative Director. OMD Create Advertising at OMD Australia.
“When I started AWARD School many years ago, it seemed like creativity was a hit and miss affair. But Rocky showed me that, like many things, it’s a craft. Although he made it look easy, he also had the patience to pass on what he knew. If you get the chance to learn from him, I can’t think of a better foundation for building an advertising career.”
Hamish Stewart.
Executive Creative Director/ Strategic Leader.
“Years ago I was a naive little writer wannabe, a sponge for all things in Adland. My AWARD class had just been taught “the formula’ for writing ads by some junior team, long since forgotten. It was complete nonsense of course. When we got to The Campaign Palace a genuine star of the business named Rocky Ranallo put us all straight. He was gentle, decisive (and right)”
Rob Morrison.
Executive Creative Director. Ogilvy Advertising.
“Rocky is a legend of advertising in Australia. His wealth of experience has always astounded me… with so few original ideas left , Rocky generated many great campaigns. Thank you Rocky… your positive, humorous, easy-going attitude inspired many including yours truly, to always have a go and smile along the way.”
Janet Demel.
Production Manager. Winc Australia
“Back in the good old days, I had the pleasure of having Rocky as my AWARD School tutor. He was an excellent mentor, insightful and inspiring. Rocky cut to the heart of the creative ideas without bruising our tender young egos. Always a legend.”
Kylie Suttor.
Creative Director. The Pure Agency.
“Rocky molded me from a kid from regional Queensland into a kid from regional Queensland who could write an ad. His lessons as a mentor and teacher have been an invaluable foundational building block in my 10+ year career as an Advertising Creative. Despite the ever changing face of our industry, I still draw on that same advice he gave in my formative years at BWM.”
Matt Ennis.
Creative Director. Host/Havas
“When I was first trying to get my first job in creative, FBI Recruitment gave me Matt’s details and encouraged me to contact him. So I did. I was 23 and living in Newcastle, so I got the train down to Sydney for the meeting. I showed him a bunch of (pretty average) ideas I had drawn up. He was super nice & encouraging and reassured me that my ideas weren't completely terrible. So, thank you Matt. It probably was nothing to you at the time. But, as someone with zero experience, it meant a lot to me.”
