Welcome to
SCHOOL OF NARWHAL
Technically, a school of narwhal is called a “blessing.” But you already knew that.
If you’re a writer, designer, thinker, or maker, this blessing is for you.
At this school, we generate ideas. Solve problems. Hone our talents. Improve our portfolios.
We surround ourselves with people who, like us, want to make cool things and get paid to
LIVE THE CREATIVE LIFE.
You’ve got the brain for it.
You just need the book to prove it.
[APPLY NOW]
“There is always room for one more great creative. And an audience for one more great idea.”
WHO YOU ARE
Maybe you’re a recent grad whose book gets them in the door but hasn’t landed the job yet.
Maybe you’re a working creative who likes where they are but doesn’t love it.
Maybe you’re happy where you’re at but want to level up your concepting skills for that next, bigger role.
It doesn’t matter where you are now or how you got here.
The important thing is your book will get better.
And you will get closer to the dream career you want.
HOW IT WORKS
Ten weeks.
One in-person class per week for three hours.
Ten students--five copywriters and five art directors/designers--comprising five creative teams.
Four challenging but engaging campaign assignments.
Lots of valuable feedback and career advice.
One much-improved portfolio. Each.
If you commit to this and stay true to yourself, you will succeed.
WHAT YOU WILL MAKE
Idea stuff.
Advertising stuff.
And stuff you’ve never thought of.
You’ll get real campaign assignments with big problems in need of bold solutions.
You’ll move out your weakest portfolio pieces and move in pieces you can be truly proud of.
If you see this through, you’ll have a better portfolio, new industry knowledge, fresh problem-solving tips, and an expanded network of creative professionals to help you achieve the ad career you really want.
WHO WILL TEACH YOU
Creatives from the best Phoenix-based shops who want to see you succeed (and may even hire you when you’re done).
2. Industry greats from around the country, if not the globe, who know what it takes to succeed in this biz.
3. Some guy named TP who is ready to guide you on your journey--and excited to see you crush your goals.
WAIT, WHO IS THIS TP? AND WHAT IS A NARWHAL?
Troy Pottgen (TP) is a pretty good husband, dad, university professor, and CW/CD with more than two decades of experience working for ad agencies in Amsterdam, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. He earned a degree in Business at the University of Illinois, completed the Copywriting program at Miami Ad School, and attained a Masters of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing at Lindenwood University.
Troy is a two-time recipient for Copywriter of the Year, a nominee for Creative Director of the Year and winner of Best in Show at the Phoenix ADDYs, and his work has been featured nationally in Communication Arts, the One Show and Art Directors Club of NY. He also received the 2022 Career Services Faculty Advisor of the Year award from Grand Canyon University for his efforts in helping recent graduates and current students find full-time advertising positions and internships.
Troy once claimed to watch 100 movies and read 100 books a year until his wife's meticulous documentation in 2012 proved otherwise. He just got his first short fiction piece accepted for publication, and many of his personal essays have been produced and featured on NPR radio. Through his volunteer work, Troy tries to live the words of Marian Wright Edelman: “Service is the rent we pay for being.” If you ever greet him with, “Hey TP, I love narwhal," he’ll buy you a coffee.
“This course is priced way too cheap.”
WHAT IT COSTS
Tuition for this 10-week program is $600, due by the program start date. We will not let cost be a factor in one’s ability to participate, so we will work with any student experiencing financial hardship. We also encourage students to ask their employers about scholarships or professional development stipends, as many reputable agencies and in-house firms offer those. Long story short, if we can get creative with our ideas, we can certainly get creative with our tuition, so don’t be afraid to ask for payment options.
“Thank you. Love you!”
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Tidbits from some of TP's former students and fellow creatives:
I seriously enjoyed this class so much! I feel like I gained so much useful concepting experience. And thank you for nailing the line between effectively educating your students while also having a blast in class. I walked away from the class with new skills, new knowledge, and new friends. Your passion for what you do is definitely contagious.
Disgusting…is what I would say if TP wasn’t teaching this course. A very knowledgeable professor who knows what he is doing. His passion for students goes beyond any professor I've ever had and that's what it is truly all about. His connections to other companies makes this class feel very realistic, which is a true blessing. Keep it up. I never had a 3.5-hour class and wanted to stay the whole time, and that is rare, you executed your job too well.
This was by far my favorite class I've ever taken at GCU. There was a lot of classroom involvement, games (which I love), funny videos, and the lectures were very interesting and insightful. I truly knew nothing about the world of advertising before this course, but now I actually want to go into it and make it part of my career. I want to take this a couple more times in all honesty--it went by too fast!
If you’ve never felt as though a professor was actually on your side, take this course as a creative. I have hope in myself, finally, that I can achieve my goals, because Professor Pottgen was able to help me realize that although grades are important, my book is the only thing companies will really care about.
TP is an exceptional instructor with a wealth of knowledge in advertising and being a creative. The fact that he has 20 years of business and advertising/copywriting under his belt outside of being a professor gave me peace of mind that I could rely on him as a resource and that he would deliver a quality education.
TP helped me flesh out ideas without the pressure to deliver a perfect campaign. It was a good experience that allowed us to fail.
I found that everything in this course directly translated to the real world and situations we will face outside of school.
I instantly felt encouraged to take risks and really grow as a designer and artist. Thank you for making me feel welcomed.
Thank you for teaching me to have no fear when it comes to taking creative risks.
Keep it real and keep it weird, TP.
FAQs
WHY NARWHAL VERSUS OTHER AD PROGRAMS?
Most creative instruction comes from dedicated schools that cost tens of thousands of dollars or more, plus a year or two of your time. We have nothing but praise for these programs if you can afford the time and money--heck, our founder is a product of one of the best (shoutout to Miami Ad School)! Shorter-term agency and ad-business schools are also becoming more common, and we like some of their instructors and reasons for being. You may even decide after your Narwhal experience to seek out these bigger programs. They’re competitive, but we are 100% confident you’ll have a Top 10 application portfolio for them when you’re through here if you decide to go that route.
That said, unlike other ad programs, School of Narwhal is just ten weeks. Yes, it’s intense, but it offers you meaningful, immediate, real-world training and portfolio development in a workshop structure. It assumes a working knowledge of the creative life and the industry, as well as the basic foundations most good creative is based upon. In short, we recognize you already bring certain strengths to the program, so we simply help you build upon these to make your portfolio as strong as possible.
WHAT IS NARWHAL’S REAL AGENDA HERE?
We’re not going to lie. Besides our sheer joy at helping younger creatives achieve their goals because others did the same thing for us “back in the day,” one of the big, hairy goals of this school is to educate, attract and retain creative talent specifically in Phoenix, as well as throughout the state. That’s why we’re looking for creative folks who are already in the Valley or nearby--ones who ideally want to stay and contribute to this vibrant, if somewhat still-under-the-radar, creative community when we’re done. Congrats, you just outed us!
WHAT WILL I WORK ON--AND HOW?
Everything you will be asked to create is designed to simulate real-world advertising and design projects, with the main goal being to help you build a better portfolio. You will be paired with a creative counterpart for the duration of the course. Yes, that’s right, you’ll have one dedicated partner you will meet, concept, and produce with inside and outside of class for all ten weeks. This person is counting on you to do your part and is ready to do theirs, so that you both have killer work in each of your books at the end of the term. Plus, it’s likely that each class will collectively produce one final project meant to positively change the world—and that project gets to be as real as you all decide to make it.
DO I NEED CREATIVE WORK TO GET IN?
Yes. Hopefully, you already have a portfolio or collection of creative pieces in some form or fashion that you can share via a link or emailable PDF. If you don’t have any samples ready to show, you can attempt one of the assignments described in the application. Don’t fret--this thing called your book is a ten-week marathon (or longer), not a sprint.
WHO ARE THE INSTRUCTORS?
School of Narwhal has hand-picked award-winning, Hall-of-Fame-level ad agency creatives in the Valley to provide you with meaningful creative assignments and deliver valuable feedback on the ideas you present to them. In “off weeks” (meaning non-presentation weeks), you will hear from industry pros from around the country (or the world) via Zoom or video. For a few hours every week, those professionals will be at your service.
Of course, you’ll always have access to Troy--a dedicated CW/CD and proven educator with more than a decade’s worth of experience mentoring creative teams and teaching students (and another decade’s worth in the pure creation of award-winning advertising). His network, both in Phoenix and nationally, is pretty solid, and he’s ready to open it up to you as soon as you’re ready.
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?
For exercises and assignments in class, a sketchbook, notepad, pen and/or some Sharpies will suffice. For work outside of class, students are responsible for providing their own computer or laptop capable of running the Adobe Creative Cloud (for art directors and designers), and at least Microsoft Word or Apple Pages (for copywriters). Additional programs may be suggested but will not be required. Apple Macs are the most ideal, as this is the industry standard.
WHEN DOES THE NEXT CLASS START?
Applications are being accepted now for Class 01, and our first in-person session will be Wednesday, October 19. Location: TBD. Time: 6:30pm sharp.
SPACE IS LIMITED.
YOUR TIME IS VALUABLE.
LET’S GET TO WORK.