THE LEVERAGE YOU’RE LOOKING FOR

Welcome to the Crowbar Awards hosted by Breaking & Entering Advertising Podcast. Don’t get it twisted; this is not just an award show. It’s a tool to either break into advertising or gain the leverage needed to level up. Our tool of choice, a crowbar…

This award is for the self-teachers, knowledge seekers, and brightest minds honing their craft outside of their daily responsibilities. These are your traditional university ad students, portfolio school students, entry-level agency folk, and anyone else who has decided that advertising is their calling.

How it works:

Every three months, a new brief and guest judge will be announced. Participants will have the quarter to develop a cohesive strategy, plan, and execution for how they will break that quarter’s brand problem.

At the end of the quarter, the Breaking & Entering team, along with the guest judge, will acknowledge the top 4 participants.

The Loot

The Blue Crowbar

First Place Receives:
A physical blue crowbar to hang above your fireplace or use to break into an actual agency… (No not really, just go take a sweet picture with it out front!)
A networking meeting with the guest judge
An appearance on the Breaking and Entering Podcast to discuss their submission
The Golden Crowbar

Second Place Receives:
A networking meeting with the guest judge
Meet and receive feedback from the Breaking and Entering team
Digital gold crowbar icon to display anywhere you like
The Silver Crowbar

Third Place Receives:
A networking meeting with the Breaking and Entering Team
Digital silver crowbar icon to display anywhere you like
The Bronze Crowbar

Fourth Place Receives:
Written feedback from the Breaking and Entering team
Digital bronze crowbar icon to display anywhere you like

How we can help:

New guest judges who change the world everyday inside and outside of the marketing industry
Our network of recruiters and the best talent across the marketing and advertising industries
Briefs aimed at solving real world brand problems and bolstering your portfolio
We’ve been helping people break in and thrive in for two and a half years and already helped thousands

Do you have what it takes?

The Brief

Who are we?

Geno Schellenberger

Geno Schellenberger is the communications lead at Havas Chicago and Host of the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast, the leading advertising podcast for students and the number 5 ad pod worldwide.
An alum of the University of Illinois, he graduated in May 2020 with a degree in advertising and public relations.
In March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, he created the Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast to help aspiring advertisers break in and thrive in advertising. He does this by sharing the stories and advice of successful advertisers in the industry, including Greg Hahn (founder of Mischief), Seth Gaffney (Founder of Preacher), Myra Nussbaum (President of Havas Chicago), Rob Schwartz (Chair at TBWA\NY Group) and stars from countless ad agencies.
160+ weeks (and episodes) later, Geno has broken into Havas Chicago and manages communications and PR. He still posts his podcast every Tuesday with help from his team, Buchun Jiang, Cooper Colvig and Mikey Melarkey.
Connect with him here:
https://flowcv.me/geno-schellenberger
Cooper Colvig

Cooper Colvig is a Marketing and Advertising Strategist at Impact Networking in Chicago. He leads strategy across a large portfolio of clients ranging from B2B startups to classic Chicago food brands. He is also responsible for overseeing the agency's innovation lab, focusing on new process experimentation, identifying unique client opportunities, and utilizing new ideologies and concepts to uplift strategic work.
Joining the Breaking and Entering team in 2022, Cooper co-hosts the Breaking and Entering Podcast with Geno and develops new initiatives to grow the brand. Cooper is passionate about helping aspiring marketers and advertisers reach their full potential and is always looking for ways to lend a hand
Buchun Jiang

Buchun Jiang is an Art Director who has worked on brands like AT&T, Popeyes, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and campaigns with GUT Miami. With formal training in advertising from the University of Illinois and Art Direction from the Miami Ad School, he is making his mark in the advertising world.
In addition, Buchun works as the creative director for Breaking and Entering Advertising Podcast, the leading advertising podcast for students and the number 1 ad pod worldwide.