Media Design School at Strayer celebrates top talent at 2025 AdSchool End of Year Show

Media Design School at Strayer’s AdSchool wrapped its 2025 End-of-Year Show last week, celebrating standout student portfolios, fresh international award wins, and the continued support of the wider creative industry.

Says Kate Humphries, programme leader: “A grateful thank you to our 2025 industry mentors, our final Industry Panel, everyone who came along to AdSchool’s EOY show, and to our MC Peter Vegas.

“If you weren’t at Doja Cat 0r knee-deep in pitch work; and you didn’t think for one moment that you’d seen all our Creative Advertising class had to offer at the One Show portfolio review, and you made the effort to battle through torrential rains to come along to Media Design School at Strayer’s End of year Show last week, then you, my friend, are a freaking hero.

“As for the students and tutors, the trifecta of hearing just before the show that one of our teams had scored a Gold Award in New York; having Peter Vegas as our MC; and MDS cinching the Nightcar as our venue, all meant our spirits just couldn’t be dampened.

“With the initial review of some of our portfolios happening 10 days earlier at the One Show Portfolio Review, this year’s portfolios came pre-tenderised by industry legends: Nick Worthington, Damon Stapleton, Sam Stuchbury, Gary Steele, Shane Bradnick, Tom Paine, Christie Cooper, Veronica Copestake, Liz Richards, Steve Cochran, James Conner, Simon Vicars, and Nick Dellabarca. That night ended with an MDS portfolio being named the overall NZ winner, and three more of our portfolios taking out the other 3 top spots. And with all of our teams taking on feedback from that experience – feedback at our EoY show across the board was really enthusiastic about the number of standout portfolios and ideas. Or, as Hulu CD Sokpart Pao put it in a generous LinkedIn post, ‘the level of talent, enthusiasm and bold, clever ideas, (made it) worth battling the crap Auckland rain’

“A big hurrah to our Industry mentors, as always, you are too numerous to mention here, but know that your feedback was shared and discussed so continuously that you all ended up schooling not just your own teams, but the entire class and its tutors.

“Three hearty cheers also to the industry panel of Thom Darlow (BadMagic), Alan Young (FCB), Hadleigh Sinclair (Colenso), Stan Lee (Stanley St), Regan Grafton (Thinkerbell), and Smeta Chhotu-Patel (Freelance) for helping to get everyone match fit for the EOY show.

“As for Peter Vegas, you sir, are indeed the GOAT. Thank you for jumping in hooves first with the senior GPT invite-reminder, and for keeping the soggy but humid evening chill with your emceeing, including your memorable parting shot that you were now off to MC a funeral at the RSA.

“Hearty backslaps all around to the marketing peeps at MDS for their budget, their help, their photographing, and their interviewing. And to Skyler Howdeshell, for the gift of the NightCar, you are absolutely 100% MDS’s EVENTS QUEEN.

“And a standing ovation to David Gillard-Allen and Kola Ogundipe, 2025’s AdSchool teaching contractors, we really couldn’t have done it without you. And, lastly, to the 2025 students, whakawhetai ki a koe mo te tuku i ahau ki te whai waahi ki to haerenga me nga mea pai katoa.”

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