Bayla Werman

Account Executive, MullenLowe

Bayla Werman, account executive at MullenLowe Boston, jumped at the opportunity to join Blake Winfree and Erin Swenson Gorrall as they launched the 25Forty Project (http://www.25fortyproject.com), an initiative that aims to expose 1,000 students (25 agencies, 40 students at each agency) to advertising as a career. It’s based on the realization that, whether due to a lack of awareness or opportunity, young people from diverse backgrounds are not aspiring to careers in advertising. Bayla’s role on the 24Forty team is best described as the “jack of all trades.” She has touched almost every piece of this project, from building a dedicated agency team to recruiting agencies and schools to mentoring students in the classroom and on production. During a photo shoot, Wes, a student who was art directing the shoot, approached her saying, “Bayla, I had no idea that this was even a job you could do within advertising.” That’s when she knew the experience they were creating with these students was making a serious impact. MullenLowe Boston partnered with Boston Arts Academy and the Record Co., a nonprofit music incubator, to create “Boston Music Is,” a campaign that produced the original song and music video, “Feels Like Home,” which won the Boston Music Awards Video of the Year (Unsigned Artist). Bayla worked with these students on a weekly basis to guide them in managing their “client” and developing the integrated campaign. She was a crucial part in 25Forty’s successful inaugural year, which saw seven agencies volunteer to participate via execution of a creative campaign and/or a speaker series. Campaigns were judged by industry professionals and the winning schools—which partnered with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Pereira & O’Dell, and MullenLowe—were awarded a $10,000 donation. With the second season underway, Bayla remains dedicated to changing the face of our industry through 25Forty.