Eight young advertising creatives will once again compete to win a 30-day paid freelance position at five of today’s top advertising agencies, with the return of The Big Ad Gig (www.thebigadgig.com) to Advertising Week 2010.

“Most of our finalists last year secured full-time jobs when their internships were over—a huge validation of this program,” said Andreas Combuechen, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Atmosphere Proximity and the agency that developed the program in collaboration with The New York Times.

The Web site and creative for this year’s event were again developed by Atmosphere Proximity. Short video clips from the five agency judges—Andreas Combuechen, Andrew Keller, Partner, Chief Creative Officer CP+B, Ty Montague, former Co-President and Chief Creative Officer, JWT North America, Tham Khai Meng, Worldwide Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather, and Jimmy Smith, Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\Day, LA—reveal a quirky side to this year’s competition. The entry requirements call for each contender to submit a portfolio, a resume and to film a 60-second-or-less video that includes one of the judge’s video clips.

“This program provides internship opportunities with some of the top creative shops,” said Denise Warren, Chief Advertising Officer for The New York Times Media Group. “We’re looking forward to seeing and celebrating the work of these aspiring advertising professionals.”

From the submissions received, the judges and their agencies will select seven of the eight finalists who will compete at the event during Advertising Week 2010, based on the quality of their portfolio and video. The eighth finalist will receive an automatic bid to the live event based on a people’s choice Facebook vote, which will take place on The Big Ad Gig Web site. All entries must be completed by 11:59pm on August 23, 2010.

At the live event, the judges will select five winners from the eight finalists. The final presentations on which the judges will base their decisions will be centered on a brief for an Ad Council project. The event will take place on Thursday, September 30th at The New York Times and will be moderated by New York Times Advertising columnist Stuart Elliott.

“The Ad Council is thrilled to participate in The Big Ad Gig once again. It’s such a great opportunity for us to identify enthusiastic and incredibly talented young people and have them put their energy and skills towards a public service advertising message. We love the spirit behind this competition,” said Priscilla Natkins, Executive Vice President, Client Services for the Ad Council, who also serves as a judge for the competition.

“We had a wonderful experience with The Big Ad Gig last year and were fortunate to have been able to hire our intern in a full time position. He has proven to be a most terrific addition to our team,” said Ogilvy’s Tham Khai Meng. “We are thrilled to be able to participate again this year and to support and encourage young talent through this program.”

Andrew Keller, of CP+B, said, “Advertising is still the best gig for creative minds of all kinds. Excited to meet some new ones.”

In addition to the advertising agency sponsors, additional sponsors of The Big Ad Gig include The New York Times, Microsoft Advertising, PointRoll and the Ad Council.

"Microsoft Advertising believes The Big Ad Gig is a great opportunity to attract and cultivate promising talent in advertising. We are honored to be participating in this event again and look forward to enabling innovative digital campaigns that engage consumers across mobile, online and gaming," said Charles Johnson, General Manager of Mobile Media for Microsoft Advertising.

“PointRoll has always been focused on blending the perfect mix of art and science when it comes to crafting ads that truly make an impression,” said Jason Tafler, CEO, PointRoll. “The Big Ad Gig has uncovered many young people who already understand what making an impression is all about and we believe strongly in nurturing that raw talent right from the start.”

To learn more about this exciting event, please log on to www.thebigadgig.com. For press enquires, please contact Toni Lee at 212-237-5090 or Toni.Lee@ogilvy.com or Michelle Parks McCourt at michelle@atmosphereproximity.com.