Hello, Marc.

My name is Daniel and today your students gave me my first placement in UK ad land.

But that’s not the reason I’m writing this thank you letter.

The reason is – I consider myself a student of your school, even though I never paid tuition fees or attended any lectures.

Both of these things make me sad, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I’m Ukrainian by nationality. That means European passport is as far from me as prospects of my country becoming a part of EU. Which also means, there is absolutely no way for me to study at SCA. Remember two Ukrainian guys who applied for a place last year and both got in? Nikolay, a guy in glasses with a beard, and Daniel, a handsome model-looking lad? I’ve recommended your school and both found out about visa restrictions the hard way. Nikolay was so keen to study at SCA he even though of a dodgy scheme of living in Paris and commuting everyday. It didn’t work.

Taking this into consideration the only way I could study in your school would be to join a laid back course in London and make your alumni my teachers.

And that’s exactly what I did.

SCAB’s became my source of inspiration and envy. They made me put myself in the shoes of your students.

Your triumph on last year’s D&AD became my source of inspiration and anger. They showed me the standard of work I need to keep up with.

Your student books became my source of will to be better and smarter. A talented bunch with great books, obviously one need loads of sweat and tears to at least be on their level.

Instead of going to BOGOF lectures and seminars at my uni I spent days seeing as many creative teams as me and my partner and I could. And you know who were the best mentors?

Teams that graduated from your school.

Greg and Tom helped us to win D&AD this year. Adam & Will made us push our book and be restless. Martins and David believed in us and gave us our first gig.

You and your students taught me much more than my course did.

Which is sad in one way, but really good in another. Because anger and jealousy are easily turned

into will to succeed, and that’s exactly what SCA did to me. Teaching a lot about things I would never learn about while also showing me what I missed because of being born in a country which wasn’t fortunate enough.

Imagine if SCA 2.0 worked out a way to accept overseas students? That would solve diversity problem in just one year and give such a strong flow of international talent to UK. You can’t even imagine how many hungry and cool creatives are there in Ukraine. And you certainly know how many there are in Brazil and USA.

I hope to meet you at D&AD and/or CREAM and shake your hand, because you taught me about advertising without even knowing I exist. Funny connected world it is.

I don’t know whether because of my bloody passport I will get a job here one day. But if I do, I will it a goal to become mentor at SCA.

Because I owe you and SCA a lot.

Thank you.

Daniel Liakh,

a stammering wannabe art director from Ukraine and graduate of COUP intake (sort of)

http://danandjoshorjoshanddan.com