One School

What One School does

One School (operated as ONE School US) is a free, online portfolio school that trains Black creatives for art direction and copywriting careers in the advertising industry. Founded in 2020 by Oriel Davis-Lyons (also CCO of Mother New York) in partnership with The One Club for Creativity, the program runs a 16-week intensive curriculum covering ten creative disciplines (Out of Home, Social Media, Experiential, Innovation, Film, PR, Integrated, Moonshots, Product Design, and Data-Driven Storytelling), delivered via Tuesday lectures from industry leaders and Thursday tutorials with one-to-one tutoring from Black creatives working in top agencies. Cohorts are capped at 15 students per city and run four times per year across New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago.

The underlying technology is an online virtual learning platform with no proprietary AI or software features disclosed; the program's core "product" is the curriculum, the mentor network, and the placement pipeline. Students apply via video introduction, creativity demonstration, and written response, then build portfolios through ten real-world briefs over the course, finishing with a three-week mentor-guided portfolio polish and judging phase.

The business model is non-commercial: the program is entirely free to accepted students and funded through donations and corporate sponsorships processed via The One Club for Creativity. There is no tuition, no equity funding, and no disclosed revenue. The go-to-market is application-driven and community-led, relying on word-of-mouth within the Black creative community, social channels (LinkedIn, Instagram), and the parent organization's industry credibility. Customer segments are twofold: Black creatives seeking portfolio credentials (primary) and advertising agencies/brands seeking diverse junior creative talent (secondary, served via a placement network of 147 companies). To date the program reports 154+ graduates with a 73% hire rate, 60% of whom are women.

Name

One School

Legal name

One School US

Website

https://oneschoolus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

One School is a free, online 16-week portfolio school that trains Black creatives for art direction and copywriting roles in advertising, operating under The One Club for Creativity and placing graduates at 147 agencies and brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Education

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Tutoring + Learning Content Platforms (Curriculum + Tutors) (EDANAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Creator Course Marketplaces (Multi-Instructor Catalogs) (MPACALAA)

Keywords

• Creative portfolio school
• Advertising education
• Diversity hiring program
• Art direction training
• Copywriting portfolio

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: The program is entirely free for students, funded through donations and corporate sponsorships. Donations are processed through The One Club for Creativity's website at oneclub.org/store/-one-school-open-donation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

One School is a free, online 16-week intensive portfolio program that trains Black creatives in art direction and copywriting for the advertising industry. Students complete 10 real-world briefs across creative disciplines (Out of Home, Social Media, Experiential, Innovation, Film, PR, Integrated, Moonshots, Product Design, and Data-Driven Storytelling) under one-to-one tutoring from Black working creatives, culminating in a world-class portfolio and placement support at 147+ agencies and brands.

Product overview

ONE School is a single, unified educational program - a free, online portfolio school designed specifically for Black creatives. The core offering is a 16-week intensive program where students learn from award-winning Black creatives and work on 10 briefs across various advertising disciplines (Out of Home, Social Media, Experiential, Innovation, Film, PR, Integrated, Moonshots, Product Design, Data-Driven Storytelling). The program includes Tuesday lectures from industry leaders, Thursday tutorials with hands-on work, and culminates in a 3-week portfolio finishing period with mentor guidance. Students are paired with Black creative mentors for career support throughout the program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ONE School Portfolio Program A free, online 16-week intensive portfolio program for Black creatives, teaching the creative skills required to work at top ad agencies. Students work on 10 briefs across creative disciplines and produce a world-class portfolio with one-to-one tutoring from Black working creatives, culminating in placement support with hiring agencies and brands.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73% of graduates are hired at agencies and brands
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• The One Club for CreativitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020One School was founded in partnership with The One Club for Creativity in 2020. The One Club processes donations for the program, provides organizational infrastructure, and lends credibility as the leading industry organization for advertising creativity.
• 147 Agencies and BrandsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTop advertising agencies and brands that hire One School graduates. These partners provide placement opportunities, industry exposure, and real-world brief experience. They include Spotify, Apple, Ogilvy, 72andSunny, Meta, Leo Burnett, VMLY&R, and others.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• AdColor: Industry organization and fellowship program advancing diversity and inclusion across advertising, media, and marketing. Adjacent peer: shares the same mission of increasing Black and underrepresented representation in the creative industry and engages the same agency employer base.
• Domestika: Global online learning marketplace for creative disciplines including illustration, design, and advertising. Competes indirectly for the same self-directed creative learner, with paid courses rather than a free cohort model — represents a potential low-cost alternative for aspiring creatives.
• D&AD New Blood Awards: Industry awards and brief platform run by D&AD targeting emerging creatives and students globally. Complementary rather than directly competitive — provides portfolio exposure and industry recognition similar to One School's judging period — and serves a similar pipeline into creative agencies.

Direct peers

• One School UK: The UK counterpart of One School, operating the same free online 16-week portfolio program for underrepresented creatives targeting advertising careers. Same founder partnership with The One Club for Creativity, with curriculum and operating model directly mirrored from the US program.
• VCU Brandcenter: Graduate portfolio program at Virginia Commonwealth University focused on advertising creative leadership (art direction, copywriting, strategy). Comparable in targeting aspiring creative directors and producing agency-ready portfolios, but delivered as a multi-year, tuition-bearing degree program.
• The Creative Circus: Atlanta-based portfolio school with concentrations in art direction, copywriting, and design. Direct competitor for entry-level creative talent placement into the same agency network, though fee-based and broader in scope.
• Miami Ad School: Global portfolio school for art direction and copywriting, the traditional fee-based model that One School explicitly positions against ($40K cost barrier). Most directly comparable in curriculum and career outcomes, but serves a broader, tuition-paying student base.

Broad incumbents

• School of Visual Arts (SVA): NYC-based college offering BFA/MFA programs in advertising, design, and related creative disciplines. Broader creative-education incumbent whose advertising graduates compete for similar entry-level agency roles.
• The One Club for Creativity: Parent nonprofit of One School and the leading industry organization for advertising creativity, known for The One Show and ADC Annual Awards. Provides infrastructure, donation processing, and brand credibility; while not a direct educational competitor, it is the closest organizational peer and platform anchor.

Others

• The 4A's Foundation: Foundation arm of the American Association of Advertising Agencies supporting diversity, education, and talent development. Operates scholarships and programs targeting underrepresented advertising talent, with a similar employer-sponsor network to One School.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/one-school-us
• Instagraminstagram.com/oneschoolus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about One School