TBWA\Australia has opened applications for its paid creative agency apprenticeship program, FRESHIES, marking the next evolution of its long-running initiative to uncover Australia’s most curious and unconventional thinkers.
Formerly known as Fresh Fries, the program has been reimagined with a new name, a new look, and a new brief, but it remains grounded in the agency’s core philosophy of disruption.
Now entering its eighth year in Melbourne and its first in Sydney, FRESHIES offers a full-time, 12-month immersion into agency life, rotating through strategy, creative, client leadership, production, and PR.
Since launching in 2018, 80% of graduates have gone on to secure permanent roles within TBWA, making it one of the most effective entry pathways in the Australian advertising industry.
Kimberlee Wells
Don’t fear the blank page
The 2026 brief is straightforward, almost Hemingway-esque: “Don’t Fear the Blank Page, Fill It.” Instead of résumés or polished portfolios, applicants are asked to respond with imagination.
“FRESHIES isn’t about your credentials on paper,” said Kimberlee Wells, CEO, TBWA\Australia. “We want people who see the world differently. People who are hungry to learn, unafraid to disrupt, and who can turn a blank page into something remarkable.”
Shortlisted applicants will be invited into either TBWA\Melbourne or TBWA\Sydney in November for a collaborative group task and interview, a process designed to test creative instincts, not credentials.
Ricci Meldrum, Managing Director of TBWA\Melbourne
Opening the door to new voices
For Ricci Meldrum, Managing Director of TBWA\Melbourne, the program’s impact goes far beyond early-career experience.
“The program effectively sees FRESHIES take on five new roles,” she said. “It’s an intense, challenging, transformative and rewarding year. You don’t just discover what advertising is, you discover where you belong in it.
“What sets the program apart is that there are no restrictions and no prerequisites. Your curiosity is your main asset.”
In an industry where entry points can be opaque, TBWA is positioning FRESHIES as a direct response to the “no job without experience, no experience without a job” paradox that often deters new talent.
“Too many graduates and career changers hit the same wall: no job without experience, no experience without a job,” said Elektra O’Malley, Managing Director, TBWA\Sydney.
“FRESHIES removes that barrier. We don’t ask for a polished portfolio; we look for potential.”
No industry experience or prior study is required, just “curiosity, courage, creativity and a disruptive outlook.”
Why programs like FRESHIES matter
TBWA’s relaunch comes at a time when national data underscores the need for more structured, accessible creative pathways.
• According to the Graduate Outcomes Survey (QILT 2023), 79% of graduates secured full-time work within four months of finishing study, leaving 21% still seeking employment.
• The ABS Job Mobility Survey (2025) found only 7.7% of Australians change jobs each year, with career-changers facing higher barriers to entry.
• The Creative Workforce Scoping Study (2025) called for more traineeships and mentoring programs to build sustainable creative careers.
A culture built on disruption
For TBWA, the relaunch is more than a rebrand, it’s a statement of intent.
As Wells put it, the agency isn’t searching for the most polished creatives, but for the ones brave enough to start with nothing but an idea.
“We want people who are hungry to learn, unafraid to disrupt, and who can turn a blank page into something remarkable.”