In this race against the clock, we all win
Two+Two UK 2026, organised by Creative Resource, where creativity flourished under pressure.
There’s something uniquely energising about watching the next generation of creatives tackle real-world challenges under pressure – and recently, our Creative Director Mark Blaylock got a front-row seat.
Mentoring at Two+Two UK, the Creative Resource initiative that pairs students with industry professionals for a day of rapid creative problem-solving, Mark joined 150 students from universities across the country as they responded to a powerful brief from Beyond Equality.
Here, Mark reflects on the pace, pressure and brilliance of the day, and why the future of the creative industry looks incredibly bright.
09:44
I arrive late. Stressed. Palms clammy, back, sweaty. First-school-day vibes compounded by a delayed train and having to quietly sneak into a packed hall. Looking around, it seems to me that students and mentors all know what they’re about.
Great. I feel underprepared and convinced I’m already playing catch-up.
10:00
The 150 or so students from over a dozen universities are divided into smaller colour-coded groups with their allocated mentors – I with the Orange team. En masse, we head off to our allocated rooms.
The creative brief from Beyond Equality is superb. Paraphrasing here, but the day’s challenge is to get young men, aged 18-26, who enjoy sport, to reassess what it means to be a man and to be more emotionally open and supportive. Inspired by the recent Louis Theroux program on “influencer misogyny”, it not only feels pertinent, but vital. And where I would have sat staring at the brief, shuffling pages, already the students are talking through their ideas. But then they’ve got to work fast, as they’ve only got until three o’clock when they have to present their campaigns.
My fellow mentors are already introducing themselves to the now smaller teams of three and four.
Right, can’t put this off any longer, time to dive in. Going from team to team, I’m instantly feeling better about the day. They’ve all realised the importance of making an emotional connection with young men and are looking for the most compelling insights to support their emerging strategies.
A nudge here and a suggestion there is all that’s needed at this stage. Far better that I give them space, it also gives me the opportunity to talk with my fellow mentors and get their take on the day so far.
12:05
Not long till lunch now. It’s also a good time to offer some support to the teams – not that it’s really needed as they’ve all made headway. Here and there, I make a few suggestions on how they could possibly reframe an insight or push an idea, but all in all, the first half of the day has gone well. They’re in a good place.
12:57
Right. Adrenaline time. The clock’s ticking down, and the teams only have two hours until they have to present their ideas to everyone. Annoyingly to me, no one seems in the least bit stressed. I’d be having a meltdown by now, but they all seem calm and collected, and their initial ‘rough thoughts’ are really starting to take shape. Chatting with each team, the only problem any of them seem to have is too many ideas. So, it’s simply a task of getting them to jettison the weaker ones.
15:12
The five teams in Orange are ready to present their ideas to all of us.
What can I say? Every… single… team… smashed it.
Now for the really hard part. How do you choose one winning idea from five incredibly strong and original thoughts? 12 Angry Men springs to mind as we mentors go back and forth. But in the end, there’s one that stands out for its powerful simplicity.
This ‘winning’ team then has barely 20 minutes to add finishing touches to their idea before pitching it against the other ‘winning’ ideas from the other groups.
Finally… on the train home
It doesn’t matter which team or which idea won in the end.
I can honestly say that every campaign I saw was great, and, if there has to be a winner, it’s creativity and the future of our industry. Because what I witnessed in Manchester makes me realise I’m going to have to work a lot harder, as the students of today are the copywriters, art directors, and strategists of tomorrow, and they’re good, very good.
