Earlier this year, Ravensbourne University published research that showed three-quarters of young people want to work in the creative industries, but not enough know how to go about it. The government and Creative Industries Council recently laid out plans to plug this knowledge gap. But it might also be the responsibility of agencies, studios, and creative businesses to be more visible and actively find and foster the talent they need rather than wait for it to come to them.

In the past, big, established agencies and studios could rely on swathes of young talent to be knocking on their door come graduation. That might still be the case for some, but more and more it’s not enough to be passive in the recruitment process. “You can’t rely on reputation. This industry is too big, is constantly shifting, and there are so many agencies doing great things right now,” says Teri Miller, president and partner at Mother USA, who sits across both advertising and design and oversees talent.

“Reputation only gets you so far before you need to show up with receipts. [It’s] the current work, the current culture, the current leadership, the current sphere of influence, the current benefits offered and, most importantly, the impact a candidate believes they can have on the world from a seat at your company.”