Andrew Reutsky

In the time when credible headlines state AI is crashing young workers' employment prospects, I believe there is no better time to be a student. Why?

We get a school email and the world of generous professionals willing to find 15 minutes to chat—making connections without feeling like a burden.

We can choose to lean in to AI-native skills—ship small prototypes and creative automations, and write papers that study the value.

Most importantly, we have the space to scan the horizon and reflect—to map what’s durable vs. automatable in our craft and where to focus.

So, I believe the “AI is closing doors” narrative is shortsighted, at best.

This is undoubtedly the most dynamic time in higher education in a century; students who grasp the power of AI will shape entire industries.

Successful change, however, requires skillful steering—and that’s on students and colleges, as well as all of us, to support them—that is, if we want the creative industry to evolve and thrive, of course.

P.S. A big part of NEXT is the student-run creative agency. If your brand or agency wants to brief (and NDA) top students on a real advertising challenge this fall, DM me and I’ll connect you.

P.P.S. Yes—I’m the only current student on the board.

I didn't always agree with Steve. But it’s impossible to deny the influence he had on me. He jumpstarted my reading habit, challenged my thinking, and even encouraged me—though he strongly disapproved at first—when I left Leo to pursue a business degree.

Now, after nearly 20 years at Leo Burnett, Steve left the agency. And he published his own book: "Knock Wood: True Stories from a Catastrophizer."

Don’t read it just because it was written by one of the most celebrated Canadian ad minds. Read it because it’s rare: raw, real, insightful, and courageous. It’s a first-person account with no gloss, no “Instagram-perfect” overcoming—just humanity, in all its funny, sad, messy truth. It’s a book with a soul. It's an original.

What I took away from it is what made Steve a legend in advertising and how he’s managed to hold onto his humility. The book doesn’t waste a second of your time. It’s simply well-written, and it leaves you better than it found you.

Greatness is born through character. Character is built through overcoming.

I'm studying in Harvard's Division of Continuing Education, upgrading my Humber College diploma into a Bachelor's in Business Administration and Management with a minor in Digital Media. This past year has easily been the most intense and productive of my life. And as I head into summer break, it hits me how miraculous it is for a boy from a small Siberian village to have any association with Harvard.

I want to pause to sincerely thank the exceptional people who guided me here—I never have, and never will, forget your support.

From discovering Photoshop at 10, moving to Canada to study advertising just after turning 18, interning at GREY as an art director at 19, then joining Leo Burnett, to now getting into Harvard—I realize how incredibly fortunate I've been. My ultimate goal is to return this luck tenfold to everyone who supported me along the way.

I'm deeply grateful for my time at Leo and beyond excited to start this new chapter. I'm eager to return to the industry with a deeper, world-class understanding of business. Many close friends have called this my next chapter, and honestly, I'm starting to get the feeling that the best is yet to come. Stay tuned!