March 26, 2026
Many people think that AI is set to replace designers, artists and creative industry professionals. Thankfully, high school students in PreparationTech's 2025-2026 program heard that this is not completely true. AI is indeed transforming advertising, marketing and branding, shrinking teams, speeding up workflows and helping with the generation of ideas, images and text. But AI is also creating new skill sets and roles, jobs and creative processes. People, not AI, will continue to power creativity and connection because only we understand and experience emotions, feelings and the power of lived experiences.
Creative agencies link Monks which blend creativity, technology and strategic use data will survive and re-define advertising, marketing and branding.
Talks by Executives
On March 25, 2026, approximately 80 students and teachers made a company visit to Monk, a top global creative agency headquartered in Amsterdam, to learn about study, training and careers in the creative industries.
They heard from executives and tech professionals that the future belongs to young people who 1) develop tech/AI knowledge and skills, 2) cultivate taste, influence, originality and creativity and 3) make teamwork and collaboration their modus operandi. Wesley Haar, ter spoke about founding the company and AI challenges/opportunities and Vanessa Noordervliet spoke about the most important tech and soft skills that Monks looks for in new hires. Students were surprised that Monks requires employees to be in the office most days of the week. Face-to-face communication and being physically together is when the magic happens, according to Vanessa.
Pierre Nelwan and Mattia Hogenboom showed how AI is streamlining production and transforming content. They showed Monks' super-successful AI-driven, social media campaign for Burger King USA during which users designed virtual Whoppers with a custom-built AI tool for the chance to win $1 million dollars and have their creation sold in restaurants across America. The campaign was a huge hit: millions of submissions, increased sales, and a huge increase in memberships for Burger King's Royal Perks loyalty program.
Some key takeaways from the talks:
- embrace AI tools if they help you speed up production and become more efficient
- creative teams will become smaller and more agile
- the hallmark of a great creative is a willingness to continuously learn (as Wesley ter Haar says, "make stuff!")
Team Challenge
Monks' team organized a team challenge during which students developed a mini-campaign involving brainstorming, developing a sales pitch and AI content production. They pitched their campaign to Victor Knaap, Monks' co-founder responsible for sales and the company's largest clients, who spoke about the importance of communicating your ideas dynamically. Student teams pitched to the audience (with a lot of cheering and hyping) before the winners were chosen. It was all the more powerful because teams were made up of students from different schools who did not necessarily know each other.
Where to Study for a Career in the Creative Industries in the Netherlands
Monks executives named three schools in the Netherlands as great places to study Web design, UX design, animation, film, graphic design, photography, videography and other technical fields. They are Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam, HKU in Utrecht and HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem.