The school of advertising & marketing

I am pleased that I opted for this course. Over the span of three months, I received a substantial blend of theoretical knowledge and practical experience across various domains, ranging from performance advertising testing strategies to leveraging AI in creative processes. Each subject was delivered in a focused and comprehensive manner by instructors from leading Lithuanian advertising firms and organizations, who enriched the theoretical framework with their practical expertise. The practical assignments after each topic segment reinforced the knowledge gained, providing those who engaged with their brands a solid groundwork for an integrated advertising campaign post-course. This course is ideal both as an introduction for individuals embarking on their careers and as an enhancement of skills for those already experienced in advertising creation, digital communication, and related areas.

Inspiring and engaging – that is what this course was for me. Interesting, high-quality and relevant theory was combined with a hands-on practical part, during which excellent professionals in their respective fields shared their experience. It was a great opportunity not only to create, but also to get answers to questions that arise when working with real clients. Special compliments to the course leader Clare McNally, who not only teaches the theory brilliantly, but is also fantastically inspiring! Even if you come up with 50 ideas and you feel that it’s all you can do, she will inspire you to come up with at least 10 more. These were intense months that strengthened the knowledge I already had and inspired me to create more and with more courage.

Since my school days, I have dreamed of establishing a community that would have a positive impact on the world around me. While working as a programmer in a product team, I saw that product managers are a part of the community that controls the levers of influence, which made me want to try this position myself. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to look far for opportunities, as The Atomic Garden was just recruiting for its first class of people who wanted to become Product Managers. What I expected from the course was a demystification of the producer role, heated discussions with teachers, and feedback-dominated mentoring. Expectations met. I know the difference between a Project and a Product Manager, I managed to pit teachers against each other, and I don’t even know where to put the amount of feedback I received from mentors and teachers. As someone with a fairly high quality standard, I was pleased with the competence of the teachers and the level of knowledge of their craft. The most important thing is that they did not lack empathy, which is especially important in the training of new knowledge and skills. During the course, we went through the product cycle, taking away 3 practical works that you can put in your portfolio. The teachers kept sharing different career stories with us. It was very useful in forming a multifaceted perspective of working in product companies.

Despite the name, most courses available in the Lithuanian market still focus on the delivery aspect and cater primarily to Project or Backlog Managers, rather than true Product Managers. These were different—covering the entire range of Product Management activities from A to Z, with a strong emphasis on the most important aspect of Product Management – “Product Discovery.” Professional teachers + a well-balanced mix of theory and practice + curious and motivated participants = courses were useful not only for beginners, or those looking to start their careers in Product Management, but also those already working in the field and willing to learn some new stuff. Another advantage – it was a great place to meet professionals in the PM area and discuss your daily challenges.

During the course, we got a broad overview of the product manager role from a variety of experiences. The enthusiasm of the course leaders to share both their experience and to talk about their product and the problem it solves was particularly noticeable. What I liked most were the teachers who shared their personal, very specific experiences and product (failure) stories. All the presented theoretical material is well summarized and arranged in slides, which will be used and opened when I want to delve into one or another topic when a similar situation occurs in practice. Overall, the course was a good set, where the lessons flowed from each other. In summary, I would rate it as suitable for both those completely new to the product journey and a great refresher for those already experienced. The main takeaway I took away from the course is that the purpose of the product manager role is to identify the most important problems to be solved for your audience and to put together a winning strategy.

I would like to say that I discovered this school unexpectedly, however, it would be more accurate to say that it was the school that discovered me. The Atomic Garden is an entirely unique phase in my life, which has thrown me onto the merry-go-round of the advertising market.

During my studies, I met my teacher Arnas Aukštikalnis, who invited me to become the art director at DDB Vilnius, and just a few months after graduation, having gained the knowledge from The Atomic Garden, I won Lithuania’s Young Cannes Lions competition and went to Cannes to compete among the world’s best young talents. I came back ranked in Top 9 and very eager to catch my own lion in advertising.

My experience in Lithuania helped me to enrol in the Master’s programme at the Miami Ad School, where I am gaining international experience and striving for new achievements.

When you come to the Creativity in Advertising course, you turn into a weird person (if you weren’t already): you turn off your adblocker, wait for adverts while watching TV and startle your friends by speaking non-stop about the best campaigns.

The Atomic Garden Vilnius is a school that introduced me to the world of advertising and made me think differently. Here I have gained knowledge that I cannot find in any book, explained in such a broad way. The atmosphere here was motivating and encouraging to learn. Here I learned to tame my creativity, so that it’s not just one-off flashes of ideas. I was also surprised to discover how widespread the Atomic community is – practically everywhere in the advertising field I find people who have studied or teach at the school. It’s great to see that if you don’t let go of your passion, the advertising industry is waiting for you.

To be interesting and influential in the world of advertising, you have to learn that you’re not here for the sake of self-expression. During my time at The Atomic Garden Vilnius, I developed a sense of versatility and it was the best thing that could have happened.

After completing the Creativity in Advertising course, I began to work with in-house digital product teams, so my creative work started requiring a deeper understanding of numbers. Hence, the newly launched Creative Performance course immediately appeared on my must-do list. I really liked having more than one course leader, because we got twice as much insights and relevant information, applicable to digital creation, planning and analytics.

Creative Performance MyBee After completing the Creativity in Advertising course, I began to work with in-house digital product teams, so my creative work started requiring a deeper understanding of numbers. Hence, the newly launched Creative Performance course immediately appeared on my must-do list. I really liked having more than one course leader, because we got twice as much insights and relevant information, applicable to digital creation, planning and analytics. The most interesting aspects of the course for me were their flexibility and the students themselves. The backgrounds of all the participants were quite different, and it allowed me to look into a lot of areas that I wouldn’t have thought of myself. Although the sessions were held after work, motivation was constantly boosted by the lively nature of the classes, which were tailored to the real world issues and needs of the time. It is only because of this flexibility that I have unexpectedly found a new topic of interest, which will certainly be easier to delve into with my fresh knowledge and contacts.

I started training at The Atomic Garden Vilnius as soon as I returned to Lithuania after several years abroad. To be honest, at the time I had no idea of what I wanted to do here and in what field I wanted to work. Having worked in fashion and journalism before, the world of advertising seemed like the right fit for me, so I decided to give it a go. Apparently, my goal was to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to work in an advertising agency. However, although I later realised that I was more suited to other activities, the knowledge and skills I acquired here are still vital in my daily work.