The clock is ticking as we head into the home stretch of the ADC Young Guns 2016 Awards Ceremony + Party! Next Thursday, 30 phenomenally talented individuals and duos will be honored with the prestigious ADC Young Guns trophy, joining the ranks of Young Guns winners alongside the likes of Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Walsh and Jon Contino.

And at least one new Young Gun will be honored just a little bit more than the others.

For the third year in a row, ADC is proud to partner with international artists management agency Levine/Leavitt to present the ADC Young Guns Artist in Residence Award. With the goal of advancing the careers of emerging talent, a selected ADC Young Guns winner will be invited to join a special roster at Levine/Leavitt. For one year, Levine/Leavitt agents — along with an advisory board consisting of top creative industry professionals — will work closely with this group to guide them and help take their careers to the next level.

The Artist in Residence Advisory Board includes:

• Jeff Levine and Liz Leavitt, co-founders, Levine/Leavitt
• Menno Kluin, Executive Creative Director, Deutsch NY and ADC Young Guns 6 winner
• Dave Bett, Design Director, Sony Music
• Rob Baird, Founder, Chief Creative Director, Preacher
• Danny Clinch, Photographer and Filmmaker
• Cliff Lewis, Executive Producer, Droga5
• Alex Nowak, Creative Director, Droga5

“We help guide the artists on the many facets of their careers, including promotion, portfolio edits, negotiating new contracts and reviewing existing contracts,” explains Jeff Levine. “We introduce them to our clients, make sure they’re receiving fair fees, and we focus on bringing them the work they love to do, assignments that challenge them creatively, and projects that will elevate them as artists.”

“We look for someone who has more than just raw talent but through their work shows commitment, accomplishment, experimentation and room for growth.”

So how exactly does Levine/Leavitt choose who will be their Artist in Residence? “Considering that this year’s Young Guns were all nominated and then selected from a jury, we feel confident in saying we had an incredible pool of talent to review,” says Jeff. “We looked at the all of the Young Guns winners and carefully examined their work. From this exceptional group, we looked for artists who show exemplary, thought-provoking work, work that is surprising and shows the artist is a deep thinker and problem solver.  We look for unexpected solutions, and we look for a fresh point of view along with an incredible technical skill set. We look for someone who has more than just raw talent but through their work shows commitment, accomplishment, experimentation and room for growth.”

Winning ADC Young Guns and the Artist in  Residence Award isn’t just an accomplishment — it’s also a major stepping stone. Just ask last year’s winner, acclaimed Australian letterer Gemma O’Brien. “I was so thrilled to be named an ADC Young Guns winner in 2015,” she says. “I had admired the work of many previous Young Guns for some time, so it was an honour to be joining this talented group of artists. Working with Levine/Leavitt as Artist in Residence has been fantastic both personally and professionally. I’ve strengthened my network in the US, worked with some great new clients and made new friends along the way.”

Gemma O’Brien

So as you can see, winning this honor can be a huge boost to a rising superstar. But which superstar will it be? Jeff isn’t letting on. “We’ve made our selection, we’re incredibly excited about this and looking forward to announcing our new Artist in Residence next week.”

ADC Young Guns 2016 takes place on Thursday, September 22 at the ADC Gallery in New York City. Tickets are available now.

TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE