Long before the internet became part of everyday life, print media was one of the windows through which to view the outside world. For those who grew up far from city centres, the pages of magazines provided a space to learn about all sorts of things they might never have encountered first-hand.

Febrian Putra, or Ditra, Director of Animal3 Creative and an ITB alumnus, had a similar experience. Growing up in Rembang, Central Java, Ditra relied on print media to satisfy his curiosity about what was happening beyond the town where he lived.

Through magazines and tabloids, he gradually became acquainted with a world that felt so far removed from his everyday life.

One of the things that caught his attention in the pages of the magazines and tabloids he read was the world of design and architecture. In the early 2000s, an architecture magazine he read sparked an even greater curiosity about this world: what is the world of design really like? How do people in big cities work? And, most importantly, what does one need to prepare if they want to be part of that world?

That curiosity then motivated Ditra to do something that might sound ordinary: find the correspondence address of the Indonesian Institute of Architects and send a letter. In the letter, he asked what he needed to prepare if he wanted to become an architect.

The letter was sent, but he has never received a reply to this day.

Although the letter went unanswered, that did not necessarily mean the end of his exploration. In fact, it was precisely this experience that challenged Ditra to find his own way of exploring a wider world.

“I was so keen to find out what the creative world was like,” said Ditra, recalling that time.

His interest in the visual world grew even further whilst he was at secondary school. He became involved in producing the school’s wall magazine and began to find pleasure in working with visuals and ideas.

Design, ITB, and creative industries

After finishing secondary school, Ditra tried to enrol on the architecture course at Gadjah Mada University. He was unsuccessful on that occasion.

Then a friend introduced him to Visual Communication Design (DKV) at the Institut Teknologi Bandung. That choice made perfect sense to Ditra.

His fascination with design aligned with his interest in words and stories. He was subsequently accepted into the Faculty of Fine Arts and Design at ITB.

There, Ditra was introduced to several areas within DKV, including graphic design, multimedia and advertising. Of the three, advertising proved to be the most appealing as it provided scope for critical thinking and the exploration of ideas.

“Advertising is all about coming up with ideas and thinking creatively. That’s what drew me to it,” he said.

It was during his time at university that his perspective on the creative industries began to take shape. He learnt that an advert is not simply a matter of making something look appealing. It involves a process of understanding the audience, identifying issues, devising a strategy, and then translating ideas into effective communication.

Internships at a number of agencies also introduced him to the professional world. Even before completing his degree, he began gaining work experience in the advertising industry.

After graduating, his journey continued at a number of multinational and local agencies. He has been part of BBDO, McCann Worldgroup, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), and Dentsu.

Throughout his career, Ditra has not only honed his skills and developed ideas, but has also had the opportunity to work on projects that have gained recognition within the industry. A number of projects for various global brands, which he worked on alongside his team, have won several advertising awards, both locally and internationally.

Opportunities that come through scholarships

This journey is also closely connected to the educational support he received. Whilst studying at ITB, Ditra was one of the recipients of a Tanoto Foundation scholarship.

As a Tanoto Foundation scholarship recipient, Ditra also had the opportunity to take part in various training programmes and development activities, which enabled him to gain new experiences outside the classroom, whilst helping him to see a wider range of possibilities he could explore during his time at university.

For him, such experiences formed part of the foundation he carried with him when he entered the professional world.

For Ditra, the scholarship held great meaning. His father had passed away whilst he was still at secondary school, and his mother subsequently became a single parent.

This scholarship support has eased the financial burden on Ditra’s family. Moreover, he has also had the opportunity to take part in various training programmes and build a network with other scholarship recipients.

“I know that the Tanoto Foundation scholarship is extremely well-organised, both in terms of its structure and its programmes. During the training, we were also able to connect with all the scholarship recipients, including the alumni, so that we could build a network,” said Ditra.

From this point onwards, there’s one thing that has consistently emerged in Ditra’s journey: opportunity. The opportunity to learn and meet new people. The opportunity to try things he had never previously imagined.

Sharing opportunities

After a career of around 15 years at various advertising agencies, Ditra began to see a crossroads in his professional journey. He had gained experience working at a number of companies, including multinational agencies, and had reached a position that led him to start envisaging the next stage of his career.

However, along the way, a question arose within him: did he want to continue following the same path as an employee, or try to build something he had designed entirely himself?

“If I carried on as an employee at an agency, I reckon it would all just be more of the same. So eventually I thought, it would be exciting to set something up myself,” he said.

The decision to establish Animal3 Creative (https://animalecreative.id/)  around four years ago stemmed more from a desire to try something new than simply from the pursuit of a higher position. Being the owner of an agency meant Ditra had to step out of his comfort zone as a creative professional.

He was no longer merely required to come up with ideas and work on campaigns, but also had to learn to understand the side of business, manage a team, and build an organisation from scratch.

Being the founder of an agency certainly presents different challenges. He no longer just thinks about the creative work, but must also understand the business, manage people, and build an organisation.

However, that experience also broadened his perspective on the creative industries.

Ditra increasingly realised that the advertising industry needs talent with an open mindset. They do not have to come from a big city, do not have to have a specific background, and do not have to have known from the outset that they would work in the creative industries.

It was this perspective that subsequently led him back to secondary school and vocational high school students.

Whilst building his agency, Ditra came to understand one thing more clearly: the creative industry relies on people and the ideas they generate. Therefore, the industry’s sustainability depends not only on companies and clients, but also on new talent who have the opportunity to discover and develop within it.

Bringing advertising into the classroom

It was from that point that his focus on access and opportunities for young people grew ever stronger. He realised that many talented individuals might never have come into the creative industries simply because they lacked the means to discover them.

They do not have to come from a big city, they do not need a specific background, and they do not have to know from the outset that they will work in the creative industries.

This realisation then led him to do something that felt deeply personal: bringing knowledge about advertising to young people, including those still at secondary school and vocational college.

Ditra began creating an introductory programme on advertising for students, including secondary school students in Rembang.

The material is not complicated. He explains how the advertising industry works, how brands communicate, how to understand audiences, and how an idea can be developed into a campaign.

The aim is not to turn all participants into advertisers. Quite the opposite: Ditra wants them to realise that creative skills can be applied in many fields.

“It’s not about always becoming an employee, but at the very least I want to let them know that (with creativity), they’ll be able to do many things in the future,” he said.

For Ditra, knowledge of advertising can also help young people understand how to communicate, set up a business, create products, and develop various creative activities.

He raised this point because he often sees children in rural areas who possess creative abilities but do not yet know how to develop them.

That is where access becomes crucial. Children who grew up in big cities since childhood may find it easier to access information about design schools, creative industries, advertising agencies, or various new professions. Meanwhile, for children in rural areas, such information may never have reached them.

For him, introducing advertising to secondary school and vocational school pupils is not merely about identifying potential talent for the industry. More importantly, he aims to shape the way young people view their future.

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