About

EPIC helps creative professionals and nonprofits join forces, making a bigger impact on the world than either could alone. In regular intervals, we are pairing select teams of “creatives” from the ad/design industries with select nonprofit clients dedicated to education, children and families. During what we call an “8-week creative rally,” each team creates plans, programs, and materials—on a pro-bono basis—that their nonprofit client needs to positively affect the lives of those they serve.

Teams meet once weekly at an ad or design “host agency”—drawn from a pool of Chicago’s most sought-after shops. The Creative Director or Principal Designer at each firm leads the team, which is composed of: copywriters, designers, art directors, strategists, account planners, project managers, public relations experts, web mavens, photographers and anyone whose skill set matches the client’s specific needs.

EPIC follows up with the nonprofit clients who we have served by providing an EPIC “Ambassador” who is available for 2 months after the rally is complete to help roll-out the program that EPIC has created. And, at the close of each year, work produced in rallies is juried in a year end EPIC show and fundraising event.

A FEW THINGS YOU MIGHT LIKE ABOUT EPIC

NETWORKING

You’ll meet other creative, whip-smart people you might not otherwise get to know—including people from highly regarded ad/design boutiques. 

THAT FEEL-GOOD FEELING

You’ll help nonprofits that need your expertise. By extension, you will also help the people these nonprofits serve. 

SOMETHING NEW

Being part of an 8-week creative rally is an adventure. We joke that it’s like a reality TV show. After all, you don’t choose your team members or your client, so there’s an element of the unexpected. It’s just like Big Brother, only nicer. And cooler. 

WE PARTY

At the end of rallies, we celebrate the work. Our first party—EPIC’s launch—was better than we could have expected. We intentionally invited just close contacts, with no public announcements. Even so, EPIC supporters and friends came out. That party was held in honor of only one team/client. Our second party, held at Epic Burger, was fabulousness cubed as three teams celebrated work done for Organic School Project, Barrel of Monkeys, and Literacy Chicago. It’s just going to get bigger and better from here.

IT’S FINITE

The commitment is finite: It’s 8 weeks and you’re done. Creatives donate about 5-10 hours per week for 8 weeks. That includes a two-hour weekly meeting, plus 3-8 hours of time of designing/writing/concepting.