A five-person team, known as "The Odd-Its" from York’s Schulich School of Business, is the grand prize winner of Ernst & Young’s Reel Influence video competition, designed to promote professional services (principally accounting). Schulich students Jonathan Gabe, Vivian Lau, Adam Metivier, Jason Sanio and Rebecca White took top honours in the North America-wide contest.
"The Odd-Its" will now join Ernst & Young CEO Jim Turley on a business trip to hear his perspectives on the professional services profession. They will also receive a cheque for $10,000 which will go towards York’s academic enrichment initiatives. In addition to the grand prize, all three finalist teams have received iPhones, music downloads and $1,000.
"We congratulate ‘The Odd-Its’ for their creative contribution to this competition," said Daniela Carcasole, Ernst & Young’s campus recruitment leader in Canada. "We know students value the perspective of their peers when evaluating their career choices, and we look forward to using the winning video to help inform future recruits about our profession."
The video competition launched last fall encouraged teams of students across the US and Canada to make an impact on their peers, faculty and industry professionals by sharing a vision of their future career in professional services through video. By asking the industry-related question, "Why professional services?", Ernst & Young said it was encouraging students to not only learn more about the industry, but also creatively share insights for future students.
The winning team’s three-minute video, Meet Larry, was shot documentary-style in black and white with humorous subtitles throughout. Larry chooses a career in professional services; another character, Darryl, does not. The video highlights the benefits of making Larry’s choice. Teams from Brigham Young University, Utah, and Fordham University, NY, were named first runner-up and second-runner up respectively.
The winning video and the two finalist videos can be viewed at www.ey.com/us/reelinfluence.