Leo Burnett's video: Samsung Italy Maestro s Academy Masters Degree

In 2014 LB/Milan launched the Samsung Maestro’s Academy, a digital platform dedicated to connecting young aspiring Italian artists with established master craftsman in order to ensure that products produced in Italy will continue to adhere to traditional standards of excellence while evolving to incorporate the ideas and skill sets of a new generation of Italian artisans. This year, Samsung created the “Maestro’s Academy Master’s Degree” to build on the success of last year’s program by taking their online learning model into an actual physical laboratory, where artisans and scholars could take university-style courses together with an aim to design innovative products. This unique immersion in a learning environment that celebrates traditional craftsmanship while orienting students towards future-facing digital solutions proved to be immensely productive, with the Master’s Degree program generating a few ground-breaking ideas that were developed and subsequently presented at the 2015 Milan Design week. Samsung’s Maestro’s Academy is a model for how a creative brand can help develop the ideas and nurture the talents of 21st century artisans.