Toronto agency Huxley Quayle von Bismark has launched Just One Project to help advertising professionals who have lost their jobs.

The program asks major advertisers in Canada to set aside “just one” marketing project, which will be handled by laid-off workers on a freelance basis. HQvB will organize the pool of freelancers and oversee the work, ensuring that it is completed on time and charging a lower fee than an ad agency would typically charge for a similar project.

Andy Shortt, a partner at HQvB, said the program is a response to industry-wide layoffs that have had a particularly painful effect on mid-level professionals.

“Pretty much every major agency in the country is letting people go, and on the marketing side people are also being let go,” he said. “It breaks our hearts, and we can’t just be like any other agency and only worry about our bottom line. The people here just felt like something needed to be done.

“It’s time for the industry to help its own.”

According Shortt, freelancers will be paid $100 per hour, with an additional $25 per hour covering operational costs. He said his agency will not make a profit from the Just One Project and will make as many financial details as possible available at JustOneProject.ca, which launched yesterday.

Shortt acknowledged that some in the industry may view the Just One Project with concern over potential lost agency revenue. However, projects given to Just One Project would not significantly damage agency bottom lines, he said.

Shortt said that a major global spirits company has already agreed to devote a project, although he could not disclose further details.

The initiative will also require the continued support of the industry and the media outlets that cover it, said Shortt. While Huxley Quayle von Bismark is currently managing the Just One Project on its own, Shortt said he is open to partnering with other agencies.