The Ad Council and Opportunity@Work are back with a powerful sequel to their 2022 initiative, “Tear the Paper Ceiling.” Their new public service campaign, “Story Unfold,” takes direct aim at the hiring bias that sidelines millions of capable workers — those Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) — who don’t hold a bachelor’s degree but have plenty of real-world experience.
According to LinkedIn, hiring managers who prioritize skills are 60% more likely to make successful hires. Yet in the U.S., more than 70 million workers — half the labor force — still face invisible barriers because of degree requirements. The campaign’s message is clear: if employers don’t have a STARs strategy, they’re leaving half their talent strategy on the table.
“Skills-first hiring isn’t a theory—it’s starting to work,” said Byron Auguste, CEO of Opportunity@Work. “Job postings are measurably more open to STARs than in the early 2000s. Smart employers are tapping into STARs’ talent, and winning.”
A New Chapter in Skills-First Hiring
The “Story Unfold” PSAs — created pro bono by Ogilvy and directed by Loris Russier, a self-taught filmmaker and STAR himself — use a striking visual metaphor: a crumpled piece of paper slowly unfolding to reveal the face of a skilled worker. It’s a poetic reminder that many resumes conceal more than they reveal.
“Being a self-taught filmmaker, I’ve faced the stigma many STARs encounter,” said Russier. “My work speaks for itself, and I wanted this campaign to help other STARs be seen for their abilities.”
The PSAs urge hiring managers to “look beyond the paper” — both literally and figuratively — and consider the real skills behind each application. The campaign website, TearThePaperCeiling.org, offers practical resources for employers, from hiring playbooks and success stories to tools that help build skills-first talent pipelines. STARs themselves can share their journeys and find career development support.
From Awareness to Action
Since its original launch, Tear the Paper Ceiling has evolved into a national movement, with 31 U.S. states pledging to remove degree requirements for government jobs. More than 1 million commitments have been made by employers to open roles to STARs, and 76,000 workers have already experienced upward mobility, with an average $17,000 wage gain.
The term “paper ceiling,” first coined by the Ad Council, Opportunity@Work, and Ogilvy, has entered the national lexicon — cited in Bloomberg, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, and even Congress. It’s become shorthand for the invisible but very real credential barrier in hiring.
“With our partners, we changed the national conversation,” said Michelle Hillman, Chief Development Officer at the Ad Council. “Now, we’re speaking directly to employers, helping them discover a competitive advantage in hiring for skills.”
A Growing Coalition and Cultural Shift
The campaign’s reach is formidable. Backed by 85 corporate and nonprofit partners, including Indeed, LinkedIn, Walmart, and Kargo, the initiative has already driven six million website visits and garnered $120 million in donated media. This year’s rollout will span TV, radio, digital, print, and social media through partners like Spark Foundry and PRETTYBIRD.
Ogilvy’s Hernan Ibanez, who led the campaign’s creative direction, summed up the message with characteristic precision: “Hiring managers who cling to outdated biases are filtering out the raw talent their businesses truly need. The solution has been in front of them all along. They just need to unfold it.”
If the first campaign tore the paper ceiling, this one helps employers see what’s on the other side — a workforce rich with untapped potential.
