What do you get when you put an eclectic mix of Advertising and PR professionals in front of students??? The answer: A huge wealth of expertise, advice, and a real conversation, with LOTS of laughter.
On Thursday, November 6th, 2014 the Advertising & PR Department, along with the Portfolio Center hosted a panel of eight industry professionals who imparted their knowledge on what students need to know, show, and prepare for before entering their respective careers.
In attendance were over 100 students, along with our esteemed panel of guests:
Brandon Rochon, Senior VP & Global Creative Director for Samsung at Leo Burnett
Darrell Jursa, Senior VP of Emerging Media at Fleishman Hillard (and CCC alumni)
Julian Gilliam, Art Director at Commonground (and CCC alumni)
Cheryl Proctor-Rogers, PR Strategist & Executive Coach at A Step Ahead PR & Consulting
Vince Cook, Freelance Creative Director with decades of experience at numerous agencies
Eric Kripas, Associate Creative Director at Havas Worldwide (and CCC alumni)
David Shih, Associate Creative Director at Digitas
Notes were taken, questions were asked, and we may have even snorted a few times during heavy laughter throughout the discussion. A few takeaways and nuggets of wisdom from our panelists….
“Be skilled or be killed.”
“Be a ninja.”
“Ideas spin from everywhere, so always have a lot of them.”
“I love getting called out by my juniors because I learn more from them and it keeps me on my toes.”
“It’s about resilience. You don’t get paid to come with good ideas; you get paid to keep coming back (with more good ideas).”
“It’s not what you want to say, but what CEOs need to hear.”
“Having a mentor is critical to your success.”
“Stay creative, stay fresh.”
“Be curious about culture, music, art… everything comes into play.”
“Say what you are with confidence – ‘I’m a copywriter!’ – don’t confuse people by telling them all the things you do, start with one thing.”
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Our sincere thanks to this great group of people pictured below, and to our behind-the-scenes technical experts who help run the show!
