Written by: Willie Baronet 
TAI students Mackenzie Cimala, Tien Dang, Samantha Butz and Mallory Massa won the majority of honors in the Student category of the 54th annual American Advertising Federation (AAF) American Advertising Awards (formerly the ADDYs) local competition, hosted by AAF-Dallas on February 18 at Gas Monkey Live in Dallas.
Of the 15 awards presented to college students at this year’s competition, SMU won a total of seven in four categories, including three gold, one silver and three bronze awards. Senior Mackenzie Cimala won five awards, the most of any university student in the contest, including three gold and two bronze awards; gold-winning submissions automatically advance to the district level competition in Lubbock, Texas, April 14-16. Tien Dang was co-winner for two of Mackenzie’s entries, Sam Butz won a silver, and Mallory Massa won a bronze. Images of their winning work is pictured below.
“It is wonderful to see the students showcase their talents to the DFW advertising industry, as well as their parents, Temerlin alumni and their professors,” said Dr. Steve Edwards, director of the Temerlin Advertising Institute. “Awards are just one indicator of the quality of not only the students, but the dedicated agency executives and academic experts teaching in the program. We are so proud of Mackenzie Cimala for a truly outstanding performance! She, Samantha Butz, Mallory Massa and Tien Dang all have bright futures in the industry.”
Edwards noted that the students’ work follows that of many prominent TAI alumni, “including David Drown and Megan Lee, who each won multiple awards in the professional categories. We are especially proud of work by former TAI master’s student Arturo Lee and his team at Dieste, a Hispanic marketing agency. Their campaign, titled ‘Adoptable Trends,’ received a gold award in the Online/Interactive category and was named Best of Show.”
Willie Baronet, the Stan Richards Professor in Creative Advertising, said, “I am so proud of the achievements of Mackenzie, Sam, Mallory and Tien! I’ve watched them develop from wide-eyed newbies in Intro to Creativity into creative forces to be reckoned with. I’m confident this is only the first of many shows that will feature their work, and the work of many of their classmates! I’m honored to be a part of the Temerlin team here at SMU.”
“I was so honored to be one of the winners,” said Cimala, who took home five awards. “As a double major in both creative advertising and studio art and minor in graphic design at Meadows, I’ve been able to gain the skills and artistic perspective that enabled me to develop portfolio pieces worthy of ADDY awards. The feedback in our portfolio classes from fellow students, TAI professors and Dallas advertising creatives has been invaluable and allowed me to improve my work. TAI has given me a great academic experience that has also prepared me for the real world ahead.”
Over 950 entries were submitted this year from more than 70 Dallas advertising agencies and universities. Judges were Stephen Cargile, principal creative designer at Walt Disney Imagineering; Eunie Kwon, interactive design director at Mirum Agency; and Marcelo Padoca, creative director and copywriter at The Community (formerly La Communidad)
Faculty, friends and family were there to cheer on the winners!
Left to right: Mallory Massa, Mackenzie Cimala, Sam Butz
GOLD AWARD
CLIENT: Bowen House
CATEGORY: Elements of Advertising – Logo Design
CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer
CLIENT: Fig & Olive – Logo design
CATEGORY: Elements of Advertising – Logo Design
CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer
CLIENT: Fig & Olive – Olive oil bottle
CATEGORY: Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging
CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Designer
SILVER AWARD
CLIENT: Dr. Frommholtz’s Candy (fictional line of novelty jelly beans)
CATEGORY: Product or Service Sales Promotion – Packaging
CREDITS: Samantha Butz ’17
BRONZE AWARD
CLIENT: MiraLax – “This Too Shall Pass”
CATEGORY: Print Campaign – Magazine
CREDITS: Mallory Massa ’16
CLIENT: BarkBox
CATEGORY: Print Campaign – Magazine
CREDITS: Mackenzie Cimala ’16, Art Director ; Tien Dang ’16, Copywriter
My first day in New York was a scene right out of a movie. I managed to get myself to Target via subway, but had no idea how to get back home. The Uber driver who picked me up not only offered me his mixtape and a date the following weekend, but also dropped me off no where near where I needed to be. My phone died and my friends that I somehow managed to find accidentally put me on the wrong train home. When I finally made it back, I realized that between lugging my purchases from Target around town, and grabbing dinner, I had lost my ID to get into my room. I was feeling discouraged, but was hopeful for better days to come.
As the summer moved forward, I became more acquainted with the city and the people that came with it. The one thing that I loved most about interning in NYC and being apart of MAIP was that I had 80 other friends who were experiencing the same things I was. We made each other laugh, cooked dinner when someone was too busy to feed themselves, and always made it a point to keep everyone motivated. As interns and fellows, we learned to work hard and save some time to play as well. We filled our free days with visits to Coney Island, stuffing our faces with delicious food at Smorgasburg, and appreciating all of the art that NYC had to offer.
