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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: How to Land Your Face in Times Square at 22

Temerlin’s own Kayla Griffis (’20) just returned from New York City as a member of the 2020 American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) Most Promising Multicultural Student (MPMS) program.

The MPMS class is comprised of exceptional advertising talent across various disciplines who will lend their creativity and voices to inspire a more inclusive workforce as they start their professional, post-college, careers. This program affords students an inside look at the advertising industry where they participate in agency immersions, professional development, The Building Bridges for Our Future Student Awards Luncheon, and an exclusive recruiter’s expo.

“Each year, I have the pleasure of personally mentoring and watching the students simply blossom into the stars that they are. This experience gives multicultural students the confidence and reassurance that they belong in all spaces. The program also shows that our partners are trying to be intentional about bringing diverse talent into the industry. Thanks to Clear Channel Outdoor, this year, the faces of all 50 students made it on to several New York City billboards. Hands down, one of my top 3 moments this year was witnessing their faces in real-time when they saw the billboards. If at any point, they did not feel like they worked hard enough to be selected as Most Promising or believed that they “belonged,” everyone in Times Square sure did! I am extremely proud of these students and always look forward to witnessing the amazing things they will soon accomplish” explains Melony Hughes, Senior Manager of the AAF Mosaic Center & Education Services.

How Do I Apply?

Opportunities like this propel students into the advertising industry and our faculty are happy to take the time to champion our students to achieve these awards. The MPMS application goes live early each Fall. It consists of a resume, two essay questions, a personal tagline, and a recommendation letter from an advisor/mentor who is an AAF Member. Griffis adds, “I highly encourage students to apply to MPMS and other programs like this to get a better understanding of where they want to end up and to become better prepared for when they enter the workforce. My biggest takeaway is learning that I still have time to decide what I want to do, and nothing is set in stone.”

Learn more about the program here.

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ALUMNI UPDATE: Mustangs Moving the World Through Sport

Marc Patrick entered his lecture from the middle of the audience, one of the many ways he sets the tone for a riveting performance. He led the track-and-field team as a student-athlete at SMU and has since moved on to lead global brand activations for 20+ years at The Nike World Headquarters, where Patrick served as Senior Director of Global Brand Communications. His journey began when he graduated from SMU in ’93 with degrees in Advertising and African American Studies.

 On the night of November 6th, Temerlin Advertising Institute welcomed Patrick back to the Hilltop as the ExxonMobil Lecture Series guest speaker. It was a wonderful night, complete with networking, a moving lecture, and lively after-party, but this sold-out event was months in the making.

Two of my classmates (Meryn Kennedy and Susan Slaton) and I were selected to represent Temerlin Advertising Institute at The Nike World Headquarters this Summer. My preparation for the trip consisted of studying Patrick’s background in advertising, writing interview questions on conference calls with my partners, and reading Phil Knight’s Shoe Dog to better understand the origin of Nike’s brand.

Together we strolled through Nike’s campus, nestled in Beaverton, Oregon. Sprawling over 286 acres and 75 buildings, we ran (quite literally) into world-class athletes like Galen Rupp, before reaching Patrick’s office for our highly anticipated interview.

We were given a look inside the brand, his time at SMU, and how he navigated the ad industry before landing his role at Nike. This interview is featured in the Fall 2019 Meadows MPRINT Magazine, and the TAI podcast, but he saved the gems for the grand finale: his keynote at the Angelika Film Center, packed with SMU students, esteemed alumni, and advertising professionals from across the country.

Patrick’s presentation was electric: he recounted how his advertising degree led him into decades of brilliant branding opportunities. From his start as an intern at The Dallas Morning News, then to Account Coordinator at TBWA, Burrell, and DDB, all the way to Nike World Headquarters. His story served as a testament to what is on the other side of an SMU Advertising degree. My classmates and I left feeling inspired and encouraged, knowing that our hard work will soon pay off.

The night culminated with a TAI exclusive after-party at Centre. Three lucky TAI students won free Nike kicks and the unlucky bunch left with $100 gift cards. 

This year’s event was put together with help from our outstanding partners at Richards/Lerma, AAF Dallas, EKIN, BBB, Marcus Graham Project, Circulo Creativo, and Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Event photos can be found here.

Kaleb Mulugeta

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STUDENT INTERNSHIP: TAI Students’ Takeaways from Summer Internships

BRENDA RIVERA (Dec ’19)

“I spent this summer working at Marina Maher Communications as a Digital Marketing Intern in New York City. At Marina Maher, I was able to work with big brands daily, such as Novartis and PlanB One Step. I conducted extensive research and in-depth analyses of different brands. I learned about the healthcare industry, and grew proficient in several tools including Brandwatch and Unmetric.”

 

ILSE AREVALO (May ’20)

“This summer I interned at Blu Creative, which was started by a Temerlin alum! I learned about influencer marketing and social media management on their digital marketing team. I organized photoshoots, created organic growth marketing strategies, and designed social media decks for two clients.”

 

 

WHITNEY WILKERSON (May ’20)

“This summer I interned at Southwest Airlines on the paid media team. I have learned about influencer management from an in-house perspective and worked with a team to coordinate an onsite influencer event!”

 

 

 

MARY ELIZABETH CORDIA                      (May ’20)

“As a social intern at the Infinite Agency, I have worn many hats this summer which has been incredible. I have been able to travel to shoots, work on social calendars and copy for clients, help build out audits for potential new businesses, to even creating and concepting an entire campaign for our intern project. Infinite is truly helping me create a future in advertising!”

 

VICTORIA JACKSON (May ’21)

“As an intern for the Dallas Cowboys, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to see advertising and branding play out on a large scale working for the NFL. I’m happy to say that I’ve gained extensive first-hand experience about how branding works on such a large scale and can’t wait to take this knowledge out into the real world!”

 

SOPHIE MOORE                               (May ’20)

“As the Ad Review Intern for BBB Dallas I’ve been able to apply what I learned in Dr. LaFerle’s Advertising, Society, and Ethics to practice and enhance my knowledge of ethical business practices in advertising and the marketplace.”

 

 

KALEB MULUGETA                         (May ’20)

“As a Copywriting Intern at TracyLocke Chicago, I’ve been learning the art of crafting stories for brands to articulate and amplify their presence in shopper marketing.”

 

 

 

MAX WALTON (Dec ’20)

I had an amazing experience this summer as a Digital Yield Management intern at WarnerMedia, NYC.

I further developed analytical skills and was introduced to many aspects of forecasting and business insights tools. My internship not only taught me about revenue management but also gave me the opportunity to work on creative partnership projects myself.

After many dollar slices, I walk away from NYC with new connections with amazing people and invaluable knowledge that will certainly help my career.

Kaleb Mulugeta

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STUDENT INTERNSHIP: TAI Student Noemie Mwanzuzi’s Internship in Brussels

This experience entailed interning for Duval Guillaume, while also assisting Publicis Emil, the global network agency for Daimler, as well as doing an English voiceover for Leo Burnett—all agencies are entities of Publicis Groupe.

My presence has been a bit of a hot topic, as it is uncommon to hear of a Texan girl going all the way to Brussels for an internship. Yet, here I was! But it all started like this…

One random day in April, I found myself googling internships in Brussels. A few agencies piqued my interest, so I spent the next few days sending emails. To my surprise, I received a reply from an agency, Duval Guillaume. I was shortly in correspondence with the Account Manager, Axelle Gontier, who oversaw the internship program. A Skype interview was scheduled and that Friday I received word that I had gotten the internship. All of this in the span of a week!

Then on June 3rd, 2019 I arrived at the Publicis building, the office stood tall and looked prestigious. When I walked in I could see the building had an industrial meets modern feel. I would come to learn that it used to be a customs office. I was welcomed by Nathalie, the HR manager, who gave me an office tour which was followed up by a detour to IT, where I received my company laptop. Shortly after, I met the entire Duval team and settled at my desk to start my days as a Duval intern.

As my time here came to an end, I couldn’t help but to feel this bittersweet feeling. After initially feeling anxious about going into the unknown, I soon found my rhythm. I had my morning routine of taking the Stade 51 tram, walking to the office, talking to the receptionists, getting my morning coffee, and starting my day. I had so many wonderful teachers who were so patient and kind. I interacted with many talented people who gave me great insight into life in this industry.

Here are some of my top moments from my time in Brussels:

  1. Former Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy walked passed, the glass conference room, I was in as I stared at him
  2. I was asked to do a voiceover for a Greenpeace voiceover, that didn’t end up getting used but nonetheless
  3. I was asked to do another voiceover for a breast cancer charity event
  4. I got credit for managing the PR on a Greenpeace project
  5. I helped Publicis Emil with any tasks they needed me to do
  6. I got to work with the coolest family-like team who welcomed me with open arms and who taught me so much

I was drawn to Brussels as I had fond memories of my time there with family, but I would have never expected to be an intern there. This summer in Brussels, at Duval Guillaume, was truly an experience that I will never forget!

Rani Vestal

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: TAI Student Kayla Griffis Speaks About Her Academic Experiences and Achievements

I am a junior majoring in Advertising with a specialization in Digital Media Strategy with minors in Graphic Design and Spanish. I’m also participating in the 4+1 SMU Advertising program that allows me to take undergraduate and graduate classes simultaneously in order to obtain bachelor’s and master’s advertising degrees in five years. During the 2018-2019 academic year, I received the following honors:

  • 2019 Dallas Area Alliance for Women in Media Irene Runnels-Paula McStay College Scholarship
  • 2019 Washington Media Scholars Foundation Media Fellows Scholarship
  • SMU Pi Beta Phi Foundation Scholarship
  • SMU Decima Chapter of Mortar Board National Honors Society
  • Finalist for 2019 AAF Vance and Betty Lee Stickell Internship
  • Finalist for 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program

I applied for these scholarships, internships, and honors societies at the end of the fall semester and was extremely nervous during the application processes because of the programs’ prestige and competitiveness. Managing deadlines, requesting letters of recommendation from professors and mentors, staying on top of daily homework assignments, and studying for tests was no easy feat. Nevertheless, I was determined to submit my applications, in case I wasn’t accepted as a junior, to refine my skills and experiences before becoming a senior.

When I was first notified that I received the 2019 Washington Media Scholars Foundation Media Fellows Scholarship, I was shocked! I couldn’t believe it until I spoke with a representative of the foundation who told me that my application was impressive and well-received. And while this was surprising, receiving two other scholarships–the 2019 Dallas Area Alliance for Women in Media Irene Runnels-Paula McStay College Scholarship and Pi Beta Phi Foundation at SMU Scholarship–was even more overwhelming. Additionally, qualifying for the 2019 AAF Vance and Betty Lee Stickell Internship and the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program were both amazing opportunities, though I ultimately decided to participate in the 4A’s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program because of its focus to promote inclusion and diversity in the advertising industry. I am very passionate about this. My induction into the SMU Decima Chapter of Mortar Board National Honors Society is a privilege in itself and I am grateful to be a part of this organization that recognizes leadership, community service, and scholarship among students. As a 2019 MAIP Fellow, I will work at Digitas in Boston as a Media Buying and Planning intern this upcoming summer and am extremely excited.

SMU Advertising has provided me with amazing opportunities to network with professionals and connect with my peers as we prepare for future careers in the advertising industry. I hope to help foster a world where minorities are celebrated and accurately represented. I believe that I will make a difference in the industry, as a voice for minorities, and receiving these honors is just the beginning.

Kayla Griffis

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RESOURCE: Replace Your “For Dummies” Collection With THIS Online Learning Resource

SMU Libraries has just started a subscription to O’Reilly’s Learning Platform for Higher Education, which includes e-books, case studies, videos, and Learning Paths.  Topics range from graphic design, software training, leadership, job search, and business strategy.  Here is a sampling of what is available:

UX Design – From Beginner to Professional Learning Path

This learning path is designed to teach you basic and advanced concepts in UX design with the help of real-world use cases on process, design, and techniques.

Careers for Creative People: Design and some real world advice from ridiculously talented individuals doing jobs they love

This book provides a comprehensive list of creative jobs in advertising, career best practices, and advice from experts in their field, helping talented creative people.

The Handbook of International Advertising Research

The handbook’s comprehensive treatment highlights existing knowledge, reports major findings across the subject, and recommends directions and agendas for future research.

Adobe InDesign CC Classroom in a Book (2019 Release)

The 15 project-based step-by-step lessons in this book show users the key techniques for working in InDesign. Designers will build a strong foundation of typographic, color, page layout, and document-construction skills that will enable them to produce a broad range of print and digital publications.

Need help? Want to know more about research or databases for advertising? Contact Megan.

Rani Vestal

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STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: TAI Student Rani Vestal Shares about the Graphic Design Minor

Did you know that you can minor in graphic design at SMU? SMU Advertising offers this minor to provide students with a basic understanding and development of skills necessary for design across all media.

I’m currently a junior and always knew that I wanted a creative career – I just didn’t know what it could be. So when I declared my English major in Dedman College as a sophomore, due to my love of writing and literature, I also considered minoring in other disciplines to figure out what I wanted to do in the real world. When I searched through the latest course catalog, I was most intrigued by the Typography class because I love art and fonts. However, I couldn’t take it because I needed to 1) declare the graphic design minor and 2) take three prerequisite classes. With limited Photoshop and Illustrator experience, I met with Cheryl, declared the minor and enrolled in Creative Production. My minors now include history, Spanish, and graphic design. They surprisingly fuse together nicely.

The graphic design minor is unique because it unites students from a variety of majors including the three advertising tracks, studio art and English. We all have different creative interests from 90s album covers to pop art which manifest in our work. I love the classes when we collectively critique design roughs because my peers’ feedback is always valuable and respectful – this ultimately pushes me to better my deigns. I also find it fascinating that we can be given the same project guidelines and produce utterly different, yet equally compelling, work. After taking the same courses these last few years, we’ve really bonded and come to understand each other’s styles in a small graphic design “cohort.” 

I’ve almost completed the fourth and final prerequisite of the minor, and am eager to begin taking elective courses. However, the prerequisites were valuable and here’s why:

  • Creative Production (ADV 1360)
    This class taught me essential keyboard shortcuts in the Adobe Creative Suite which immediately expedited my design process. Having previously learned the programs by myself, these tricks were seriously ground-breaking and make me feel like a design wizard. 
  • Word and Image, Art and Design: 1900-Present (ADV 2323)
    This was also right up my alley because it merges two of my favorite subjects: history and graphic design. I still reference the textbook from this class for inspiration because it streamlines historic design samples from cave art in Lascaux, France to postmodern Pee-wee Herman (my latest rediscovery is Lester Beall).
  • Introduction to Graphic Design (ADV 3323)
    I really enjoyed this course because I finally began integrating my knowledge of software and design into class projects. Seeing my personal work in print for the first time, instead of work for a client, was electrifying. I enjoyed learning color theory and creating packaging design for a Monster 826 coffee company.
  • Typography (3361)
    The course I’ve been waiting for! We hit the ground running this semester and dove into typeface classification, calligraphy and more. So far, I’ve prototyped a bitmap typeface and created album art for an angry Aztec band (Spanish + graphic design unite!). By this point, we’re all sort of “type geeks” and I love that we can identify and criticize typefaces together.

Despite my liberal arts major, the minor has helped me land a few advertising internships. Working at SLANT Partners in Downtown Dallas refined my professional skills because I learned how to gracefully correspond with clients. And the skills I developed through the graphic design classes also allowed me to work on real client projects including the brand development of a local philanthropic bakery. I now intern for the Temerlin Advertising Institute which has helped me meet more SMU Advertising faculty and learn about local networking opportunities. Because of this, I feel more connected to the school and industry alike.

If you’re considering the minor or are already enrolled in related courses, I encourage you to explore personal creative projects just for fun. The time you spend ‘playing’ is when you can really discover and develop your unique creative style. I spend much of my free time developing websites and animating graphics because those opportunities interest me but have not yet presented themselves in my courses. I also believe that I’m happier and more confident in my design skills through personal creative outlets because there’s no client or GPA pressure.

I’m excited to launch my creative career as a graphic designer after I graduate which would not be possible without the knowledge and experience I’ve acquired through the graphic design classes. I hope to work for a creative agency that specializes in digital, branding and packaging design. I’ve also considered freelancing before I eventually open up my own coffee shop… stay tuned.

Click here to learn more about the graphic design minor and course offerings.

Graphic Panel of CD Insert
Branding for Personal Podcast
Magazine Layout for Boaz Commons
Physical Representation of Bitmap Typeface

 

Rani Vestal

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AWARDS: TAI Student Alissa Llort Selected As One Of AAF’s Most Promising Multicultural Students

Alissa Llort

This year I was selected as one of the 50 Most Promising Multicultural Students in the United States. This program was created by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) to immerse dedicated, multicultural students in the advertising industry before graduation. After being selected, I was invited to attend a 5-day conference in New York City. This was a unique experience for me because I visited the offices of various elite agencies and media companies including Wieden + Kennedy, Turner / CNN, Omnicom Group, Sparks and Honey, 72 and Sunny, McCann, FCB, and FCB Health, and IPG. During the visits, I spoke to advertising professionals and recruiters about agency culture, personal and professional experiences, and advocacy for multicultural talent in the industry.

Because this incredible opportunity unites hardworking students from different backgrounds across the country, I was able to connect with 49 students and learn from their experiences in advertising so far. I value these connections because together we are the future generation of advertisers and may work for the same companies someday. I am extremely grateful to have been selected for this opportunity and I encourage all multicultural students to apply next year.

To end, I wanted to share some of the pearls of wisdom that I collected from this trip:

  • “School is never out, keep reading and learning!”
  • “Fear is the indicator you are ready.”
  • “As you enter the professional career, choose several mentors that are not like you and learn from them.”
  • “Speak up. You will never regret speaking up and saying what you think.”
  • And the quote that struck me the most: “If you are here, you have earned it. It is not a matter of luck. Be proud of that and embrace your achievements.“