2013 Meet the Pros featured on One Page Love
Mark Carpenter

Mark Carpenter,

SKAR

Mark has been in the advertising business for 30 years, and has the bald head and permanent frown to prove it. He's worked at several agencies in the Midwest, serving as creative director at three of them, and has created advertising for brands like ALLTEL, ConAgra, Nebraska Lottery, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Runza.

Greg Ahrens

Greg Ahrens,

SKAR

Greg spends time riding dirt bikes, playing golf and collecting vintage beer cans. During the week he’s an owner and co-creative director at SKAR. With more than two decades of industry experience, he has worked with so many local, regional and national brands that it would be impossible to list them all here.

Steve Gordon

Steve Gordon,

RDQLUS CREATIVE

Steve Gordon is a 14 year creative professional with experience ranging from corporate in-house and agency work to independent consulting. RDQLUS Creative's work has been featured in many design industry publications and prominent annuals such as the LogoLounge & "Masterwerks" series.Gordon is also the author of "100 Habits for Successful Freelance Designers"
(Rockport Publishers).

David Graff

David Graff,

Hudl

David Graff is the CEO of Hudl, a company he co-founded in 2006 that is dedicated to helping coaches at all levels win. David graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with an undergraduate degree and MBA from the Jeffrey S. Raikes School in Computer Science and Management.

Von Glitschka

Von Glitschka,

Glitschka Studios

Von is principal of Glitschka Studios and has worked in the communication arts industry for over 26 years. His work reflects the symbiotic relationship between design and illustration. This duality of skills within his own creative arsenal, inspired him to coin the phrase and title of "Illustrative Designer."

Marty Amsler

Marty Amsler,

Bailey Lauerman

Marty Amsler joined Bailey Lauerman as a freelance designer in 1997. He now leads the creative team in Bailey Lauerman's Omaha office. He has contributed creatively and led teams on a wide range of clients, from the epic Union Pacific "Building America" and "You'll Find Us" campaigns, to the transformational ConAgra Foods rebranding. Amsler has also produced award-winning work for Disney and the Nebraska Film Office.

Thor Rosenquist

Thor Rosenquist,

Chemistry Advertising

Thor's career in advertising began in grade school, dreaming up concepts for advertising campaigns in math class. He became creative director of The Sacco Group in Omaha, leading creative duties on national brands like Ameritrade, Borsheim's, Boulevard Brewing Co., ConAgra, and many others. Striking out on his own after 12 years, Thor founded Chemistry Advertising in 2004 where he continues to enjoy success to this day.

Eric Downs

Eric Downs,

Grain & Mortar

Between various acts of tomfoolery, Eric balances his time between managing various projects as a creative director while working to maintain Grain & Mortar's growing roster of clients. Eric is skilled in both design and development, and with experience from working as an in-house art director to running and operating his own studio prior to G&M, Eric has honed a diverse skill set.

MJ McBride

MJ McBride,

Rebel Interactive

MJ McBride is a Global Brand Evangelist and CEO of REBEL INTERACTIVE. She is a tour de force of Brand Consulting with 25+ years of experience in distinguishing authentic, Breakthrough Brands. MJ is passionate about teaching companies, organizations, and individuals to develop and capitalize on their Brands through interactive workshops, seminars, and speaking engagements.

Jon Rohlfs

Jon Rohlfs,

United Republic Bank

Growing up in Fremont gave Jon a Midwest pragmatism that serves him well as Vice President of Commercial Lending at United Republic Bank. A graduate of Midland University, Jon has two decades of banking experience, with over half of that focused on lending.

Joe Sparano

Joe Sparano,

Metropolitan Community College

In May of 2012, Joe left his career as a designer at Oxide Design Co. to teach design and problem-solving full-time. His goal is to eventually focus on the latter, exploring how children (and everyone else) can use that skill to make better decisions, be more thoughtful, and focus their energy on the things that really matter.

Stefan Mumaw

Stefan Mumaw,

Callahan Creek

Stefan Mumaw is a creative director and purveyor of all that rocks at Callahan Creek. In his 16 years in the biz, he has put his skills to work for a variety of clients including Pioneer, Sony, Coca-Cola and Hurley. He has authored five books, the most recent being Chasing the Monster Idea, which examines the shared characteristics between truly monstrous creative ideas.

Jason Fox

Jason Fox,

Webster

Jason Fox is not a failed novelist, poet or screenwriter who turned to advertising to make a buck. He is a former marketing major who turned to advertising to avoid getting an MBA and the requisite closet full of khakis.

Adam Lohman

Adam Lohman,

PLAY Creative

As founder, Creative Director and Co-Owner of PLAY Creative, Adam is certainly multi-talented. With a passion for illustration and backgrounds in graphic design, PLAY's style is unique, creative and just what his client's ordered. Running his own shop has taught him a lot about the industry and he is willing to share it with us.

Aaron Petersen

Aaron Petersen,

PLAY Creative

As founder, Creative Director and Co-Owner of PLAY Creative, Aaron is certainly multi-talented. With a passion for illustration and backgrounds in graphic design, PLAY's style is unique, creative and just what his client's ordered. Running his own shop has taught him a lot about the industry and he is willing to share it with us.

Jake Welchert

Jake Welchert,

Obama For America

After graduating from the University of Nebraska and landing a job at Ervin and Smith, Jake followed his passion right into a design gig for Obama For America. When not shaping the future of America, Jake plays music, paints, spends time with his dog, watches baseball and fly fishes. Now that's living the American Dream.

Clint! Runge

Clint! Runge,

Archrival

Clint! Runge is the Managing Creative Director of Archrival, a distinguished youth marketing agency that connects brands with young consumers. Clint! kicks the tires and lights the fires for clients such as Red Bull, Adidas and Pabst Brewing. A pop-culture connoisseur, his work blends trends with tactics to create playful experiences and buzz-buzzing social engagement.

Mike Kuhl

Mike Kuhl,

Neebo

He is not nearly as much fun as Erik. He mostly files papers and types reports.

Erik Wieseman

Erik Wieseman,

Neebo

In 1986, Erik Wieseman picked up a crayon and never looked back. Early in his career, he was drawn to abstract expressionism but quickly sharped his skills forming letters and eventually whole words, which is what he is most-known for today. Over his career, it is estimated he has composed approximately 1.2 million of them. A good many of them have been put to good use.

Drew Gourley

Drew Gourley,

Oxide Design Co.

He insists that things on the internet should be designed well and built correctly. Drew has a passion for art and design and loves to combine the problem solving processes of web design with code development to create better websites. He rarely sleeps.

Jill Rizzo

Jill Rizzo,

Hayneedle

Ever since Jill can remember, she has always been a total geek for design; branding being her favorite and primary focus. She is also an active artist/painter in the community, and was one of the original founders of the Bemis Underground. Her path has taken her from working at Branding/Interactive boutique firms - like David Day + Associates - to being the Associate Creative Director and Design Director for Bozell, to now working in-house as the Creative Director for Hayneedle.

Kali Baker

Kali Baker,

Omaha Community Foundation

Kali has been at the Omaha Community Foundation for five years. During that time, she has managed a complete overhaul of the Foundation's branding and communications. Previously, she worked for Kiewit Building Group and Borsheim's Fine Jewelry. Outside of work, Kali spends time exploring all forms of design, but has a special love for vintage kitchenware and mid-century modern furniture.

Stephanie Jarrett

Stephanie Jarrett,

Bulu Box

From NYC to SanFran, Stephanie has helped grow brands like Curel, TD Ameritrade, Complete Nutrition and LeapFrog. Most recently she founded Bulu Box, a vitamin and supplement sample box company, with husband and Co-Founder Paul. Her diverse experience in creative, account management and strategic planning makes her a powerhouse in brainstorming techniques that lead to ideas that are not only clever but solve client problems.

Shannon Johnson

Shannon Johnson,

DAAKE

15 years ago Shannon Johnson landed her first job in advertising at Meet the Pros. Since then she has been a designer, art director, creative director and now manages the creative team at DAAKE. Her life revolves around advertising, from friends, to activities and even her husband. In fact, the only time she doesn't like advertising is when it interrupts new episodes of The Good Wife.

Michael Johnson

Michael Johnson,

Bozell

To say Michael has a lot of interests would be what we call "a soft sale." Here's a few: bocce, football, scented geraniums, stir-fry, Ming Dynasty vases, poorly reviewed science fiction novels, The Beatles, actual beetles, driving long distances, lifting things, putting things down, movies starring Christopher Walken, and brilliant advertising. This list is not exhaustive and chances are good you and Michael will find something to talk about. If not, you might be  dead.

Resume and Cover Letter Reviews - New!

Not looking for a job on the creative side? No worries, for those aspiring account folks, media types, and public relations professionals, we're offering resume and cover letter reviews. Get tips from recruiting professionals on how you can stand out in the crowd. This session takes place on Tuesday, from 3-5 PM.

Creative Portfolio Reviews

Have your book looked at by the best in the biz. As always, we'll be assembling an A-list group of professionals to critique your creative. From copywriters to art directors to designers, you can run your portfolio through the gauntlet of people who do what you want to do for a living. Show us why you're the next big thing.

Peer Portfolio Reviews - New!

You asked for it, you got it. We've set aside three thirty-minute sessions for you to share your work with fellow students. It's a great opportunity to see what your peers from other schools are putting together. Check out the work, give your feedback, and be inspired in a comfortable, low-pressure setting. Make news friends, and check out the competition with all-new peer reviews.