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 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 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 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 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 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'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.

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 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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.