We talked about the pivots that these marketers had to make once COVID-19 rocked the sports and overall world and how they worked through those difficult early days. We also covered how they have navigated issues like the resurgence of the social justice movement in 2020. I was able to get in a plug for The A Pledge, in which I and Setup are working to get Atlanta Marketing Agencies to commit to match the diversity of their teams to the diversity of Atlanta. We also covered digital transformation, advice from "competitors" and other industries, community support efforts, and what other marketers can learn from sports marketing.
In late 2007, I was hired as VP of Business Development and Marketing by a small digital agency called Spunlogic that would soon be acquired by Engauge. I got called into a meeting with my boss and three of my peers (VP of Client Services, VP of Strategy, and VP of Research and Innovation). They told me to learn how to do my job or GET OUT! Here is the story recounted by four of the people who were in the room:
I enjoyed being interviewed by my former (Engauge) colleague Bret Gunter on his podcast - Bret's Chat Corner. At 9:48 I begin talking about Setup and the transition from AgencySparks.
I was asked to speak at the Georgia Marketing Education Association (GMEA) Conference to 100+ high school marketing teachers about my career path and the more general marketing career path.
For many years I have enjoyed connecting job seekers with their dream jobs. We even added recruiting as a nice little side business for Setup. In fact, I wrote a series of content designed to equip job seekers with knowledge that will help them find their dream gig:
In fact, if you Google "marketing career path" or "evolution of a marketing career" we come up #1 or #2 organically!
In the spirit of making connections that benefit both job seekers and employers, we have created a simple form for each group so that we can try to make appropriate matches:
Here is the segment I did with her on her radio show earlier this week where I talk about AgencySparks and some of the changes we are making in 2017 to further grow the business:
I have had the distinct pleasure of serving as a guest on several podcasts and radio shows in the last year. Recently, I was able to participate in podcasts hosted in four different countries (US, Canada, UK, and Australia). During each interview, I try to talk about different topics related to AgencySparks and my entrepreneurial/business journey. I have attempted to capture all of them here, so you can give them a listen:
Two years ago I acted on my dream to build a company that connects brands to specialist marketing agencies, and it is hard to comprehend how much it has grown in the past few years.
We have had the good fortune to work with some amazing agencies:
Thank you to Keith Vest, Simms Jenkins, Richard Warner, Lindsay Podrid, Ben Spangler, Will duPont, Mark Rockett, Vicky Jones, Kevin Planovsky, Mark Pettit, Jeff Hilimire, JT Hroncich, Steve Upton, Joe Carter, and Tom Ellis. Without each of your belief in AgencySparks, it would not exist.
Also, thank you to Georgia-Pacific, Volvo Construction, Interface, Floor & Decor, Hancock Fabric, Turner, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Verifone, ADAC, FORTIVA, The Home Depot, Haute House, Accel-KKR, Ashworth College, and others for trusting AgencySparks to help connect you to the perfect specialist marketing agency.
Special thanks to my team over the last two years - Stephanie Peterman, Katia Herrera, Anastasia Kusmartseva, William Denning, and Kate Jacoutot. You have been the engine that drives AgencySparks.
Lastly, but certainly not least, thank you to my wife Michelle and our kids for all of your support. Being an entrepreneur is not easy... it is like riding a grand rollercoaster. You have shared the front car with me for two years.
Here is the original AgencySparks logo:
To me, it represents our origins.
This is our current logo: To me it represents our present.
Who knows what the future will hold, but I am excited for the journey! Thank you to all of you who have shared and supported this experience.
