Texas Advertising Group Members

TAG Exes

Check out some Q/A with some past TAG members. Email us for more info if you would like to submit your own.

David Wen
Advertising, May 2006

City of Residence: Ft. Worth, TX
Current Position: Graphic/Web Designer
Current Company: Northwood Church

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

No.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?
I am in charge of all branding, marketing/advertising and design for the church internally and externally (The church has 3,000 members). I’ve interned before at a downtown Chicago ad agency and the non-profit world is a different culture. I work in an in-house creative team that does print design, environmental design, interactive design, motion graphics, and praise and worship.

I make sure that all marketing materials are cohesive and represent the three core values of the church: interactive relationship with God, transparent connections with each other, and a glocal (global + local) impact for God.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Yes, it did. By being in TAG, it helped me gain a deeper understanding of the advertising industry and the agency world. The guest speakers do an amazing job of enlightening students in to the real, and sometimes harsh, world outside of a fantasy-like college campus. I received professional help on my resume, networking with local executives, as well as informal portfolio critiques.

I am grateful for all the guidance I received and I can still tell you the names of the people who have helped!

David is the founder of The Ranch, a student-run advertising blog created to help UT-Austin advertising students.

David Rowe
Advertising, May 2004

City of Residence: Dallas, TX
Current Position: Brand Media
Current Company: The Richards Group

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

No.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?
I develop media plans for a variety of clients, including Chick-fil-A, Motel 6, and Stainmaster. My job is not to create the ads, but to determine the most effective and efficient vehicles through which to deliver our creative to the appropriate audience. Media planners have to be creative in their efforts to reach consumers, who generally avoid ads, but also have a good sense for numbers.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Yes. TAG helped bridge the gap between what we learned in school and how we can apply that to the real world. Listening to a media planner from GSD&M describe his typical work day for an hour was just as valuable, if not more so, than any class lecture.

Amanda Perez
Advertising Media, Business Foundations Certification, May 2007

City of Residence: Houston, TX
Current Position: Local Buyer (Media Associate)
Current Company: Tapestry

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

No.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I am a local buyer (meaning I buy spot TV & radio) for P&G, Suzuki, Disneyland, Best Buy, Walgreen’s, Allstate, and Nintendo in the markets LA, San Diego/Tijuana, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Phoenix, McAllen, El Paso, Tucson, Austin, Mexicali, Tampa, Corpus Christi, West Palm Beach, and Laredo.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

From a local buying perspective, TAG helped me become more familiar with advertising/media language and processes. From an advertising perspective, TAG introduced me to a lot of agencies, positions in advertising, fellow peers, and of course people who are doing amazing things in the industry today.

Colin Cooper
Advertising, December 2003

City of Residence: Austin, TX
Current Position: Jr. Art Director
Current Company: C3 Presents

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Assistant Webmaster and Publicity Officer

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I design/art direct all internal and external communications for C3 Presents and its clients and branded properties. Current branded properties include Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lollapalooza and Big State Festival; current clients include Robert Earl Keen, Jack Ingram, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Ben Kweller, and others. I most often work with merchandise, site enhancement, web design, print advertising, and posters.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Yes. TAG helped me learn how to design on incredibly tight deadlines (putting flyers together for speakers) as well as providing valuable industry contacts.

Zac Pritchett
Advertising, May 2007

City of Residence: Dallas, TX
Current Position: Brand Management
Current Company:The Richards Group

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Yes, Vice President Industry Relations.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I work on Reliant Energy and The Dallas Morning News. Put simply, I am an Account Executive. But at The Richards Group everything is about the brand. To reflect this concept, the job title “Brand Management” is used instead of an Account Executive. As Brand Management it is my job to ensure that every project stays on message, on budget, and on schedule. I am a communicator, a priority-setter, an organizer, a relationship manager, a futurist, and a brand advocate. I support, develop, and manage anything and everything that relates to my Client’s brand.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

I can honestly say that I would not be where I am today without TAG. My participation as an officer gave me the opportunity to meet many people in the Advertising world and gave me a better understanding of their role within the agency. Through organizing our speaker series I developed a strong level of confidence in speaking to professionals, which translated to my interviewing skills, which led to internships; and ultimately to my job. I do want to make it clear, however, that TAG was only helpful because I committed to it and stayed active throughout my membership. Just like anything else, TAG gives you what you put into it. Commit to it.

Stephanie Peterson
Advertising, December 2005

City of Residence: New York City, NY
Current Position: Print Negotiator
Current Company: Zenith Media

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Yes, President.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I work on the Nestle account and their many accounts from, for example, Lean Cuisine to Butterfinger. It's my job to negotiate rates and added value with all of our magazine partners. I also present my work to the client and play a liaison roll between the magazine community and our client, Nestle.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Sure it did. It's more about learning what is out there and understanding the big picture. I work with everyone in the process from brand managers to creative teams to get a campaign rolling and it really helps to understand their daily grind to work better as a team. So yes, going to TAG and hearing about all the areas of advertising has definitely helped me.

Judson Whigham
Advertising & Corporate Communications, May 2002

City of Residence: New York, NY
Current Position: Account Supervisor
Current Company: Wieden + Kennedy

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Yes, President (2001) and Social Chair (2000)

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I manage the advertising efforts for ESPN; specifically as it relates to their on-air support of the NFL, NBA, MLB and NCAA Sports. As an Account Supervisor I am smack dab in the middle of all the doing and thinking on the account. I work with all facets of the agency to produce the smartest and best work possible where we can achieve the goals set forth by the Client.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

TAG helped me gain knowledge of the industry outside of what I received from my classes. One does not necessarily need a degree in advertising to succeed in the business, but rather an understanding of the industry. TAG provides this above and beyond anything else one can receive in class alone.

Nancy Jeng
Advertising, May 2007

City of Residence: Austin, TX / Bay Area, CA
Current Position: Assistant Media Buyer, Out-of Home Department
Current Company: GSD&M

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Yes, President (2006) and Publicity Director (2005)

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I help buy media for anything that is not TV, print, radio or interactive. My work encompasses everything from billboards to coffee sleeves to street teams to subway posters. Next to interactive media, it is the most exciting and ever-changing type of medium.

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Yes. As a member of TAG, I was exposed to all facets of advertising which can only help when you are in the workplace because it is so easy to get caught up in your department or your corner of the office. TAG does a great job of exposing students to all of the departments within an agency. As a media person, it has helped me a great deal to appreciate what account people deal with and how creatives work.

In addition, TAG has taught me how to network and talk to people. Even if someone I meet doesn't work at the agency I want to work at or doesn't work in the same department, they always know someone who knows someone who... and I can't count the number of times I've seen that lead to a job in the end.

Katey Porter
Advertising, May 2006

City of Residence: Dallas, TX
Current Position: Brand Management
Current Company: The Richards Group

1) Were you a TAG Officer, if so what position(s) did you hold?

Yes, Assistant Webmaster and CFO.

2) Please describe what your work entails and tell us about your professional responsibilities?

I work on The Home Depot account and manage projects. In other words, I manage the advertising needs of the Client and coordinate those projects to my creative team here at the agency. I am involved in every step from the day the Client decides to advertise a particular product/service to the day it is on air. The best part is, I get to go on shoots!

3) Did your membership in the Texas Advertising Group at the University of Texas help prepare you for the work you are involved in today?

Yes. TAG enabled me to better understand the advertising opportunities available and the different personalities of each agency. The group also allowed me to form contacts and relationships with not only the agency's, but with my peers who I will no doubt be working with one day.