The Student Advertising Summit (SAS) is an exclusive all-day virtual event for students and young professionals looking to make connections and learn more about the advertising industry. SAS attendees have the unique opportunity to network with local professionals, get expert tips on creating an impactful resume and portfolio, and hear from industry-leading speakers.
Join us on February 12th, 2021 for the 22nd Annual Student Advertising Summit – an all-day virtual event to learn the ins and outs of the advertising industry, and hopefully walk away with a renewed sense of excitement for this ever-changing field. Overcoming the unprecedented setbacks of living in a pandemic world and creating a more inclusive environment is in our hands. Although we may be behind our screens, we can still create and stay more connected than ever.

Let’s turn adversities into opportunities.
Event Details
Throughout the day, please direct any questions to the following:
For technical questions, (breakout session links, portfolio appointments, etc), please email studentadvertisingsummit@gmail.com with the subject line “Technical Question”.
For general questions, please email studentadvertsingsummit@gmail.com with the subject line “General Question”.
In an emergency, please text Co-Director Courtney Emmil at 701-425-2104 and let us know how we can best help you.
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Keynote Speaker: 9:05-10:00am
Nathan Young
Nathan Young is a leading creative strategist with a strong digital background. He’s the co-founder of 600 & Rising, a non-profit organization that works to advocate and promote Black talent in the advertising industry.
Nathan has a strong digital background and started his career as a systems integrator for Microsoft. He began his strategy career working for AXS as a content strategist, working on research and execution of paid digital campaigns. Nathan has since worked for numerous well-renowned ad agencies in Minneapolis as well as the greater Seattle area such as, Creature, Aux Creative, CROWN and more! After working over a decade in the industry, Nathan started 600 & Rising to dedicate his work to help African Americans thrive in the advertising industry and ensure equal opportunity and pay.
Breakout Session 1: 10:05-11:00am
Name: Randy Larson, Co-Founder + Chief Creative Officer
Title: Using empathy to create success for your clients and your career.
Agency: Shinebox
Description: Using empathy to create success for your clients and your career. Things seem to be fundamentally changing everywhere. The social, economic, political and cultural landscapes shift almost daily. We are taught that it is imperative to keep up with these trends in order to create success for our clients and ourselves.
The good news is this. Amidst the changes I have seen over the years and decades, almost all successful brand campaigns appear to have a single, simple and repeatable element in common. Join us for a robust discussion about disruption, audience values and how you can learn to use these tools to create successful brand campaigns regardless of the situations around you.
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Name: Rachel Thielen, Strategic Marketing Manager
Title: Is Everyday the Same Working for an In-House Marketing Team? Short Answer- Not at All!
Company: Interlog USA
Description: Have you ever wondered how an in-house marketing department is run? In this session, Rachel will break down how InterlogUSA’s marketing team operates on a day-to-day basis and all different assets that the team works on. Email Campaigns, Newsletters and Social Media Marketing are the main projects that the team focuses on to successfully run year round Business to Business marketing initiatives. During this session, Rachel will showcase successful campaigns and tear down the stigma that “everyday is the same” when working in-house. This is a great opportunity to learn from a rising in-house marketing team that continues to build client relationships amidst the pandemic.
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Name: Jeff Epstein, Director
Title: How to Stand Out Above the Crowd – Portfolio & Resume Crash Course
Organization: Chicago Portfolio School
Description: Have you spent hours looking at different resume and portfolio templates hoping to find one that stands out? When it comes to building a resume and portfolio, you want to make sure your materials standing out among other applicants is the key to success. During this session, Jeff from the Chicago Portfolio School will go over tips and tricks on how to create a resume and portfolio that showcase your experience and potential.
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Panel 1 – Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace: 11:05-12:00pm
Join us for our first round of panel speakers – a group of professionals who understand what it means to Overcome ADversity.
Name: Ryan Poehler
Title: Operations Project Manager of DI&E team
Company: U.S. Bank
About Ryan: Ryan currently works as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Project Manager at U.S. Bank. He is passionate about building a collaborative and inclusive environment and has years of experience in the digital marketing field.
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Name: Lindsey Mackereth
Title: Owner + Therapist
Organization: Method Counseling
About Lindsey: Lindsey is a therapist with a knack for creativity who works to address creative anxiety and help professionals in the industry prevent workplace burnout.
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Name: Alex Miranda
Title: Cultural Strategist
Agency: KNOCK Inc.
About Alex: Alex, a Cultural Strategist at KNOCK Inc., is passionate about consumer insights, analytics, and culture. Alex has worked and developed strategies for a number of small and large clients in a variety of fields.
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Name: Natalie Kim
Title: Founder
Organization: We Are Next
About Natalie: Natalie is the founder of We Are Next, a resource designed to help students and young professionals kick start their careers in advertising by collecting wide-ranging perspectives from current professionals in the industry.
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Name: Chelsea St. Clair
Title: Sr. Creative Strategist
Agency: sparks & honey
About Chelsea: A recent Cultural Strategist at sparks & honey, Chelsea is now working in entertainment advertising after partnering with big name clients such as Vans, EA, Facebook, and many more!
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Name: Tiffany Luong
Title: Digital Media Supervisor
Agency: Fallon
About Tiffany: Tiffany has been at Fallon for over five years and currently works as Digital Media Supervisor. Not to mention, she is a former Media Planning Lead for the Student Advertising Summit.
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Name: Alex Roundtree
Title: Production Assistant
Agency: Fallon
About Alex: Alex is currently a production assistant at Fallon. Prior to Fallon, Alex worked as a Videographer for the Minnesota Timberwolves as well as a traveling Videographer for USATF/NCAA Track & Field Championships.
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Agency Networking, Portfolio Reviews & Lunch: 12:00-1:30pm
Students with last names A-M: 12:00-12:45pm Virtual Networking at agency booths
Students with last name N-Z: 12:45-1:30pm Virtual Networking at agency booths
Portfolio Review meetings if you have previously signed up for a time slot
When you are not networking and on your lunch break, feel free to join the lunch Zoom call and relax!
Breakout Session 2: 1:35-2:30pm
Name: Liz Kremer, Senior Development Manager
Title: The Art of the New Business Pitch
Agency: Collective Measures
Description: The allure of working at an agency with big-name clients, crafting cutting edge work, and executing robust campaigns is appealing to many young marketers. But how are those agency-client partnerships formed? What kinds of questions, presentations, deliverables, and strategies are shared even before a contract is in place? If you’re curious about the agency new business process, what it looks like from start to finish, then this session is for you. Hear from Collective Measures’ Senior Client Development Manager, Liz Kremer, about what it means to “win” with new clients in today’s new business landscape.
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Name: Drew Gneiser, Director of Strategy & Felicia Johnson, Director of Social+Content
Title: Creating Loyalty using Social Media
Agency: The Social Lights
Description: We will show you how to create a tight-knit community of passionate people using social media. Social listening, content, and storytelling are all essential parts of bringing this to life. In this session, you will learn to use social in a new way, not only for content but to connect with your customers, fans, and community in a new way.
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Name: Shanna Apitz, Executive Creative Director
Title: Fake it until you make it and other advice to ignore
Agency: Hunt Adkins
Description: Finding the right job and agency can be extremely frustrating. You’ve done everything right. Graduated with an advertising-relevant major, built a portfolio of work, re-wrote your resume 45 times, joined Ad Club, worked two jobs and participated in extracurriculars. You’re ready to unleash your unique talent and perspective and land a job at the perfect agency. The only problem is that you keep hitting dead ends. You wish someone would just pull back the curtain and point you in the right direction. We’re here to expose the worst advice out there, help you understand the mistakes you’re making, share learnings and catapult your forward to where you want to be.
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Panel 2 – Agency life, explained: 2:35-3:20pm
Join us for an agency discussion panel to hear from professionals from around the Twin Cities.
Name: Declan Desmond
Title: Senior Copywriter
Agency: broadhead
About Declan: Declan currently works as Senior Copywriter at broadhead. After starting his career as a journalist from the Bay Area, Declan is excited to share his journey into the world of advertising.
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Name: Devon Block
Title: Brand Manager
Organization: Small Business Revolution – Deluxe
About Devon: Devon is the Brand Manager for the hit series, Small Business Revolution (SBR), An Original Series by Deluxe streaming on Hulu and Prime Video. SBR gives one lucky town and its small businesses a $500,000 marketing revitalization. Devon describes herself as an avid curiosity chaser, small business advocate, and self-proclaimed design nerd.
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Name: Caleb Peabody
Title: Account Manager
Agency: Carmichael Lynch
About Caleb: Caleb, an Account Manager at Carmichael Lynch, is a driven, innovative and strategic leader. Caleb has a passion for bringing campaigns to life and has experience in managing all levels of communications.
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Name: Sal Randazzo
Title: Digital Media Analyst
Company: Target
About Sal: Sal is a Digital Media Analyst at Target with passions and expertise in creative and strategic thinking. Sal has experience with several agencies in the Twin Cities area, including broadhead and Periscope.
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Name: Shauna Gajavada
Title: Social Strategist
Agency: Fallon
About Shauna: Shauna is a Social Strategist at Fallon and has been working in the marketing industry for several years. Shauna is skilled in several aspects of the marketing mix, with particular expertise in public speaking and social media strategy.
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Breakout Session 3: 3:25-4:20pm
Name: Kallie Quinn, Client Strategist & Margarita Klikizos, Senior Client Strategist
Title: Media 101
Agency: True Media
Description: Do you think your phone is listening to you? What does your online presence say about you? Is TV advertising really dying? Join Kallie and Margarita from True Media to learn more about the world of paid advertising. They will give you a quick overview of the in’s and out’s of ad campaigns and how to get the right message, in front of the right person, at the right time.
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Name/Title: Emilie Hitch, VP | Applied Anthropologist
Title: Culture Shifts— how does advertising shift to meet it?
Agency: broadhead.
Description: Cultural shifts tell stories about the interconnectedness of human systems — the fissures they bear, the rust they gather, and their dependence on one another. Examining indicators of change-in-motion around us, we can only guess at what life (and advertising) will be like in the future. This session centers around how we see and apply knowledge about shifts in culture; small ideas of change, small groups of people, and growing perspectives scattered throughout our societies, which bubble up to generate seismic shifts in how people relate to each other and the world around them.
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Virtual Agency Tours: 4:25-5:00pm
Ever find yourself envisioning a workspace that is created for the utmost collaboration, creativity, and curiosity? Colle McVoy, True Media, and Minnow agencies will give you a virtual sneak peak into what it’s like to work inside their office.
Zoom links to virtual agency tours will be included in your package of Zoom links!
2021 Sponsors
Thank you for all our sponsors that made the Ad2 2021 Student Advertising Summit possible!
HOW TO PREPARE
Research
Take a peek at the list of agencies and speakers before the event. It is always helpful to know a little background info before attending the event. It’s also a great opportunity to prepare some questions as well!
Choose your #SAS2021 Zoom background & get your materials ready
I’m sure we all have our quarantine office setup down at this point, but be sure to have something to take notes with, whether it be on your computer or a good ol’ fashion notebook!
Dress to Impress
Even though we will be virtual, dress for the occasion! Recommended attire is business casual.