Texas State grads give tips for success in the advertising industry

By Alyssa Nodorft

SAN MARCOS, TEXAS  —  A panel of Texas State grads gave current advertising students tips on how to get their foot in the door in the industry on Oct. 26 for the university’s annual “Mass Comm Week.”

 Divya Darsi, Matt Kemp, and Sabrina Jordan have all made a name for themselves in the advertising industry as a strategist, senior account executive, and media director, respectively. They have worked with large–scale companies like Dell, Starbucks, Chipotle, Walmart, and more.

University professor Jenny Buschhorn moderated the debate in the LBJ Student Center and asked questions that would be useful to students aspiring to be successful in their fields, starting with what the best way to get a job in advertising is.

“Get an internship,” said Darsi. “Don’t wait until your last semester. Reach out to people and ask if you can shadow them. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do yet.”

Texas State Alumna Sabrina Jordan shows her
alma mater spirit.

“The industry is always busy,” said Jordan. “Sometimes you’re planning a campaign that needs launching in two weeks instead of 12 or 18 months like usual.” Jordan has been in advertising the longest, graduating in 2002 and working for GSD&M, an Austin–based agency. “At the end of the day, it’s not just about your ideas; it’s about driving your client’s business.”

Kemp emphasized how competitive the advertising world is. “At the heart of it, you need to create great work and have a great strategy. I sit there and hover over the ‘Skip Ad’ button on videos all the time, unless something captivates me,” he said. “The only standard is A+ work, not B or C work.”

“Use your own resources and put your own stamp on things,” said Jordan. “If I ask for something, don’t give me only what I ask for. Go one step above.”

Sophomore Miles Jackson left the seminar feeling inspired and motivated. “This definitely made my mind up about wanting to continue studying advertising,” he said. “There are so many things you can do in this industry.”
               Mass Comm week continues through Thursday, Oct. 26. The full schedule can be found on their website.

Alyssa is an Advertising major and works as a graphic designer at the LBJ Student Center.