It’s not every day you get to hear from the leadership at your company. Thankfully, here at Brogan, we have an open-door policy that allows us to communicate freely with anyone, no matter their career level.
Have you ever wanted to know how the leaders at your company got where they are? Have you ever wanted to ask questions about topics that go beyond a bio or LinkedIn account? Well, Brogan has you covered.
This new blog series will take you behind the scenes of our leadership team. You will hear their feedback on their career, how they got started, advice for upcoming industry professionals and so much more.
How an unlikely setting led to a flourishing career.
We’re kicking this first blog off with our inspirational Creative Director, Laurie Hix. Like many people, Laurie did not start off in the advertising industry. As a student at the University of Notre Dame, she originally wanted to be a lawyer. After some advice from a family member in the advertising industry and switching her major, she decided on a career path that better suited her natural abilities.
Laurie jokingly says her career started in the toilet. After finding a poorly written newsletter in the dorm restroom, she knew she could write better than that. So, after some encouragement from a few girls in her dorm, Laurie decided to create her first ad campaign, which she used to run for office in college. That would be the start to a very rewarding career in advertising.
Fast forward, Laurie’s first internship was with Brogan & Partners. After working for multiple agencies, she then found her way back to Brogan. When she started out, only 3% of women were creative directors. Now with a career that spans over 30 years, she is a trailblazer. Laurie learned to trust her unique voice as a female creative director and has been dominating ever since.
Some standout campaigns…
Laurie shared a few of her favorite campaigns she’s had the pleasure of working on so far in her career. Her work is just like her: creative, out of the box, etc. Check out some of her standout work:
- St. John Health, Cancer Opera – This is the spot Ellyn Davidson (CEO) credits for saving her life. She did a self-exam that led to her early detection of breast cancer.
- Chevy Truck, U.S. Ski Team Sponsorship
- MDHHS, My Why COVID-19
- MDHHS, Room of Smoke – Finalist, Cannes Film Festival
- Henry Ford Health, Helen’s Heart
- Henry Ford Health, All for You Campaign
With a passion for helping others, Laurie hopes to one day work on a campaign for a dog shelter or leader dogs for the blind.
…and some standout mentors.
Laurie credits Bonnie Folster (Brogan & Partners’ previous creative director) and Marcie Brogan as her biggest mentors. She sees herself as a mentor to the current creative team but acknowledges that the team helps and pushes each other, too.
One of the many lessons she learned is that a great idea can come from anywhere and anyone. A piece of advice she would give her younger self would be to never lose your passion. Lastly, a word of advice for someone entering the industry is to always work for a company and a person you admire.
Laurie loves what she does. She is grateful that she can use her God-given gifts to impact the world in a positive way. And we’re forever grateful to have her positivity and creativity at Brogan & Partners.
For more tips, check out one of her blogs, 10 tips for students looking to get a job in an advertising creative department.
