Jacht Ad Lab, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications' interdisciplinary student ad agency, is celebrating its five-year anniversary this fall with more than 30 students and the addition of two more highly skilled professionals as consultants and adjunct professors.
Jacht’s now three adjunct professors Sandra Cranny, Senior EVP and Chief Communications Officer at Bailey Lauerman; Ryan Holt, Associate Art Director at Swanson Russell; and Brian Reid, director at W2O Group headquartered in San Francisco, assist Amy Struthers, associate professor of Advertising and Public Relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in molding the future leaders of the advertising world.
Cranny brings in her experience with client relations, as well as account planning to assist students in developing creative strategies that will reach the optimum target demographic. Reid works with students on assembling highly effective public relations strategies and tactics. Holt shares his creative expertise and experience with Jacht students to make first-class creative content.
Students participating this semester were selected from across the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus through a selective process that included a resume, portfolio and an interview with Jacht faculty and student staff.
“Our applicant pool continues to grow as Jacht’s reputation for a great learning experience reaches across the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus.” said Struthers, who conceptualized and founded Jacht and acts as lead faculty member at the student ad lab. “These students represent some of the most motivated, directed and passionate young adults in our campus community. They have had the benefit of taking classes from members of our ADPR faculty whose instruction and mentoring have added incalculably to their success in this agency.”
Students utilize their skills and knowledge to work with real-life clients.
“Jacht provides a unique opportunity for us, as students, to apply what we’re learning in the classroom in a real-world setting,” said student CEO, Kaylee Dump. “We are working with real clients on real campaigns running a real agency. It’s invaluable experience.”
Jacht students are from a variety of majors, including accounting, advertising and public relations, journalism, marketing, graphic design, film and new media, broadcasting, economics, finance and business administration. The agency seeks out students from across the University of Nebraska–Lincoln campus to bring together highly motivated and passionate students who are excited about applying their knowledge and skills in a real-world setting.
A unique hybrid of a class and a business, Jacht gives University of Nebraska–Lincoln students the opportunity to run all aspects of an advertising agency. Mentorship and support from Nebraska Global and local ad agencies Bailey Lauerman and Swanson Russell have helped to propel Jacht into a self-sustaining entrepreneurial startup.
Jacht’s current clients include: Assurity, the Child Advocacy Center, Atir Cycles, the Center for Civic Engagement, Lighthouse, the Lincoln Midwest Ballet Company, the National Collegiate Honors Council, the Shrine Bowl of Nebraska and others.
Jacht’s fall 2014 crew and hometowns:
NEBRASKA
BEATRICE: Neely Sutter
CAIRO: Nicole Kohles
FORT CALHOUN: Kaitlyn Nelsen
FREMONT: Katherine Ringenburg
HARTINGTON: Kaylee Dump
KEARNEY: Jacob Bunger
LINCOLN: Katie Black, Megan Freese, Ella Leupold, Mara Schwarting, Abbie Giffin, Nick Small
OMAHA: Melissa Bakewell, Caitlin Egan, Stephanie Goodman, Amber Hauptman, Amanda Hohenstein, Elizabeth Maloley, Benjamin Preston, Jim Wardian, Kevin Kuehl, Kaylan Maloley, Will Stott
PAPILLION: Gretchen Pille, Christopher Svoboda
SCRIBNER: Grant Ebel
SOUTH SIOUX CITY: Landon Mattison
UEHLING: Liz Uehling
WAVERLY: Sydney Noonan, Jake Strange
OUT-OF-STATE
Stacie Sikora, Overland Park, Kansas
Kelli Kuntz, Oxbow, North Dakota
Yujeong Kim, Cheongju, Korea
Xinchi Zhang, Shenyang, Liaoning
About Jacht:
Jacht launched in the fall of 2010 as the College of Journalism and Mass Communications’ student advertising agency. Youthful passion for experimentation with social media, digital production, mobile media and other emerging technologies generates a unique student “ad lab” experience that yields professional and engaging strategies. Jacht offers clients professional solutions to communications issues while allowing students to learn, explore, analyze and test fresh ideas within the constantly evolving advertising industry.
Learn more about Jacht at www.jachtadlab.com
MEDIA FILES: Please feel free to use the Jacht Ad Lab headshots for publication that can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zr17nz5sm86jq6y/AAB_4LtyxMd4I5eMBIWkOZ2ga?dl=0