Our Alumni

Howard University

A native of Washington, D.C., and current resident of Maryland, Regina Blackburn attended Howard University, receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Communications. After graduation, she worked in the television broadcasting industry for 40 years. Regina has also self published EIGHT books that are currently being sold on Amazon, along with garnering six Billboard Magazine Awards for her original music compositions. She is a member of the BMI performance rights organization and a breast cancer survivor.

EPISODES FROM REGINA:
Stained Glass at Howard University

SoundCloud |  YouTube

Minneapolis College of Art & Design

Pete Griffith is the Founder and President of Mentum. He’s not THE Family Guy but definitely a family guy (three kids, in fact). He does share something in common with that show – they have both won an Emmy for creativity. In fact, this Pete Griffith has also won multiple international advertising, editing and art direction awards. His approach to any project is simple. He believes the final product not only has to make you feel something, it must make you do something.

As a former creative director for over 20 years at the world’s largest ad agencies, his work for numerous Fortune 500 companies not only gained impressive creative recognition but boosted their bottom lines. But when work meant spending more time away from his family than with them, Pete started his own agency and never looked back.

EPISODES FROM PETE:
The Hardest Class To Pass In College
Not So Old Yeller
Cheaters Almost Never Win
The Lonliest Mascot

Substack  |  Facebook  |  Website  |  Email

University of South Florida

Most know Chelsea as the “curly-haired girl who talks a lot”. That’s not a bad assessment as she firmly believes good communication leads to the most insightful answers. Among friends, family and colleagues, Chelsea generally asks a lot of questions and enjoys adding to discussions.

As far as the corporate world is concerned, she’s an Integrated Marketing Communications Specialist offering strong academic knowledge in marketing, branding, corporate communications and change management, operational development, customer service and event coordination. I quickly learn and master new concepts and am equally successful in both team and self-directed settings.

Chelsea has vast experience in not-for-profit, start-ups, corporate, entertainment and freelance environments. She’s a jack-of-all trades, wear-a-lot-of-hats kind of gal.

EPISODES FROM CHELSEA:
Boobs, Bros And Busch Gardens

Email  |  LinkedIn

Marquette University

Brian studied interpersonal communications and journalism at Marquette University. He translated his love of language into a career in advertising and marketing services that spanned four decades.

Brian developed a talent for helping teams prepare for high-stakes presentations in the hyper-competitive world of advertising agency new business pitches. He leveraged his skills to become EVP/Global Business Development at J. Walter Thompson, a global advertising firm, and later as President of the company’s Chicago office.

Brian retired from a leadership role at IBM iX, the company’s digital experience arm, in 2019 and founded Fásmentor LLC, which is focused on mentoring teams and individuals in their pursuit of new business and career opportunities.

Brian and his wife, Peggy, have five children and eight grandchildren and now live in Holland, Michigan.

EPISODES FROM BRIAN:
The Pirate Professor

Fasmentor.com

Los Angeles Film and Recording School

With a Bachelor of Science in Audio Production from the Los Angeles Film and Recording School, Michael brings over a decade of experience in the audio industry. His career began with a passion for music production, which evolved into expertise in sound design and post-production for various media.

Born and raised just outside of Chicago, Michael combines Midwest work ethic with creative innovation to deliver high-quality soundscapes and solutions. Whether working on music tracks or crafting immersive audio experiences, his commitment to excellence shines in every project.

Website  |  Email

University of Illinois

Jay Kaskel is a recently retired advertising writer who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is married with one grown son, who lives nearby in Minneapolis. Jay has yet to decide exactly what the next chapter of his life looks like. It will likely include spending more time constructing crossword puzzles, playing tennis, and riding his bike. He is seriously contemplating getting into endurance sleeping.

Jay grew up in Morton Grove, a suburb 20 minutes north of downtown Chicago. The middle child of two other brothers, he attended Niles West High School, where his greatest accomplishment was managing to avoid getting stuffed into a locker.

EPISODES FROM JAY:
Confessions Of A College Coke Dealer

Website |  LinkedIn

University of Illinois | University of Notre Dame

Writer, concert violinist/violist, DuPage County Board Commissioner, podcaster, public speaker, community activist, IWIL alum, wife & mom of four. Passionate about the arts, economic development, women’s voices, social justice, & sustainability.

EPISODES FROM LYNN:
How Phyllis Schlafly Turned Me Into A Radical Feminist Lesbian Over Dinner

Substack  |  Facebook  |  Email

University of Wisconsin

Marie Newman is a former congresswoman, nonprofit CEO, marketing executive, author of When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions, antibullying activist, former Moms Demand Action spokesperson and national LGBTQ+ advocate. In addition to those roles, she is a mom of two adult children, consultant and podcaster. Marie Newman is known for building movements and solving the toughest problems. Marie’s next book, her memoir, will be released April of 2025, A Life Made From Scratch. Her motto has always been, when you do not see the solution you desperately need, make it from scratch!

Marie has been frequently interviewed on MSNBC, CNN, Fox, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS over the last decade for her congressional work and prior to that, her activism. She has also been interviewed by The New York Times, Elle magazine, Teen Vogue, Ms. Magazine, The New Yorker, Washington Post, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun Times and other publications.

EPISODES FROM MARIE:
It Was Not A Shameful Act
Barbies Everywhere!

Marie’s newest book, a prescriptive memoir, “A Life Made From Scratch” is now in publication. Her first book is “When Your Child is Being Bullied, Real Solutions”. Both are available here.

Substack  |  Website  |  Email

University of Wisconsin in Madison

A copywriter by trade, Steffan is perhaps best known for his provocative and iconic work on Altoids, “The Curiously Strong Mints.”  Early into his long tenure at Leo Burnett, Steffan co-wrote “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile,” which (for better or worse) became a part of the lexicon.

As well as doing contract work, Steffan currently provides creative leadership at Jumbo Shrimp, a boutique agency responsible for elevating the creative product across a broad range of B2B and technology clients.

A one-time recipient of Crain’s prestigious “40 under 40,” he’s the recipient of advertising’s most prestigious awards, including numerous One Show Pencils, the Kelly Award for best print campaign in North America and gold and silver Lions from Cannes.

Steffan has written several novels, all of which are available via his Amazon author page. His horror screenplay, Belzec: The Made Undead won Best Horror Screenplay at Action on Film, Chicago’s Horror Fest and several other festivals. He is currently seeking representation for his fourth novel, The Chaos Merchant.

Currently, Steffan resides in Chicago with his wife, a dog named “Elmo” and a slew of fish tanks. He maintains an urban “fish room,” documented on his You Tube channel: Lush & Salty Aquariums: https://www.youtube.com/@LushSaltyAquariums

EPISODES FROM STEFFAN:
The Downfall Of A Whiz Kid

University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire

Lee knew he wanted to be a professional writer at the age of 12. His career would take him to ad agencies in Minneapolis and then to Madison, Wisconsin, writing for nearly all media including his favorites, TV and radio. While a degree in journalism looked good on his resume, it was his immersion in writing sketch comedy and performing on stage that developed the sense of humor advertising in the 1980s and ‘90s required.

Now retired, Lee has discovered a new passion: drawing portraits. “A few people have told me I have a gift for drawing,” Lee says. “I do not. My gift is my desire to draw. It insists that I draw regularly. That I explore various techniques. That I look at faces in ways I never did before.” He has no idea where this new-found desire comes from. But, Lee says, “It appears to have a stranglehold on me.”

Lee is married to Sherry. They have four daughters, two dogs, and one fine relationship.

EPISODES FROM LEE:
Jazz And A Joynt

Website |  Instagram

University of Michigan

Karen has spent the last 25 years working as a copywriter and creative director for a wide variety of clients, from local start-ups to global brands. She helps corporations, non-profits, brands, and executives figure out what they want to say and how they need to say it. In between crafting web copy about laundry detergent, writing video scripts for financial institutions, and creating thought-leadership articles for executives—oh, and driving her kids back and forth to soccer—she started writing about the relatable absurdities of everyday life and the madness of raising kids who play soccer.

She writes short humor pieces for various publications on Medium and a variety of blogs, and her first book—Surviving Soccer: A Chill Parent’s Guide to Carpools, Calendars, Coaches, Clubs, and Corner Kicks—is available here.

For Karen, the understated beauty, creativity, and laid-back lifestyle of Central Ohio have always made it a great place to come home to between visiting clients across the country and traveling to soccer fields around the Midwest.

EPISODES FROM KAREN:
The Octopus At Michigan

https://www.karenschollwriter.com/ | https://medium.com/@karen_16990

University of Detroit

A proud son of Cleveland, Ohio, Rob spent his first year of college in a Catholic seminary studying to be a priest. However, after looking up the meaning of the word “celibacy” in the dictionary, he immediately enrolled at the University of Detroit where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in English. (A somewhat dubious achievement since this was a language he already spoke quite fluently.) Amazingly, he somehow managed to parlay this fairly unmarketable degree into an award-winning career as an advertising copywriter and creative director that spanned 45 years and almost a dozen agencies. Rob has been kindly put out to pasture and is now enjoying the gentlemanly leisure life of retirement outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Email

San Diego State

Since the dawn of the communications industry, Scott has maintained an inspired presence across multiple creative disciplines. His work spans graphic design and typography to filmmaking and advertising.

As VP/Creative Director, Scott completed two successful tours at the Leo Burnett Company, where he played an integral role in building iconic brands like Allstate, Miller Lite, and Oldsmobile (though he had nothing to do with the latter’s eventual downfall).

Complementing his advertising experience, Scott’s graphic design background led him to co-found T-26, one of the world’s first digital font companies—back when you couldn’t simply download fonts for free.

As an award-winning writer/director, Scott made his mark by breaking the Ten Commandments. His cult classic short film “TEN,” featuring a man breaking all Ten Commandments in three minutes, caught the attention of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, landing him a coveted spot on their reality-based filmmaking competition PROJECT GREENLIGHT. Scott became one of three director finalists selected from a pool of two thousand applicants.

While maintaining his advertising career, Scott wrote and directed two award-winning feature films: the dark, comedic narrative feature “Chasing the Blues” and the documentary “Being Bucky,” which follows seven college students who portrayed the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s mascot, Bucky Badger, for an entire year.

Scott has written and directed over twenty short films and scores of commercials, including a Super Bowl spot for Frito-Lay while at Element 79—a project conceived on the Monday before the big game and delivered that same Saturday.

Scott’s debut novel, “Like Dizzy Gillespie’s Cheeks,” is available for purchase. His second novel currently resides in numerous agents’ rejection bins (though he’ll gladly send it to anyone who asks politely), while his third novel remains in first-draft mode as he’s been distracted by several compelling screenwriting projects.

If you’re not tired of hearing about Scott by now, links to his work by category can be found below, including an eclectic collection of his illustrations.

Advertising Work
Filmmaking Projects
Illustrator for Hire
Pompous Posters

EPISODES FROM SCOTT:
College, ADHD And Anxiety, Oh My!

 American Academy of Art in Chicago

Jeff is a creative powerhouse. As a film critic and charter member of the Chicago Indie Critics, his reviews have been published by the Examiner and Creative Screenwriting magazine.

As a writer, he was picked by the International Screenwriters Association as one of their “25 Screenwriters to Watch” and is a member of the Chicago Indie Critics, the ASPCA, and SAG-AFTRA.

As an illustrator, his cartoons have appeared in various books and publications from the Chicago Tribune to Playboy to W Magazine and his caricatures hang in celebrity’s homes.

And on top of all that, Jeff has been an influential creative director in the Chicago ad world for decades.

You can check out some of his incredible illustrations and his personal movie site, The Establishing Shot.org, which is read in 27 countries. Jeff still lives and works in Chicago, ironically two blocks away from the old Playboy mansion.

EPISODES FROM JEFF:
My Night With Marilyn