AS WE CREATE

Nancy Ruzow grew up being surrounded by the arts and fashion through her parents and eventually developed a fascination for advertising. Nancy shares how she got started working for publishing companies creating ads and when she decided to go off on her own. We talk about the the mindset of running your own studio and how she is currently embracing the tools of Ai. Nancy also talks about Creatives Roundtable, a community effort she has been leading for many years.

Growing up in rural Maine was a great experience for Brian Pike though when it came time to research advertising schools, he took the opportunity to head to the West Coast. Brian shares how he began his career as a copywriter as well as knowing when to push an idea beyond a clients comfort level. We also talk about the current state of advertising as well his role at Mintz & Hoke.

Initially focusing her education on becoming an actor, Ilona Somogyi quickly discovered it was not going to be a good fit. While still having a fascination with theater, she turned back to her seamstress skills instilled by her grandmother. Ilona shares many stories of her career as a freelance costume designer as well as her involvement with the Yale School of Drama. We also hear about the journey Ilona has taken co-founding Ball and Socket Arts.

Reading was something that came to Chris Knopf at a very early age and had him pursue his education in creative writing. Before becoming a published author, Chris shares how his career began working in public relations as a copywriter and what lead to him taking over the creative agency Mintz+Hoke. We also talk about the relationship of strategy and creativity as well as the current state of publishing.

A few career paths were considered before Jeff Jahnke set his sights on architecture and he shares how things went after he served in the Navy. We talk about the creative freedom of architecture and how it can often be suppressed by tradition. He also shares how a longterm project while he was working for Centerbrook, became a foundational element to launching his own firm, Hartford Architecture Partners Inc.