Top talent seeks creative freedom, Periscope answers with independence

04.27.17

Meet the new Periscopians, highlighted in Adweek, helping push creative work to the next level!

We’re pretty proud to be a top independent agency in the country, and it looks like we’ve got a few new Periscopians who feel the same way.

As highlighted in Adweek and MediaPost, over the last few months, Periscope has attracted top talent from all around the country in creative, media and strategy roles. Our CEO, Liz Ross, spoke earlier this year at the 4A’s Transformation Conference about what our business model enables us to do for both our talent and our clients. It’s pretty clear that the new minds we have in our midst are excited about the evolving model and the chance to innovate!

Meet our newest Periscopian leaders:

Brian Boord (Group Creative Director), formerly of DDB Chicago
Brian has over 10 years of industry experience, starting his career in Minneapolis and most recently working for DDB Chicago. An explorer at heart, Brian enjoys all mediums of advertising, but he relishes in the ideation. Brian's work has been a recipient of major awards like Cannes Lions, Clios, London International Awards, Andy's and Emmys. He is responsible for the majority of State Farm commercials on TV, and you might have seen some of his Skittles work during the biggest day in advertising: the Super Bowl.

Rhea Hanges (Creative Director), formerly of BBDO Atlanta
Rhea’s 10+ years of industry experience have taken her across the country and globe with stays at agencies like BBDO, Havas Worldwide, mcgarrybowen, TBWA and Publicis. A champion of brave new ideas, she started a “Brand Innovation Lab” at JWT Germany, where she led creative ideation for Bayer, Wilkinson Sword and Nokia. Rhea has created work for Toys“R”Us, Keurig, T.J.Maxx, Reebok, Verizon, Intel, Mondelēz International, Skittles, Burger King, Procter & Gamble, Crayola and Disney, among others, and she has been published by Cannes, D&AD, Graphis, ADC Young Guns and Lürzer’s Archive.

Jen Stocksmith (Creative Director), formerly of Vayner Media in New York City
Thoughtful, curious and inquisitive, Jen brings these traits to her work by building brands and uncovering their stories. A copywriter by trade, she is a truly integrated creative who has been a leader in the traditional, digital and social space for many Fortune 100 brands, including AT&T, ExxonMobil, GE and JP Morgan Chase. At Periscope, Jen leads creative teams on Cox Communications, Optum, Bronson Healthcare, Intuit and Freschetta.

Renae Hermen (Group Director, Media), formerly of Novus Media
Renae is a dynamic leader who inspires teams to do their best work and fosters an environment where they share in the vision being built for clients. In her more than 20 years of experience in the industry, she has worked at some of the largest agencies in the Midwest, including Carmichael Lynch, Colle+McVoy and Novus, an SBU within Omnicom. Her experience spans a variety of integrated, multidisciplined accounts in both B2B and consumer spaces, including Aveda, Cheerios, Coca-Cola, HP, Intel, Nest, State Farm, KeyBank and Bank of Montreal. Her strategic media solutions for clients have driven recognition and results, like the Minnesota Lottery experiential campaign that earned an AdWeek Buzz Award and a sales spike 35 percent above historical levels.

David Hahn (Creative), formerly of Barkley in Kansas City, MO
Because David is firmly rooted in both art direction and design, people sometimes consider him a hybrid. But we tend to think of him as a problem solver with a keen eye for execution and the brains to match it conceptually — no matter the project. Armed with a personal core belief that every brand has the potential to inspire and move people, David constantly strives to find not only a unique way to relay a brand message, but a thoughtful one as well. His wide range of experience spans broadcast, packaging, digital activations, branding, retail and pure design. Through a decade’s worth of work, David has collected advertising and design accolades for many of the clients he has worked on, including 7-Eleven, Hershey’s, Wingstop, Hawker Beechcraft, Cargill, Applebee’s, T-Mobile and multiple state lotteries.

Erik Jacobs (Director of Creative Studio at Periscope), formerly of Olson, Fallon and Duffy
Erik’s role as director of Periscope’s Creative Studio allows him to draw on his graphic design background as well as his technical expertise — managing agency production teams at a top design firm is basically his dream job. With over 20 years of experience at Duffy Design, Fallon and Olson, Erik has managed digital studio production teams on award-winning work for clients like BMW, Citibank, Coca-Cola, Dyson, Holiday Inn Express, International Trucks, Jim Beam, McDonald’s, Miller Lite, Nestlé Purina, Nikon, NYSE, Sports Illustrated, Target, TIME and United Airlines.

Maggie Summers (Strategy Director), formerly of Peterson Milla Hooks
With experience at Peterson Milla Hooks, Digitas, Martin Williams and Colle+McVoy, Maggie has worked on brands across the retail, CPG, beauty, agribusiness and financial categories. Her long list of clients includes Kohl’s, Fossil, Sleep Number, Pepsi-Cola, Finnegans, dpHUE, Syngenta, Purina, Bank of America, and Marvin Windows and Doors. She loves discovering innovative brands that are challenging category conventions, bringing emotion to the game and changing the way consumers live their lives. She also happens to be a pop-culture savant — you want her on your trivia team.

Caitlin Curran (Associate Media Director), formerly of BPN in Chicago
Caitlin brings a wealth of media planning expertise to the Periscope team, holding herself to high standards for quality and accuracy and always making a point to value her clients’ businesses as if they were her own. Before joining Periscope, she spent time working in the trenches on the new business team at Havas Media, leading strategic media planning for DeVry Education Group, and developing and implementing cross-channel media plans for Tyson Foods. Her other client experience includes work on the luxury goods portfolio of LVMH and the consumer electronics innovator Philips Consumer Lifestyle.

Tony Smith (Senior Brand Strategist), formerly of FCB Chicago
With a diverse background in nonprofits, government, finance and marketing, Tony brings a unique perspective to his role as a brand strategist. Tony’s introduction to advertising was on the regulation and advising side with the Better Business Bureau. He later spent time at Guggenheim Partners, Crispin Porter + Bogusky and FCB Chicago, gaining experience on brands like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Netflix, Charles Schwab, Best Buy and Applebee’s before finding his way back home by landing a job at Periscope. Today, he provides strategic insights on TCF Bank, Arctic Cat, the Minnesota Twins and Great Clips.