We Threw a Party and Invited Some Very Special Guests

I too started out as a student intern at Xdesign. At the time, Associate Creative Director Hunter Territo was the advertising education chair, and he invited me to a student advertising meeting. I kept in mind I needed a job in six months, and I said “I’d love to” without any hesitation. Four years later I’m now chairing that advertising education committee attending those exact same meetings, however now as a mentor to the students.

As part of Xdesign’s commitment to the students, we hosted an annual open house and kick-off reception for students this past Friday in conjunction with the AAF-BR Student Conference held on Saturday. This year’s reception, which had over 30 students majoring in the fields of advertising, graphic design and business, gave students a chance to network with their peers, fellow Xdesign’ers, and AAF-BR Board Members, as well as network with a very special guest, Glenn Griffin, author of “The Creative Process: How Advertising’s Big Ideas Are Born.”

We even had a little fun and shot our very own Harlem Shake video.

Just four years ago, I attended the AAF-BR conference and the Xdesign open house as a student, eager to learn from the local professionals and the team at Xdesign. Xdesign’s commitment to my future when I was a student got me to where I am today. It has come full circle. I am proud to have co-chaired this year’s Advertising Education Committee that put together a great conference for students. We were able to bring in great local speakers on topics such as public relations, client management, the creative process, design, interactive, digital and social media, and tips on portfolios, resumes, and job searching.

Xdesign has always been and will always be committed to students. We’ve gone after the best graphic design and advertising students for internships, and 3 of our last 4 hires were student interns at Xdesign. There is great talent in Baton Rouge, and we’re proud to be able to have young people stay in this city to help make it great. We love this place.

Tiffanie Pitre | @tiffaniepitre