marketing director
Alex Ludwig is in his third year as Marketing Director at Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys. In his time at GMIA, Alex has grown the marketing department from only a few people to 12+ marketers focused on building brand affinity while overseeing the overall marketing and client growth of the largest advertiser in Louisiana. Alex spends much of his time strategizing and building the continued growth of one of the most robust billboard marketing campaigns in the country, a program that consists of around 1,000 billboards in Louisiana alone.
Ashley Orlando is more than a jazz vocalist, ukulele artist and charisma coach. She's a joyologist. A breath of fresh air. A charismatic leader and community builder who helps high-achieving professionals step into their voice (whether musical, spoken or creative), and move through self-doubt/imposter syndrome to realize their full potential.
A classically trained soprano, Ashley fell in love with the creativity and playfulness of jazz as a kid, but at the time she felt too quiet and shy to give it a try. A very windy road through Wales, France, Wisconsin and Texas finally led this Louisiana native to pick up her now trademark ukulele 6 years ago and start exploring this dream genre.
Today her warm, angelic voice evokes a more glamorous era, transporting audiences to a time when standards flowed live into homes from the big-city studios and grand hotels. And her inspiring story demonstrates how you, too, can strengthen your emotional intelligence and move past the #1 thing holding you back—yourself.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ERICK BRINGS 15+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE CREATING PREMIUM BRANDING SOLUTIONS. HE HAS AN INNATE SENSE OF MARKETING, A DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF DESIGN AND AN IMPECCABLE EYE FOR DETAIL. HE HAS WORKED IN DIGITAL MEDIA, PACKAGING AND PROMOTIONAL DESIGN FOR SUCH CLIENTS AS COX COMMUNICATIONS, PENNZOIL, BATON ROUGE METRO AIRPORT, SNAPPLE, WOMAN’S HOSPITAL, BATON ROUGE FILM COMMISSION, BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF LOUISIANA, DALLAS HOUSING AUTHORITY AND COMMUNITY COFFEE. ERICK HAS WON NUMEROUS AWARDS IN ADVERTISING AND BRINGS A WELL-ROUNDED ABILITY TO GET THE MOST OUT OF THE CREATIVE TEAMS HE HAS LED.
FOUNDER/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
MELODY'S INTEREST IN ADVERTISING BEGAN AT AN EARLY AGE, RECORDING COMMERCIALS FOR HER MOTHER’S ADVERTISING AGENCY. HER PASSION FOR CREATIVITY GREW WHILE INTERNING AT A DESIGN FIRM, LEADING TO HER FIRST ADDY AWARD AT AGE 17. IT WAS OOH THAT WOULD PAVE THE WAY TO A 23-YEAR CAREER INSPIRING CLIENTS, DRIVING SALES, AND MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF DESIGNERS. MELODY’S DEDICATION TO HER CRAFT HAS EARNED HER NUMEROUS AWARDS AND ACCOLADES, SOLIDIFYING HER POSITION AS A PASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR THE MEDIUM.
VP OF REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT
Nicholas Cummins, a Central Pennsylvania native and Temple University alum, has brought a diverse background in nonprofit fundraising, commercial real estate, and collective art spaces to his role as VP of Real Estate and Development at Colossal Media since 2014. Nicholas loves the challenge of growing traditional hand painted advertising in the modern OOH marketplace, and is fascinated by the way individuals' economic priorities help to shape our shared future. On the creative side, Nicholas is a musician whose work has been featured in Pitchfork, PAPER Magazine, and Bandcamp, and prior to entering the OOH industry he was a member of a series of art collectives including New York's Silent Barn and Philadelphia's Goldilocks Gallery. Nicholas loves running, rock climbing, cooking and trying new restaurants with his wife in Portland, Oregon.
Throughout his career Ryan has honed his technical chops through self reinvention and deliberate exposure to new challenges. A 15 year motion design generalist with deep proficiencies in 2D Animation, 3D Modeling and Animation, as well Visual Effects based workflows, Ryan has always worked hard to be more than ’the animator’ on the projects he contributes his time and energy to. From the very early days, his professional aim has been to offer a creative perspective and unique point of view, enriched by his diverse experience in designing and animating video content for Advertising, Broadcast, College Athletics, and Industrial clientele. Serving creative community is his priority these days, and he’s most excited about taking what he knows to experiential spaces through light art and the occasional DJ set.
PARTNER
Sonny Chastain is a partner in the Baton Rouge office of Kean Miller. Sonny earned his B.S. in Finance from Louisiana State University in 1986. He earned his J.D. from the LSU Law Center in 1989. Sonny then served as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Frank J. Polozola, United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana before entering private practice. He practices in the areas of business litigation and intellectual property. Sonny represents clients in various commercial matters regarding contract negotiation and litigation, breach of fiduciary duty, noncompete agreements, unfair trade practices, and consumer finance. He also routinely advises clients in matters regarding copyright and trademark registration prosecution, brand management, and IP infringement litigation.
FOUNDER & CHIEF STORYTELLER
TOMMY IS AN ENERGETIC LEADER WHO CUT HIS TEETH IN THE FILM AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY IN LOS ANGELES. REALITY TV AND DOCUMENTARY BECAME THE PATH THAT WOULD CREATE THE STYLE OF STORYTELLING HE WOULD UTILIZE THROUGH HIS CONTENT. WHETHER HE IS STORYTELLING IN THE BOARDROOM OR ON THE SCREEN, HE INSPIRES OUR CLIENTS AND THE ECHO TANGO TEAM. TOMMY HAS DIRECTED OVER 50 COMMERCIALS FOR WALMART AS PART OF AN AWARD-WINNING NATIONAL CAMPAIGN AND HAS PRODUCED CONTENT FOR MTV, NBC, DISCOVERY CHANNEL, A&E AND NICKELODEON.
PRINCIPAL/CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER
Brad is passionate about creating integrated, high-impact advertising campaigns that compel audiences to take a fresh look and new action. As the Chief Creative Officer at Rockit Science Agency, Brad's expertise lies in designing research-driven issue advocacy and behavior change campaigns that leave a lasting impact for clients.
Brad's work continues to impact and support communities across the country through various initiatives. Combining creative that strikes at the emotional core of consumers with eye-opening visuals meant to inform and educate, Brad and his team at Rockit Science have proved themselves experts in introducing new ways to approach and tackle engagement barriers across all outreach channels for diverse clients and partners. From developing rapid design prototypes for the newest marketing campaign for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, to producing videos for Oregon's Food Ecosystem, to building new websites and digital experiences to recruit new talent for state agencies, Brad remains at the ready for the next challenge.
Brad’s work has won more than 100 American Advertising Awards (“Addys”) for national, regional and local campaigns, more than 15 Telly Awards, and was nominated for an Emmy for the "Meth Sucks" campaign during the 64th Emmy Awards.
Prior to establishing Rockit Science Agency more than 22 years ago, Brad's career took flight at IMAGIN Media, where he worked on fully- integrated advertising campaigns for Allstate Insurance, the United States Department of the Interior, Mississippi Department of Education, and the United States Postal Service. In addition, Brad expanded his interactive and digital experiences working with Dr. Pepper, Anheuser- Busch and Eaton Aerospace.
Brad received a B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Louisiana Tech University in 1999. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife and 3 kids.
PRESIDENT/CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Hunter leads the Xdesign team from the first point of contact all the way through to implementation. His creative mind paired, strategic thinking and passion for strong client and team member relationships ensures Xdesign exceeds clients’ goals.
Hunter has been named Baton Rouge Business Report's Top 40 Under 40, Sales and Marketing Executives, Marketer of the Year, One of Baton Rouge's Most Powerful and Influential People, and served as President of AAF Baton Rouge.
Hunter joined the Xdesign team as intern and 2007 and has since held every position in the firm, today he serves as majority owner of Xdesign. Xdesign is in it's 34th year of operations and has won thousands of creative awards.
Hunter has a background in branding and strategy, and he also serves as an adjunct instructor at Louisiana State University, teaching a 3000-level Advertising Strategy class. He has helped LSU's Mass Communication College execute its digital media initiative by overhauling the course curriculum and mentoring students to prepare them for the creative industry.
Outside of his passion for the advertising industry, Hunter loves cooking and art, which he spends his free time enjoying with wife Ashley and two young children, Ellis and Evelyn.
CO-FOUNDER AND CCO
Jeremy Beyt is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at ThreeSixtyEight where he works to turn strategic vision into uncommon brand expression. Since its inception, he has guided the agency's growth by leading the strategy and creative disciplines to serve over 300 organizations worldwide.
Jeremy has developed globally recognized brand strategies and interactive experiences for clients such as Wellpet, Waitr, Unilever, Miami Dolphins, LSU, Living Water International, Raising Canes, and Tomb Raider. The work has been seen by millions of people, winning Webby, Addy, and Telly awards at the national level. His work with non-profits has generated millions of dollars in donations and pledges to mission-driven brands such as Living Water International, KIVA, and Hidden Compass.
Jeremy works with his co-founders to build a company that stands as a destination workplace culture in Louisiana. The agency has been recognized as one of AdAge's best places to work in America and an AdWeek Fastest Growing Business. With headquarters between downtown and mid-city Baton Rouge, Jeremy and his team consistently work to promote and improve the community, producing live events, festivals, creative meetings, and campaigns to make Baton Rouge the creative capital of the south.
Jeremy is an active member of his local community and recently received the Baton Rouge Business Report's 40 under 40 designation. He has served on the Mid-City Merchants board to facilitate business growth in Baton Rouge’s burgeoning arts district, joined the board of WGI to bring literacy training to schools, and co-produced the Assembly Required conference to promote entrepreneurship and creativity across the region.
Jeremy is also a loving husband and father, a lifelong drummer, and an avid mountain biker.