A letter from the President of Ad Club STL, Logan Janis
There is no question this is a year of change. Ad Club STL is no exception. As I take the presidential reins from the indomitable Matt Beebe, I am excited to see where we can transform the discomfort of “new normal” into a better future.
This year we are shifting not only our focus, but also the very essence of the “club” itself. We are taking a look in the mirror and making changes to become an organization that we, the representatives of the industry in St. Louis, are truly proud of. How are we doing this? I’m glad you asked.
The 2019-2020 slate was filled with fantastic board, many more volunteers and active and engaged members. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed us to quickly pivot to a remote organization and develop initiatives such as the Ad Club Connected series and a resume portal. The long-overdue social unrest made us realize that we were not as welcoming as we thought we were and needed to take another look at how we are going to be more inclusive in the future.
By creating/modifying events to be virtual, like the Ad Club Connected Series that we hosted this summer, we plan to stay connected with our community and members in a world where meeting in person has become complicated.
With the re-creation of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Allyship Taskforce, we are shifting our vision to become significantly more inclusive. We plan to accomplish this over time by listening, having tough conversations, and taking thoughtful, purposeful action; such as, creating powerful speaking/education events, shining a light on talent in new creative ways, and getting into areas/schools/neighborhoods where people may not know about the many opportunities that exist in the advertising industry in our city.
And lastly, we plan to double down on getting involved with the local education scene on a deeper level, making sure that everything we do, from events to communications, encompasses a level of outreach and education, to assure we are showing young St. Louis area minds the many opportunities that exist all around them.
We are so excited to see where we go from here and would love for you, whoever you are, to get involved. Whether you “attend” one of our Ad Club Connected events, want to be involved with youth outreach, or are interested in helping our events go digital, there are plenty of ways for you to get involved! We are here to be the resource you need and will find work that you want to do. Be sure to check out our website to stay up to date. A big thanks to our members and volunteers for your continuous hard work on making our organization one that I am proud to a part of. Without you, we could do nothing. And thanks to our community at large for working every day to make St. Louis the city we all love. We look forward to working with all of you in 2020-2021.
Logan Janis
President, Ad Club St. Louis