Briefly

Writing for ads used to mean writing for TV and radio, crafting headlines for print ads and pairing up with a designer to punch up a piece or two. The copywriter’s job was to write. Plain and simple.Within the past decade or so, however, the role of the copywriter has shifted and expanded. In a multi-faceted media landscape, the mission of an agency or company is to create content that resonates with a consumer, engages with them, tells them a story. Sure, the copywriter’s role in all of this still very much involves writing in a traditional sense, but that isn’t all it requires anymore. What is the copywriter’s role now?

Perryn Olson is a sought after B2B marketer and business advisor who understands the impact both strategy and technology can have on a company’s growth and bottom line. He works hand-in-hand with My IT’s proactive support team and clients to secure their networks, educate their employees, and to implement best practices to protect and grow their companies. Perryn has developed business growth strategies for solopreneurs to multi-billion-dollar companies nationwide.He is a certified marketer with SMPS (Society of Marketing Professional Services), past president of SMPS Southeast Louisiana, and past co-chair of SMPS SRC 2015. He has spoken and written extensively within the build and tech industries, and in 2014, he wrote the Construction Executive’s Guide to Brand Marketing. Perryn is an Eagle Scout, a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans, and named one of Gambit's Forty Under 40 in 2010. He enjoys the outdoors, sports, and animals, in fact, he spent 5 years volunteering with the Audubon Zoo as an advanced animal handler and educator. Perryn lives outside of New Orleans with his wife, two daughters, and a husky. 

Since 2003, Jeff English has acted as principal and founder of Creative English Communication Consultants, which specializes in strategic communications planning and execution. Jeff earned his degree in advertising in 1990 and spent 13 years employed with some of the region’s top advertising, public relations and design firms. Over his career he has worked with such clients as NAPA Auto Parts, Bank One, Hancock Bank, Louisiana State University, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, McDonald’s, Mississippi Power, Baton Rouge Area Foundation and more, as well as a variety of state agencies.

Leigh Isaacson is the Co-Founder of Dig - The Dog Person's Dating App. Dig is an iOS mobile dating app for dog owners and dog lovers. As Co-Founder and CEO of the start-up company, Leigh is in charge of fundraising, management, investor relations, daily operations, business partner acquisition, financials, longterm marketing strategies, social media campaigns, and monthly active user growth. Dig was part of the IdeaX Accelerator Program through Idea Village in New Orleans and was selected as a finalist for 2018 MassChallenge Boston.Leigh is an also an instructor at Tulane University, where she teaches a master's course in Media, Terrorism and Disasters master's students in the Homeland Security and Emergency Response Management program. She also teaches Introduction to Journalism to undergraduate students in the public relations department. Topics include ISIS' use of social media, communication methods in times of domestic terrorism and disaster, interview techniques, and preventing hysteria.

Born and raised in Metairie, Louisiana Peyton Theriot has started his business as a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investment Company. After graduating from LSU he trained at the industry-leading Edward Jones Financial Advisor Career Development Program in St. Louis, MO. As a financial advisor, Peyton believes it’s important to invest time to understand what clients are working toward before investing. Whether planning for retirement, saving for college for children or grandchildren, or just trying to protect the financial future of the ones you care for the most, Peyton works with his clients to develop specific strategies to help them achieve their goals. They can also monitor progress to help make sure clients stay on track or determine if any adjustments need to be made.

Tom is an internationally recognized speaker, an active blogger and a contributor to Ad Age’s Small Agency Diary. Tom founded Converse Digital in 2010 after a 20-year career in the advertising agency business to help companies learn how to turn conversations into customers.In 2013, Pearson published Tom’s first book, The Invisible Sale, available everywhere books are sold.His previous experience includes Temerlin McClain Advertising in Dallas, Texas where he developed direct marketing, retail and corporate branding programs for various American Airlines service offerings. After leaving Temerlin in 1994, Tom would spend the balance of his career largely responsible for business development at agencies throughout New Orleans.As Vice President, Business Development at Peter A. Mayer Advertising, he created the firm’s business development program, which generated over 35% growth in new billings in just over four years. Leveraging the systems and approaches developed there he founded his own brand strategy firm, Brandmarken which he successfully ran until Hurricane Katrina forced the young firm to disband.It was during his short return to advertising as President of another mid-sized New Orleans based firm that Tom developed the framework that is now Painless Prospecting. Based on the belief that getting known for knowledge is more efficient and effective than cold calling, Tom set out to prove his theory in the real world with the founding of Converse Digital.Since the founding of the firm in 2010, Converse Digital has enjoyed a 25% growth rate year-over-year for each year without making a single cold call or running any paid advertising. All of the firm’s clients are the result of inbound leads as a result of content marketing and social media marketing efforts by Tom.Tom is an active member of the New Orleans marketing community and served as the President of the American Marketing Association chapter. In 2008, the Advertising Federation named him Agency Executive of the Year and in 2010 the IABC named him Communicator of the Year.He is a proud graduate of the University of Texas at Austin with a BS in Advertising and is a happily married, but tired father of four.When not helping his clients better leverage digital platforms to grow their business, he enjoys reading and the very, very occasional round of golf.

Kelsey Scram serves as the Director of Marketing & Innovation for the Jefferson Parish Economic Development Commission (JEDCO). JEDCO, an Accredited Economic Development Organization, is the economic development arm of Jefferson Parish charged with attracting, growing and creating new businesses within the parish. Kelsey oversees all aspects of JEDCO’s marketing approach. She handles all media outreach, advertising campaigns, social media content, and event implementation for the organization. In 2013, Kelsey spearheaded the launch of the first-ever Jefferson Parish-based pitch competition for local entrepreneurs. Held during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, the JEDCO Challenge has become a premier event for the economic development organization. Kelsey has been with JEDCO since May 2012. Before joining the JEDCO team, she was a television reporter and fill-in anchor for NBC33/Fox44 in Baton Rouge. She currently serves as the co-chair for the Jefferson Chamber Young Professionals organization. Kelsey is also a 2014 graduate of Leadership Jefferson and a Jefferson Chamber board member. Kelsey graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

Lafe Jones is the owner and principal consultant for Lafe Jones & Associates, a planning, marketing and management firm, based in Alexandria, LA. In addition to 15 years as CEO for a regional company with multiple locations and more than 100 employees, Lafe is also an Accredited Public Relations (APR) professional who has more than 15 years of experience managing his independent marketing and strategic planning company, serving a variety of clients throughout the country. In addition to providing consulting services, Lafe is a specialist in coaching and training teams as well as a seasoned public speaker, having given presentations  at management and marketing conferences at the local, regional and national level for decades.