Author Archive

As one of the more recent additions to the Ad 2 Board family, Brittany officially drank the Kool-Aid and became hooked on Ad 2 in Summer ‘09.  Since jumping on board, Brittany has helped out in lots of different areas, eventually earning herself a spot on the Ad 2 Programs Committee!

If you’re thinking about getting more involved in the club, listen to Brittany when she says, “I wanted to be more involved with the club and get to know everyone better.  It has been a lot of fun.  The meetings are entertaining and I am happy to be a part of the programs committee!”  So next time you’re mingling around an Ad 2 event, be sure to introduce yourself and say thanks… she probably planned it =) !!

Matt Walter

If you haven’t met Matt Walter….. where have you been the past two years?!?! Matt joined Ad 2 San Diego in 2007 as a student at San Diego State, and has since become a very familiar face among the group. After a few fun years in college, Matt has successfully made it into the professional world and hopes to build a long and prosperous career in the agency world. Matt puts it best,

“The best thing about Ad 2 is meeting and networking with other young professionals in a very laid back, social environment!”

Look out for Matt at the Ad 2 events in 2010

Meet Erica Valdez – as one of the latest additions to Ad 2 San Diego, she is also the President of the brand new USD Ad Club!!

The new club is targeted towards USD students interested in Advertising and Communications, looking to learn, grow, and meet the movers and shakers of the San Diego Ad Community. The club will feature networking opportunities and speakers from within the industry, and will also give students the option to participate in the ADDYs and other advertising competitions.

Be sure to introduce yourself to Erica at the next event!

Melonie Gallegos
Geary Interactive

Melonie Gallegos has been an Ad2 San Diego member since she joined the team of Geary Interactive in 2008. To Melonie, Ad2 provides networking with “smart people in the industry.” (thanks for calling us smart!)but she also knows networking is not the only thing that makes Ad2 a great community.

The best thing about Ad2, she says, “everyone knows how to have fun and more importantly, it facilitates shared learning by bringing in talented speakers and hot topics.” Melonie has always been an extremely positive addition to every Ad2 event. Not only does she bring a lot of ideas but her bright smile and friendly demeanor are always a welcome treat.

Know an Ad2SD member that’s going above and beyond for Ad2SD? Send your nomination for next month’s Board Member and Member Spotlight to info@ad2sd.com or send a direct message to the team at Twitter.com/Ad2SD.

Board Member Spotlight

Andrew Mera
Search Marketing Manager
Covario, Inc.

Prior to becoming an Ad2SD member, Andrew Mera was a frequent attendee at Ad2SD happy hours and events. Andrew realized the immediate value that the club had to offer and become an official Ad 2 San Diego member in May 2009. Soon after, Andrew became the Ad2SD Communications Chair and is responsible for four committee members.

When asked what Andrew enjoyed most about Ad2SD, he responded, “First of all, the people. I like working in collaboration with the Ad 2 team and the fact that we’re in the same age range and have things in common, makes Ad2SD even more enjoyable. Secondly, the club is run with a “Do it Yourself” approach. I get to own projects from inception to fruition and I get the opportunity to be as creative as I can be.”

In addition to building his leadership experience, Andrew is a big fan of the Ad2SD events. “From panel discussions, marketing training, access to OMS, and social events – it all makes the club truly diversified,” Andrew said.

Know an Ad2SD member that’s going above and beyond for Ad2SD? Send your nomination for next month’s Board Member and Member Spotlight to info@ad2sd.com or send a direct message to the team at Twitter.com/Ad2SD.

Member Spotlight

Rachel Kaplan
Online Content Creator
Self-Employed

Rachel Kaplan has been an Ad 2 San Diego member for three months and all it took was attending a happy hour event. “I came to a happy hour event with a friend and met some great people so I decided to join.” Since then, Rachel has been an active Ad2SD member and is participating on not just one but two committees – Membership and Communications.

When asked what she enjoyed most about Ad2SD, Rachel said, “Meeting new friends with similar interests is fun. I like the educational events because I always seem to learn something new about the industry and the social events because I learn something new about people and friends.”

When Rachel’s not at an Ad2SD event, you can find her at the beach participating in water sports, traveling, hanging out with her new nephew and laughing with friends. Rachel adds, “I go to the beach all the time, wave running, wakeboarding, surfing – I’m bad at surfing, anyone want to give me a lesson? I also love to travel to Aruba, cook good food, read bad books and give hugs to strangers.”

On behalf of the Membership committee, we would like to thank both Andrew and Rachel for their hard work and commitment to Ad2SD. Be sure to give them a pat on the back when you see them at the next Ad2SD event.

Know an Ad2SD member that’s going above and beyond for Ad2SD? Send your nomination for next month’s Board Member and Member Spotlight to info@ad2sd.com.

Board Member Spotlight

Gary Ware
Search Marketing Manager
Covario

Gary Ware has been an Ad 2 member for almost two years (or so he thinks) and loves every minute of it. He joined the club to network and experience personal and professional development. However, he also joined because he just felt the need to,

“Hang with people who wouldn’t give me a blank stare when I told them what I do for a living.”

Gary got involved quickly by joining the board in order to learn things he wouldn’t normally do at his day job and has been an integral board member every since. When not working or being a board member rock star, Gary loves bubble baths, playing golf and hanging out in bars after a long day with an ice-cold Corona. He also someday hopes to find an App that lets people have fun without receiving blank stares from people when he tells them he designed an app for the sole purpose of having fun.

Member Spotlight

Anthony Miller
Director of Sales and Marketing
X1FM Network

As one of the newest to join the Ad 2 crew, Anthony joined this month after attending last month’s Start Up or Shut Up. He’s wasting no time and has volunteered to get involved in the 2009-10 Board of Directors by working on Public Service in the media/promotions area.

Although he’s new, Anthony has already realized that,

‘The best thing about Ad 2 is the networking and industry connections that can be made as well as additional industry educational events which helps any industry pro stay up on new and current trends.’

Be sure to introduce yourself to him at the next event!