Dodge Entrepreneurs Leading The Way

The alumni and current students of Dodge College are quite the innovative group. Time and time again, they have proven that they are not strangers to the entrepreneurial spirit. Many have went on to create their own companies, filling in a niche that others had not thought of before. From production companies to apps, these students make a name for themselves, and attribute their success to their time at Dodge College.

For example, Job Hall (BFA/Advertising ’06) owns Cardinal, a production company that produces branded content for technology and sports companies. So far, they’ve done work with a lot of major brands, such as Google, Nike, NFL, Adidas, and more.

“I was hired during my senior year to work at a sports company,” Hall said. “Most of my work there initially centered on creative direction for advertising, design and photography, but developed into film production. After graduation, I became a creative director for a few years before deciding to branch off on my own.”

He credits Dodge for helping him learn how paramount storytelling is in the world of advertising.

“Anyone can learn the technical aspects, but crafting a compelling and memorable story is the most important skill to have,” Hall said.

John David Currey’s (BFA/Film and TV Prod.’98) company, Fresh Cut Creative, has spearheaded some of the biggest television campaigns in the last two years including
Revolution
,
The Blacklist
,
Extant
,
Under The Dome
,
The Biggest Loser
, and
Chicago Fire
.

After spending 13 years at NBC, making his way from intern to Senior Vice President, Currey decided to open his own company close to home, so he could spend more time with his family. Having been on the other side before at his old job, he has a pretty good idea of what his clients are, and aren’t, looking for.

“Creatively, we’re in a business where it’s not who you know, but who you can trust,” said Currey.  “I try to hire people who’ve never been in the on-air marketing business. It’s a pretty niche field, so I love finding new ideas from people who are brand new to the business.”

Currey feels as if the Dodge experience went well beyond just sitting in the classroom.

“Being on set or in the post suite is like being in battle.  When you do battle with fellow classmates, you learn to trust each other.  That trust and experience in a safe environment is a great learning experience to prep you for the real world,” he said.

Maci Peterson (BA/Public Relations and Advertising ’09) is someone who understands what it’s like to send a text that she regrets. Thanks to her, we can now be saved from embarrassment. By day, Peterson is a brand manager for Marriott International. But in her free time, she is the CEO of On Second Thought, a start-up that has developed an app of the same name. On Second Thought is a messaging app that lets you recall texts before they even get to the other person’s phone.

“Like everyone else, I’ve sent a few embarrassing text messages. I honestly think auto-correct has a vendetta against me,” Peterson said. After an unfortunate text exchange with an ex-boyfriend, Peterson came up with the idea for the app. She took her idea to a pitch competition at South by Southwest, and won first place. That was all the validation she needed to see that it was something people would be interested in.

They hired a team abroad to help build the app in July 2014, with a scheduled release of November. As they got closer to their release date, Peterson asked a domestic team to take a look it to help them get done on time. Unfortunately, they reported back that the coding was a mess, and they would have to start from square one again. Fortunately, this team was able to build the app from scratch again in 6 weeks, allowing it to launch in December of 2014 to great success.

“At its core, my degree merged English and business; two disciplines that are important for any entrepreneur to study. I’m thankful for my professors’ willingness to allow me to explore my entrepreneurial curiosity by using class projects to begin my pursuit of those endeavors.”

All three agreed that they also owe their success to the people they hire.

“The connections I built were extremely important,” said Hall. “The majority of people I work with, from pre-production thru post, are mostly Dodge college graduates, or references from people I went to school with. Foster the connections you made at school or ones in your personal life.”

“Starting your own company has very little to do with yourself,” said Currey. “You’re only as strong as the people who come to work every day. When I think of Fresh Cut, I think of a group of individuals who come to work daily with a passion for creating great work, many of them Chapman alums!”

But in order to succeed, Currey really feels that the biggest obstacle you have to overcome is yourself.

“The industry is ALWAYS looking for good talent.  It’s up to you to prove that you’ve got what a show, network, or studio needs.  Everyone’s looking for a hero, and it’s your responsibility to be that hero.”