Friday, November 5, AAF District 4 is hosting AD Path, a free full-day student conference to help emerging talent throughout Florida and the Caribbean prepare for jobs in the industry.
This free event features expert speakers from various facets of the industry covering topics such as Creative Briefs, Solution Case Studies, Interview Tactics, Career Paths and Using Awards to Stand out from Your Peers.
Registration for AD Path is free and open to all students, so register today to get your career started.
Our Speakers
Jon Ruhff – AAF District 4 Governor
Jon is a founder and co-owner of Push Button Productions in Orlando. He currently serves as AAF District 4 Governor.
Jon will share how participation in industry groups, like AAF, can help you connect with industry professionals and build your network.
Shawn Gauthier – Co-Founder, Gauthier Creative Group
Shawn is a Freelance Creative Director and Copywriter currently writing for Hilton, his long-time client, and for Johnson & Johnson, a new one. With decades of agency experience at Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Erickson, and Publicis, he’s written for Acura, Boston Market, Wonderful Pistachios, POM Wonderful, Folgers, Pillsbury, Air Canada, and many more.
His work has won Cannes Lions, Gold Effies, and has been named to AdWeek’s 50 best spots of the year. He’s twice won the Today Show Halloween Costume Contest. He’s lived in Michigan, Boston, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles but now works 100% remotely from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida where he lives with his wife and 7-year old daughter. He loves running with his dog, disc golf, and writing.
Mary Zumba – VP, Group Account Director at Reprise Digital
Mary Zumba, is a VP, Group Account Director with 16 years of experience. As account lead, Mary's success is rooted in driving innovative experiences across all touch-points that are anchored on behavioral insight, performance and utility that resonates among the brand's target. Her experience spans across various markets for regional and global clients, for categories in both the B2B and B2C sector such as financial services, telecom, government, pharmaceuticals, spirits, cosmetic, skincare, QSR, and CPG categories.
She manages a team of social media account experts who partner with clients to understand their business goals and business nuances to ensure agency deliverables exceed expectations. Mary is originally from sunny Miami, FL where she started her career as S.C.P.F. and is now VP, Group Account Director at Reprise Digital in NY. Here, Mary oversees Client Service and Project Management.
Jamie Denham – Managing Director at Sliced Bread Animation
Jamie Denham is the Managing Director of the London based animation studio called Sliced Bread Animation. They specialize in visually immersive experiences for 2D and 3D animation, illustration and design for digital media. Over the last 20 years Sliced Bread has successfully applied animation to all media platforms - offering anything from augmented reality, virtual reality, motion graphics, title sequences and TV commercials to online animation and series. They also create games, apps, animation, films and illustrated content for education, marketing and entertainment that push the boundaries of technology and design, whilst working seamlessly across all platforms.
Jamie studied animation on the acclaimed course at Farnham in Surrey and have been in the field of animation production for over 18 years during which time he worked on a number of broadcast productions and adverts for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Fox Kids (US). He was Key Animator/Animation Director on 'Star Hill Ponies', a children's animation series shown on BBC TV and produced by the company behind the internationally successful 'Fireman Sam' series.
Jose Resendez – Freelance Publicist & Marketing Consultant
Jose Resendez is an award-winning communications professional with over a decade of experience in diversity & inclusion -- specializing in publicity, digital media, influencer marketing & talent relations. Jose is now based in Los Angeles after starting his career in Miami.
In his previous role, Jose was a Senior Account Executive & Digital Strategist at Omnicom’s FleishmanHillard, where he worked on Fortune 500 clients AT&T, P&G, Johnson & Johnson, & Chase. Jose executed US Hispanic campaigns with talent like Sofia Vergara, Eva Mendes, Becky G, & LeJuan James to name a few.
Jose is now a freelance publicist & marketing consultant -- clients include Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Hispanicize, NEON16, Tainy, Anitta, Myke Towers, & Red Bull. Jose manages viral TikTokers @Abiud_Sando & @TwistedPennywise, with over 15M followers. In addition, Jose hosts The Homo Homie Podcast which is dedicated to all-things Queer Latinx, available on Apple & Spotify. He’s signed to Gaybors Agency as an LGBT+ influencer.
Jose was listed in AdWeek’s PR 30 Under 30, featured in ALEGRIA Magazine's Most Inspiring Latinos, won a LATISM Award & TECLA Award, spoke at Social Media Week & We All Grow.
Jose has a Bachelors in Advertising from Ai Miami International University of Art & Design, receiving the Student Leadership Award, inducted into their Wall of Fame, & interned for Columbia Pictures at SONY Entertainment. Jose has an Associates in Marketing from Johnson & Wales University where he was part of the President's Leadership Team.
Kristina Prusnek – Lead Program Manager at Airbnb
Specializing in technology for more than a decade, Kristina has worked with some of the largest brands in the world, including Disney, 7-Eleven, IBM, Staples and Hilton. Currently she is with Airbnb as Lead Program Manager focusing on Creative and Marketing campaigns. Prior to her time with Airbnb, Kristina was a Project Manager for Disney where she was responsible for digitizing the Guest experience for all table service restaurants. She is also a Past-President of Ad 2 Orlando, as well as current Communications Chair for AAF 4th District. Her work and contributions to the industry have been recognized in the form of multiple ADDY Award wins (local and district), Best of Show awards and Orlando Business Journal's "40 Under 40."
Jackie Brito – Producer, Brand Studio at Google
Jackie spent the last 15 years producing a vast portfolio of award-winning work across various mediums and Fortune 500 companies. Her passion for advertising and expertise in digital led her from her career start role at Crispin Porter Bogusky, on the Burger King account, to a client-side role at Google’s Brand Studio. She is currently building out Google’s design system (Marketing Web Standards), used by thousands of marketers developing websites for Google at scale. She is also leading the charge on Google’s Diversity & Inclusion work, creating a global website speaking to Google’s inclusion efforts. As a former board member of AAF and President of Ad2 Miami, she credits her success to being well informed about the industry, having a clear vision for her career, never shying away from a challenge, and staying well connected to an extensive network of professionals.
Anette Diaz – Managing Director, Head of Product Marketing at REEF
Annette Diaz is a triplet mom, marathon runner, yoga enthusiast and Marketing executive with 20 years of experience in taking businesses to their next level. She aligns insight with creativity and strategy to directly impact the bottom line. While this may sound simple, it requires a very precise recipe consisting of research, talent, and experience focusing on Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations.
Annette worked first in her career as an Art Director creating strategic communications for 10 years, and then as a client successfully leading global marketing teams at collectively Royal Caribbean International and currently with REEF Technology for another decade. Her versatility in experiencing and managing every angle of a brand’s trifecta puts her in a unique position to create a competitive edge.
Brian Anderson – VP, Creative Director at Zimmerman Advertising
“Have fun.” It’s a motto Brian has always lived by. Find something you’re passionate about and then have fun doing it. It’s how he approaches pretty much everything. It’s how Brian has managed to take a life-long love for art and creativity and turn it into an award-winning, 20+ year career in advertising. Brian is currently VP Creative Director at Zimmerman Advertising in South Florida, where he’s using his big-idea-first approach to produce great work for his clients. Over his career, Brian has worked with brands such as Party City, AutoNation, Five Below, JetBlue, Boston Market, Sam’s Club, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, Florida Panthers Hockey, Modell’s Sporting Goods, Sandals Resorts, Greater Fort Lauderdale Tourism, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, and Virgin America.
Yeosh Bendayan – AAF District 4 American Advertising Awards Gala Chair
Yeosh Bendayan is a founder and co-owner of Push Button Productions in Orlando. He is current AAF District 4 American Advertising Awards Gala Chair and a member of the AAF Council of Governors.
Yeosh will share his insights, gleaned from years of experience, of how awards wins can help students land great jobs in our industry.
Steven Cohen – President and Founder of icreatives
Steven Cohen is the president and founder of icreatives, a national staffing agency that specializes in creative talent for the marketing and technology industries. Steven graduated from the University of Miami where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering.
From 1996 to 2002, Steven launched the National “AIGA-IO,” a semiannual design conference targeted to help graphic design professionals learn from the world's top internet experience designers and develop their skills in an emerging market. In 2015, Steven was awarded the American Advertising Association's prestigious Silver Medal for his contributions to the advertising community.
Steven has also received numerous awards for his "Books for Soldiers" initiatives and his continuing Christmas charity work for displaced children.
Steven has permanent residences in Fort Lauderdale and New York City, , is married to Lisa, a software development manager, and has two children, Gerrianna and Dawson. He also enjoys collecting vintage “machine age” lamps and teapots and competes nationally in the sport of mountain biking where he has won numerous gold medals in his age group.
Natália Persin
Natália Persin is the VP of Marketing and Sales at icreatives. With almost 10 years of experience in small- and large-scale companies and agencies, she has managed teams overseas and planned and executed campaigns for all types of media. Natalia is focused on results and is currently fully immersed in the creative talent hiring process.
Much of her experience comes from working at agencies, most of them part of Omnicom group. She earned awards at Alma BBDO for Pepsi and Havaianas commercials and also Cannes Lions for Volkswagen and Mars.
She is a mom and international marketing professional from Brazil, with Portuguese nationality and a Frenchman husband. Travel and exploration are her hobbies.
Andrew Martineau – AAF District 4 Programs Chair
Andrew Martineau (creative altruist) is an award-winning creative that delivers progressive marketing, advertising strategies and executions that benefit the client by ways of notoriety, innovation and profit.
With a 25+ year career in advertising, marketing and design he has had the pleasure of working for a host of local and multi-national advertising agencies, established companies and start-ups in industries ranging from upscale real estate and resorts to the shopping center industry.
He has a unique skill set that combines the experience of an award-winning creative director, designer, publicist, event planner and marketing director that intimately understands every aspect of the marketing mix and can create and execute effective marketing campaigns from concept through to completion.
After five years in the retail and shopping center industry he opened UniteUs Group - a holding company that manages a portfolio of entities created to solve various challenges facing the local and international market with companies including Zero Empty Spaces and Art Fort Lauderdale.
UniteUs Group finds creative solutions for our clients through an integrated offering of Services and Divisions that benefit them by ways of notoriety, innovation and profit. The agency has several divisions including UniteUs Retail (Disruption Retail), UniteUs Women (Fem Collective, FemAle Brew Fest), UniteUs Artists, UniteUs Community (Choose954, Greater Fort Lauderdale Art & Design Week, and Greater Fort Lauderdale Beer Week) and UniteUs LGBTQ+.
He is a keen observer of life and the role the media plays in shaping the lives, minds and choices of everyday people. The opportunity to study a person or group and create a message that elicits a reaction is what gets him up in the morning and what keeps him up at night. He has been fortunate over his 25+ year career to be able to nurture relationships with a number of individuals in various creative communities including; film, art, music, technology and fashion and those relationships influence his thought process and aid in his problem solving skills.
He is one of the most prolific creators of innovative advertising in this new media landscape and his creative expertise has garnered him numerous feature articles, multiple Addy, Mature Market Media, Florida Direct Marketing, NAHB and Prism awards. In fact, he has won an Addy award at some level each year that he has entered.
Over the last 4 years he has self-funded numerous initiatives created to support, grow and nurture the local arts community as he feels that the arts are integral to the health and vitality of the community in which he resides.
He has also done work for a plethora of charity organizations; including the American Diabetes Association, Broward Education Foundation, League Against Cancer, LifeNet4Families, Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center and the Seafarer’s House, just to name a few.
Jacob Edenfield
Jacob Edenfield serves as AAF District 4 Communications Co-Chair, an adjunct professor of Advertising Copywriting and Concept at University of Miami and Group Creative Director at Starmark.
Over the course of his career in North Carolina, St. Louis, Kansas City and South Florida, his work has been featured and awarded in U.S. Ad Review, the national American Advertising Awards, Print Design Annual and many other shows.
In his role at Starmark, Jacob helps clients who enrich the human experience shine more brightly – through branding and positioning, integrated marketing campaigns, bespoke digital efforts, new marketing technology development and more. The Fort Lauderdale-based agency specializes in making complex marketing efforts run more smoothly through Agile Methodology. Starmark’s in-house Innovation Lab also continuously releases new technologies to tackle tomorrow's business challenges. As a result, Starmark was named #1 Creative Agency in North American on the Mobile Marketing Association's Business Impact Index.
In this session, Jacob will give you insight into how business challenges turn into creative briefs and direction, which lead to major client success stories.