Why should YOU be a TAC member? What does it have to offer?
Hi everybody! This week I got an inside perspective on what it’s like to be a member of TAC, and learned about some of the great things they do. Since I am not in TAC, I thought it would be helpful not only for myself, but for other students, to see what opportunities the organization has to offer. I conducted an interview with Lindsay Gallagher, age 23, and she had a very helpful and interesting perspective on this topic.
DW: “Are you an advertising major? If so, what track?”
LG: “I’m actually not an Advertising major. I’m an Art (Studio) Major in the BA program on Main Campus.”
DW: “What made you get involved with TAC?”
LG: “I was always interested in using my art in advertising, but I just never really knew how to go about it and where to go. Last semester at a last minute change, I took an intro to advertising course. The peer advisor for the class was the president of TAC and that is how I initially was introduced to the club. Also, heading into what I thought was my last year of college, I wanted to get more involved and hope to find a more clear direction for after graduation. Not only has that happened, but I even pushed my graduation date back another semester so that I could do everything I wanted before I graduated.”
DW: “Have you worked on any specific projects with TAC? If so, what?”
LG: “Last semester TAC planned a fundraising Scavenger Hunt — but due to timing and weather conditions, it was canceled. However, I did work on the creative team to help create flyers for promotion.”
DW: “What do you find is the most valuable thing you have gotten out of being a TAC member?”
LG: “TAC has some really great guest speakers who come and talk about the industry and give insights to potential internships and activities that will help you in the future. Because of TAC I found out about the Philly Ad Club, which I became a member of and then went on the Agency Crawl last November. Ultimately, from that Agency Crawl I knew that Creative Advertising was for me and I set out to get an internship which proved to be a success as I am now interning and it is going extremely well.”
DW: “You mentioned that you went on the media crawl with TAC last November, what agencies did you visit?”
LG: “It actually was an Agency Crawl, however there was a Media Crawl with the Philly Ad Club just recently, but I did not make it to that event. During the Agency Crawl last November we went to four agencies within Philadelphia in the downtown center of the city. We visited LevLane Advertising, Digitas Health, Tierney Communications, and Brownstein Group.”
DW: “What was your favorite agency and why?”
LG: “By far my favorite and the one that stood out to me the most was LevLane Advertising. The members that we met and presented to us gave such a great vibe of family and overall respect for one another. They also mentioned that a lot of the different departments interacted with one another, which I liked. Levlane was the first agency we had visited that day, but it was the last one on my mind at the end of the event.”
DW: “Can you describe the most helpful thing you got out of the agency crawl?”
LG: “For me — it was the moment that I decided that I not only needed, but wanted, to get an internship and real hands on experience before I graduated. For the first time I finally found and realized what I was passionate about. Creative Advertising.”
DW: “Did you make any important contacts?”
LG: “Yes. I met some really great people who have helped me get to where I am today. And some of those people are right under your nose — they are professors within the Advertising Department. All you have to do is ask, and they will help you or direct you to who can. And with my internship, I’m forming really great relationships and building my network.”
DW: “Would you recommend participating in future media crawls and agency crawls to other students?”
LG: “YES. Most definitely! It really has changed my life. Even though I’m interning at a great agency this semester, I still went on the Red Tettemer Agency tour last week. And I enjoyed it every much. It was a chance to see a different agency and check out what they are all about. There is a different personality to every agency. And you won’t really know where you fit in or what you like until you get out there and see it. That goes for anything. Networking is huge, so you have to be consistent. Put yourself out there, and get a real taste of what you could possibly be living one day. And doing while you’re still in school is a great way to get it done.”
LG: “One thing I have learned since joining TAC and getting more involved is that people within the industry want to help you. They have been in your same shoes and they know how it is. I was very surprised by the outpour of help that I received. Don’t be intimidated, if they are coming to speak to you or your organizations — ask questions because they want to help or otherwise they would not be there.”
