How a journo became an addy

The newsroom is a lot like an ad agency. Phones ring, people curse, stress runs high and writers, designers and managers scurry as if the world is about to end.

And the burn-out is real.

After five or so years of being in a newsroom until 12 a.m., for usually more than five days a week, my burn-out came in 2016. It was a rough year for the news — grisly reports from around the world made their way to my desk each night, while one of the most fraught presidential elections took hold of my country. It was during this storm of negativity that I realized I needed to change paths.

I’m the type of person who thrives on tight deadlines and gets the most enjoyment out of making something new every day. But I needed to make a difference with positivity.

This is why I chose to go in-to advertising. It’s an industry that’s just as crazy, hectic and energizing — but produces work that can introduce positivity into people’s lives.

That, and I really like dogs — particularly in the office.

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Email: lee.alyssa2@gmail.com


EDUCATION

2017-2018
Miami Ad School
San Francisco, CA
Art Direction

2011-2015
Arizona State University
Journalism (BA)
Marketing (BS)

EXPERIENCE

Art Director
Translation LLC
New York, New York
October 2020 - Current
Accounts: 1800 Tequila, SiriusXM, AT&T, State Farm, NBA, Disney+

Junior Art Director
Venables Bell + Partners
San Francisco, CA
June 2018 - October 2020
Accounts: Audi, Reebok, Chipotle, SIMI Wines, 3M, Marriott Hotels, DoorDash, Cathay Pacific

Art Direction Intern
360i
New York, New York
April 2018 - June 2018
Accounts: HBO, “Game of Thrones,” OREO, Absolut Vodka

Creative Intern
DDB
Berlin, Germany
January 2018 - April 2018
Accounts: Volkswagen

Copy Editor / Designer
Gannett
Phoenix, Arizona
June 2015 - December 2017
Publications: USA Today, The Arizona Republic