Spool

Spool is hiring a Group Creative Director in Chicago! This is an exciting opportunity for those who are endlessly curious, embrace a growth mindset, and have a knack for building strong, collaborative teams. If you're someone who loves wearing many hats and is eager to be part of an agency that truly puts its people first while aiming for big, ambitious goals, we’d love to hear from you. This role is perfect for team players who are ready to roll up their sleeves and make things happen. We can’t wait to meet the newest member of our Chicago-based team (with two days a week in the office)! For more info or to apply, visit ➡https://lnkd.in/gJue4YWz

As a woman-owned and women-led business, there's nothing we value more at Spool than the opportunity to build up and support strong female leaders. It’s especially a privilege when we get to celebrate our clients, who inspire us every day with their vision, strength, and determination. We are so happy for Suzanne Fanning who has been named as one of AdAge's 2024 Leading Women. Together, we’re creating a powerful community of women who uplift each other and make a lasting impact. 💪 ⭐

What do a hotdogger, a DJ, and a top-notch PR pro have in common? They’re all roles you can find on Tommy Derken’s diverse and impressive resume. And now, Tommy can add one more accolade to the list: he’s just been named a recipient of the Publicity Club of Chicago's Golden Trumpet 30 Under 30 award! Tommy has made a significant impact here at Spool, and we’re incredibly proud of him for this well-deserved recognition!

Yesterday, Spool's own Katie (Trotsky) Kierna joined several other industry leaders in sharing top tips and insights on how to make an impact for your F&B brands as part of PRSA Chicago's "Hungry for Headlines? Breaking Through Food Media" panel discussion. Like many of our Spoolers, Katie is a seasoned pro when it comes to understanding what it takes to cut through the clutter for her clients -- and she has the stories to prove it (many of which were shared in the room last night)! Thanks to the PRSA Chicago team for putting together such a fabulous evening of learning and networking (and pizza!).

We met some of our fellow 205 W. Wacker tenants this week, and let's just say it was a bee-yond cool experience. Our building rooftop is home to a colony of 18,000 honeybees all working to protect their queen. We learned about broods, drones, and bee birthdays -- plus we got to taste honey straight from the frame! Huge shout-out to Grace Hart at Alvéole for answering our *many* bee questions (and another shout-out to the Spoolers who weren't afraid to get up close and personal with our new building BeeFF's)!

It's officially summertime here in Chicago, and you know what that means... Yes, it's getting hot and sticky on the 'L' during our morning commute -- but it also means that Spool's summer intern program is in full swing! We could not be more excited to welcome Parker Rhodes & Liam Maves to the Spool team 👏 A recent University of South Carolina grad, Parker comes to us with experience in advertising and marketing strategy, AI marketing strategy, and PR - a jack of all trades! She will be supporting several of our PR clients, and has already made an impact with her research, writing and pitching skills. Liam, a current senior studying advertising and film at DePaul, will be finishing up his degree this upcoming fall and is excited to put his creative, photography, and videography skills to work. Liam will be working alongside our creative team, and we've been wowed out of the gate with his design skills. Stay tuned for more from Parker & Liam this summer!

While the details around the swift closing of Foxtrot and Dom's Kitchen & Market continue to swirl around the news cycle, the story that’s not being told is the (much) bigger picture of the emerging brands and organizations driving Chicago’s recovering and growing natural products industry. The Spool team was fortunate enough to see proof of this up close and in person at the Naturally Chicago Locally Made Pitch Slam and Financing & Innovation conference last week -- here's what we learned from a room full of experts, investors, and entrepreneurs on the frontlines...

Welcome (back) to team Spool, Austin McClelland! 👏 🎉 That’s right, Austin was a Spooler back in our formative years and we could not be more excited for his return. Austin re-joins us as a VP of PR & Earned Creative, dividing his time between leading client accounts as well as working alongside our VP Creative Director (the talented Colin Ofloy) as an earned creative and strategist. We knew we needed someone with deep earned and media engagement experience to work in tandem across account and creative teams so that earned engagement layer is embedded within everything the agency touches -- and we also knew there was no one better for the role than Austin!

Yesterday, a few of our resident media relations experts attended a pitching and networking event hosted by Publicity Club of Chicago at Guaranteed Rate Field. Tommy Derken, McKenzie Jester and Steph Ford spent the afternoon connecting with fellow PR professionals and gaining valuable insights from reporters (ok, and they may have had a little fun on the field, too). Here’s what they learned: - Developing relationships with media goes far beyond sending a pitch to their crowded inbox and taking the time to build rapport is important - Highlighting the story behind the story is crucial—writers seek that emotional connection and enhanced storytelling aspect - Using keywords in subject lines such as the key topic combined with a phrase like “expert source” helps writers easily search for and find relevant emails for their stories A huge shoutout to Tweed Thornton for hosting an incredible event! 🎉 And a heartfelt thank you to all the reporters and producers who took time out of their busy schedules to share their invaluable insights! Christine Flores Ava Martin Evrod Cassimy Mike Berman

We spent yesterday afternoon with Nallely Suárez Gass and Kevin Reilly from Drop Needle Drinks Company and a few of our favorites at WGN-TV's Spotlight Chicago sipping on our favorite new sparkling wine-based cocktails. Sarah Jindra & Ji Suk Yi couldn't pick a favorite between Modern Mimosa, California 75, and Berry Rose Sparkler -- but to be fair, neither can the Spool team! Check out the full segment here, and then go try a can (or three!) for yourself: https://lnkd.in/gEvFv_66