Hired: March 2006
Background:
Jay grew up and lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons. Before Risdall, he was a copywriter at Colle+McVoy in Bloomington for eight years. He was there when they went from & to +. Jay also teaches at Brainco, the Minneapolis School Of Advertising.
Education:
- A truly pathetic year and a half at St. Thomas.
- A year driving a cab.
- B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota.
- Brainco, the Minneapolis School of Advertising.
Tools:
Jay can write, edit, proof and loves to give his opinion on the wonderful way the art direction is going. He likes to treat a client like a human being, not a half-crazed adversary.
Proudest moments:
Ah, the sin of Pride.
* Jay is proud of his two boys and the fact that his wife hasn't left him. Yet.
* That he went from being a FedEx driver to a copywriter. (Though on some summer days, the old truck looks pretty good.)
* That he qualified for Boston (Marathon, that is.)
* That he quit Mountain Dew cold turkey.
* That his old band has a star on the First Avenue wall.
Favorite candy at RAA:
"The bleeping rolled wafer cookies that were on my desk when I got here. Crystal meth can't be this good."
Spare time:
Jay enjoys running; playing guitar; playing the ponies; daily showers; drinking Summit on Friday nights at the Viking Bar watching the Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs.
Little known fact:
He voted for a Republican once.
On the job:
* Jay helped create a campaign for Minnesota Tourism, infecting potential vacationers with the idea that Minnesota is the place to reconnect. Not just another generic destination with roller coasters, a monster mall and lots of lakes.
* He also launched the recent Cenex "Helpful" outdoor campaign that was so popular with convenience store owners that they started coming up with their own executions. Much to the delight of the client, much to the consternation of the creative team.
* Jay had a radio spot for the State of Minnesota pulled by the governor's office after one day because the voice of God was black.