This summer, The School of Business Fir NW welcomed a new director, Marc Moran. Marc was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Portland 15 years ago. We sat down with Marc for a few questions about the future of Fir NW and the advertising industry.
How did you end up in Portland, and why advertising?
I was born and raised in Southern California and moved to Portland 15 years ago. I married into this place, and I love it here. It's a special city. I graduated with a degree in English Literature and, naturally, went right into the advertising industry. I started my agency, Clever Rabbit, with two college friends, and I've been in the industry ever since.
What are your plans for Fir NW moving forward?
Student run agencies are no longer new or novel. I think it's time to reexamine the role of a student agency within the industry. Winning awards and winning donations are wonderful goals, but we need to run everything through the filter of "are we preparing students for a career?"
As we grow this program, we will look for clients who help the students learn how brands work with agencies. It's also my goal for our little shop to be the Agency of Record for any department at PSU needing advertising and promotion.
What would you like students to know about the industry?
There is a place for you here. All too often, people assume that you need to be a creative to get a job in advertising. Not true! The career paths are almost unlimited. We're technologists, planners, account services, operations, creators and more. If you want to help brands solve their business problems, look into a career in advertising.
What makes PSU a perfect place to study advertising?
Portland is home to more independent agencies per capita than any other city in the U.S. It may be Nike and their unique relationship with the venerable Wieden+Kennedy. Maybe it's our love affair with all things fringe. Whatever it is, Portland is one of the world's creative capitals.
Our advertising program is unique because we are part of The School of Business rather than design or communications. That allows us to create best-in-class strategists, media planners and client services professionals.
We are so lucky to have such an engaged community of advertising professionals who want to help grow this program. The next few years are going to be a wild ride.