Ways to Apply Advertising Skills to Other Passions

Nicki Mantis  

The University of Illinois is a great place to start a career in something one is truly passionate about. The resources available to the students are beyond imaginable, it is all about how you use them. Specifically, the advertising community within U of I is an amazing and supportive way to further your passion for advertising, production, public relations and beyond.

One student who used the resources around him to get a head start in his career is Stewart Arp. Arp came to UIUC as a junior year transfer student. He wanted to expand his knowledge in advertising and he found that UIUC was the best place to do that. He ended up joining AAF and getting involved with CTRL+V. Arp not only got involved right away, but he used his involvement to really get a head start in career as a musician.

Starting out with just a song and a vision, Arp was able to build up his new single, Coffee, into something great with just the resources and connections given to him on campus. Some examples of these resources within the advertising community are CTRL+V, AdBuzz, etc. Bryan Castallo from CTRL+V is a part of a production company in Chicago and he had his team come down to film Arp’s music video for his new single Coffee. This was the beginning of the major take off for his music career. From there, he used his resources at AdBuzz to create a team that deals with his public relations and promotion. This usage of resources helped Arp build his career and focus on his passion for music. All he had to do, what look in the community around him.

We can all learn from Arp’s journey. If you are passionate about something, there is nothing stopping you from pursuing it. The University of Illinois has so many resources that will help to further anything you are passionate about. All you need to do is have a vision and go out there and get involved in clubs and organizations. The advertising community is always open to new projects and idea to create. I know that my involvement in the advertising community has given me not only friends, but connections and experience that I will definitely use later in life. Check out Arp’s social media to get inspiration for what you can do here at UIUC!