Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jordyn Jackson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jordyn, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I actually wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, when and where it’s supposed to. I started college on the Pre-Med track. I wanted to be a Pediatrician since I was eight years old. I took every advanced-level and honors course I could through high school and declared my Biology major as soon as I started at the University of Miami. During my Sophomore year, I got a pretty bad concussion which led to the discovery of a cyst on my brain. Getting that call on my way to class at 19 years old, 1200 miles from home was not on my bingo card. But, it was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to take a step back and really think about what my future looked like. After a few weeks, it finally hit me that as good as I was at being a student and as much as I had this calling to help people, medicine wasn’t the only way I could accomplish that. For years I took up my “hobby” of working with brands to create content, put on events, model and out-of-home before I really knew it as more than a “highway sign”. When it came time to switch my major, it was so clear that Advertising was it for me. From there, I completed my major in under 2 years, was able to graduate on time with my class and landed at my dream agency less than a month after graduating. Had I not been given a setback, I’d be in Med School now, staying the course because I knew nothing else. I know that an external factor is the only way my career trajectory would’ve changed. I’m so grateful for my journey because everything has fallen into place exactly as it should have.

Jordyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into the Advertising industry after making my hobby a reality. I was on track to become a doctor but always had a passion for creativity, brand partnerships and social media and finding a way to bridge the two. As a kid, I modeled, fell off and then back on as I got older through commercials, working with brands to create activations, throw events, social media content and local out-of-home campaigns. After a personal medical setback, I really took the time to evaluate where I was and where I wanted to go from there and ultimately I chose to change my major to Advertising, something that no one around me saw coming. You can make your mark on the world in so many ways, once I learned that, there was no looking back. I am now a Media + Comms Supervisor at Wieden + Kennedy, Portland where I work with people everyday from departments like creative, brand, studio and more to bring brand messaging and campaign storytelling to life. Finding ways to impact culture and diverse populations by showing up in high-visibility moments is what fuels the work I do. I think that my background, curiosity for pushing the bar and knowledge of how social media can drive conversation between the URL and IRL worlds sets me apart. I’m most proud when the work that I’m able to influence is released into the world and my friends and family are able to see it, interact with it and share it within their worlds. There’s no better feeling than the kind that’s prompted by an old classmate reaching out after seeing work that I was part or when my Grandma calls me after watching The Oscars and says she saw my ad during a commercial break.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I had to unlearn was that older always means wiser and with that comes imposter syndrome that everyone has to experience. Once I switched my major in college, I felt a sense of exclusion, which was of my own doing because I knew that so many people around me had dreamt of being where I was after only being on the path for two years myself. This lesson stuck with me up until my first month at W+K. We were working remotely in the Pandemic and that only added onto the lack of belonging that I was experiencing. One day on a Zoom, someone put me on the spot and asked for my opinion during a meeting full of upper-management and I was petrified. Which was odd for me because I had spent my entire life never being afraid to talk to anyone about anything. I took a deep breath, unmuted my microphone and shared my POV. Surprisingly, it was very well received and that changed everything for me. I realized that me being new to this world of Advertising and being the youngest in the room had no bearing on my value. I haven’t looked back since. I now know that in every room, I have something to offer because no one has the exact same experiences, attributes or perspective that I have and that is my superpower.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my social media presence by being authentically myself. You can’t sugarcoat your lived experiences or pretend to be someone you’re not. People will always be able to see through that. As easy as it might be to take inspiration from others and mirror their content or the way that they show up on socials, it will never allow you to create your own lane and stand out. By being yourself, you will allow for a sense of relatability for the audience you build. Engagement is key and creating content that people feel invited to react to is everything.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.megss/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordyn-jackson-b21188207

Image Credits

Robin Jackson
Shay Platz
Ahmed Al Hajari