We recently connected with Jurena Cantrell and have shared our conversation below.

Jurena, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I learned the craft of marketing/PR and broadcasting by working in various capacities within the industries and ongoing independent study. My first job was with the Olympic games as a production assistant/runner. From there, I networked within the industry to find my next position in music marketing. Networking connected me to people who could help me get a strong grasp on the mindset, tactics, and tools professionals use to achieve desired results.

Looking back, I’ve learned that hands-on learning is just as valuable.

The most essential skills to grow in this field are listening, imagining with a budget in mind  and effective writing for the desired medium, i.e. writing for TV is different from writing for print/digital.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an integrated marketing professional who got started as a production assistant with the U.S. Olympics.

I help clients create creative concepts, media strategies, secure media coverage, execute creative concepts etc. to maximize awareness of products/brands as well as the production of events and live/taped broadcasts. I believe what sets me apart in the industry is my experience in lifestyle/entertainment, and corporate that allows the teams that we work with to create valuable opportunities for our clients that might not be considered otherwise.

I am most proud of the fact that our insight into the marketing and broadcast industries have helped clients to achieve and often exceed their desired results for over 20 years. The main thing I would like potential clients to understand about what we do is, things rarely happen overnight, and most things have a cost.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think non-creatives struggle to understand how the creative side works and how it collaborates with business. The creative process is not linear, and execution of creative ideas and concepts often hits snags. Non-creatives often miss seeing all the behind-the-scenes work like the research and coordination it takes to get all the moving parts going and on one page. An unbelievable amount of persistence, dedication, and hours of connecting the dots goes into bringing visions to life and meeting goals.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the ability to actively use ideas and offer solutions to  help others launch or expand their footprint. Once their business or brand begins to benefit from the efforts, that’s the part that really makes it worth it for me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/jglasscmc
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/jurenacantrell
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jurenacantrell
• Twitter: @jglasscmc

Image Credits
Photo Cred: J. Glass Communications/J. Crooms Photography/Media Messiah