State of Advertising and Agency Work
Panel Discussion
Neil White is a dynamic advertising and marketing CEO with over 25 years of global leadership success across the U.S., Canada, and South Africa. Most recently, as President & CEO of BBDO Minneapolis since 2008. He has been the driving force behind award-winning campaigns for world-class brands like Smirnoff, Mercedes-Benz, Wrigley, Hershey, Hormel Foods and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. He is an expert at building high-performance, multidisciplinary teams, overseeing full-service agency offerings, and managing P&L for operational scaling. Right now, he's particularly excited about helping clients understand how to harness AI for their marketing work streams, ensuring their brand strategy remains future-proof.
Neil has an insatiable curiosity, “What I love about advertising is partnering with clients in a multitude of different categories, and working in an industry that is constantly changing.” He lives a few blocks from one of Minneapolis’ city lakes with his wife and two children. He is sometimes spotted running around these lakes, except in winter when he can be found at home, cooking a meal for his family while enjoying a glass of red wine.
Jennifer Spire, is partner and CEO at Preston Spire, an Ad Age Best Place to Work and Midwest Small Agency of the Year. She is an accomplished agency leader with over 25 years of experience in both consumer and B2B marketing for just about every industry out there. At Preston Spire, Jennifer has played the leading role in evolving the framework that defines the agency, focused on a strong vision, values and purpose. She has been a speaker at dozens of local and national conferences, has authored articles and thought pieces on various marketing subjects, and has been a board member of several nonprofit organizations. Jennifer was an east coast native before calling Minneapolis home. She was an NCGA gymnast and a gymnastics coach, who also had advertising in her blood, thanks to her grandfather being one of the founding fathers of Madison Avenue.
Kevin DiLorenzo is the President and CEO of Rise and Shine and Partners, an independent, full-service creative agency based in Minneapolis. Since assuming leadership in 2014, DiLorenzo has been instrumental in steering the agency's growth and reputation, culminating in its 2x recognition on the Inc. 5000 and Adweek Fastest Growing lists (2023 & 2024), with a three-year growth rate of 124%.
Throughout his career, DiLorenzo has worked with a diverse array of high-profile clients, including Andersen Windows & Doors, Best Buy, BMW, Capital One, General Mills, McDonald’s, Target, Northwestern Mutual, and UnitedHealth Group. His work has been recognized with multiple Effie Awards for effectiveness, reflecting his commitment to delivering impactful results for clients.
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Recently, Rise and Shine was named an “Agency of the Year” by Ad Age, making it one of the most celebrated agencies in the country.
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Before leading Rise and Shine and Partners, DiLorenzo served as CEO at Olson, where he played a pivotal role in transforming the agency into one of North America's top 10 full-service independent agencies. His earlier career includes positions at Carmichael Lynch and Fallon, where he honed his expertise in multichannel marketing and client service.
Gina Nacey, is a partner and director of creative strategy at Rise and Shine and Partners. She is a champion of creative storytelling that moves people and brands, Gina focuses on emotionally-impactful, highly-effective and award-winning work. Prior to her role at Rise and Shine and Partners, she was President & Executive Creative Director of Adventure Creative Group. In her career, she has helped shaped beloved brands across an array of industries working with clients ranging from Nickelodeon Universe to Hatteras Yachts and Explore Minnesota to Anheuser-Busch (and everywhere in between).
As a former adjunct advertising instructor, she also taught Copywriting, Public Relations and Introduction to Advertising. She has won hundreds of awards for creativity and is the is a recipient of the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award for furthering the industry's standards, creative excellence, and responsibility in areas of social concern. Additionally, Gina served as the American Advertising Federation’s 8th District Governor, Central Region Chair, as well as on the American Advertising Awards Committee, AAF’s Council of Governors and AAF National Board of Directors.
Our incredible speakers will share their knowledge with YOU over two days
so be sure to attend!
JOIN US at the beautiful Radisson Blu in Minneapolis, Minnesota OCTOBER 17-18
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