Meet Kara Taylor of The One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Taylor.

Kara, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a smallish town in Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with a Journalism Degree and a terrible portfolio. But hey, it was 1995 and I knew how to use PageMaker! With that, I set out for Chicago, one of America’s coldest cities, in the coldest month of the year, with the hopes of becoming an art director at a world-class advertising agency. Rejected by more agencies than I care to recall, eventually, I did end up at a world-class agency named JWT (now Wunderman Thompson) though not as an art director, but in a temporary position as the administrative assistant to the Chief Creative Officer.

I knew pretty much from day one that I had found my people. Lucky for me the woman I was temping for decided to stay home with her baby vs. come back to work, so I was converted to a permanent employee (with health care benefits and a 401k!) a couple of months into the gig. My boss was an incredible mentor, as were many others at the agency, and when the time came one year later to move onwards and upwards, there was nothing but love and support from my very first advertising family.

My next stop was at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where I was once again surrounded by all sorts of inspiring and encouraging bosses, colleagues and mentors who guided me towards the path to becoming a creative recruiter. By that time, I had fully realized that creative recruitment was the closest I would ever get to being a creative professional, and so the journey I was embarking on felt pretty spot on. I grew up at Leo Burnett, and in all the positions I held there, from day one as the Awards Show Coordinator, to my last day 11 years later as the Director of Creative Recruiting, I was always in the company of someone who was teaching me something.

My love affair with Colorado came to fruition during the first seven years of my creative recruiting career when my focus was to hire the very best entry-level creative talent for Leo Burnett. In order to accomplish this, I traveled to all the best advertising portfolio programs across the country, and CU Boulder was on that list. After my 2nd or 3rd visit to campus and interviewing students, I declared that if there was ever an advertising agency in Boulder that was big enough to need an internal creative recruiter, sign me up.

Who knew that only a few years later, CP+B would relocate their headquarters from Miami to Boulder, and would actually need to hire a creative recruiter!! Needless to say, when they came calling, they pretty much, “had me at hello.”

The 4.5 years I spent at CP+B were career-defining and yet the demands of motherhood (I have two daughters, now aged 11 and 9) and the desire to more fully utilize my creative network and help a broader pool of creative candidates find their dream jobs, intrigued me enough to take a leap of faith and accept my current position with FBI Talent Co. Luckily, recruiting is a job you can do from anywhere, and my new boss had no problem with my desire to stay based in Colorado.

It has been a very entrepreneurial endeavour, and as any small business leader will tell you, it takes a few years to get your feet fully “under your desk.” And yet wouldn’t you know that right around the time that was happening for me and the USA team, I ran into the CEO of the One Club for Creativity, Kevin Swanapool at the Cannes Lions Festival, where he enthusiastically shared with me all the exciting things the One Club Denver Chapter was up to. A couple of months later, I was not only involved but named the new President of the One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter!

That being said, here’s a little bit of history on what I signed up for (and why!):

The One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter evolved from the Art Directors Club Denver, which was started in 1955 to acknowledge Art Directors in the community who were seeking recognition like their counterparts in larger markets such as New York, Chicago and LA. The founders believed “good art was good business” and set out on a mission to bring a higher level of advertising art to this so-called “western cow town.”

Fast forward 65 years to 2020 and the Club’s commitment to bring the best workshops, competitions and industry events to the local community is stronger than ever. We have a thriving Board of Directors, an incredibly generous pool of sponsors and volunteers, and of course, our recent affiliation to the One Club for Creativity in NYC has really enhanced our membership offering. All this being said, it very much feels like the best is yet to come!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the club or me personally? Ha! With the club, there have been occasional ups and downs, especially during recessions, when companies and members have had to cut back on their involvement, membership and sponsorships.

Personally, I face many of the same struggles most working parents do these days. Too much to do, too little time, and the general sense that I’m failing at all of it! With that, it sometimes feels a bit crazy to be leading an organization run entirely by people IN THEIR SPARE TIME!

That said, we realize people’s lives are busier than ever, and donating any time to the One Club is the very definition of a “labor of love.” Volunteers are essential to the club’s success, and we are blessed with an incredible bench of volunteers. Yet we always need new recruits, as it would allow us to bring even more of our great ideas for events and workshops to the community. We really hope that past and future volunteers not only have a lot of fun with us but also feel very proud to be vested in fulfilling the club’s original mission; To promote creativity and a collaborative creative culture throughout Colorado’s Rocky Mountain region.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with The One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
The One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter is a volunteer-run, non-profit organization that pours everything we make back into nurturing a more vibrant and inspired global creative community. Our members consist of art directors, new media and print designers, writers, illustrators, photographers, videographers, animators, technologists, educators and students. With the One Club for Creativity in New York and along with the other regional chapters, we aim to spotlight, educate and celebrate local and regional talent, and connect our amazing community to the One Club’s global network, resources and ideas.

Currently, the Denver Chapter is one of the most established One Club chapters, and our hope is to continue to grow our membership locally, which in turn gives members access to world-class local, regional, national and international programs. There is no doubt in my mind that exposure to the One Club for Creativity’s platform is essential to becoming the best creative professional you can be. Check out all of the events and programs the One Club for Creativity offers here: https://www.oneclub.org/events/

The One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter is proud to produce an equally impressive roster of events on the local level. That said, our marquee event and largest fundraiser, The Paper Fashion Show, is right around the corner! This event is an unrivaled display of mind-blowing creativity and craftsmanship which features Haute fashions from paper that are showcased on a grand runway and judged by an esteemed panel of top Colorado-area designers and celebrities.

This April 30th will be the 16th year of our Paper Fashion Show, and as in years past, the event will support our mission to elevate Colorado art and design to the national level, as well as proudly support the inspiring non-profit, Downtown Aurora Visual Arts. DAVA is a local community organization that provides free after school arts and job training courses for urban youth, ages 3 to 18. The One Club for Creativity Denver has raised over $62k for DAVA since 2004! Not too bad for an event run entirely by volunteers!

This year, the PFS is being held at the Fillmore Auditorium and we are expecting it to be our biggest show yet. We look forward to celebrating with our many “regulars,” and encourage any and all new guests to join us as well. It’s beyond doubt an amazing display of creativity, and such an honor to provide this event to the Colorado art and design community. Come see for yourselves on April 30th! https://www.paperfashionshow.com/

We also put on a fantastic award show each year in the Fall, recently rebranded the ONE CLUB AWARDS DENVER, which honors the Rocky Mountain Region’s best creatives in advertising and design. In 2019, we had more than 50 local shops enter, and over 350 entries judged by a selection of esteemed industry professionals from other competitive markets like Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Milwaukee and San Francisco. The jury awarded 100 trophies, which were locally designed and produced by our talented friends at Link Product Development and Reffel Metals. You can check out all the amazing winners from the 2019 show here: https://www.oneclub.org/awards/denver/

We are very committed to helping the next generation of creative professionals get exposure and mentorship. Each year in the spring we hold a portfolio review where students get invaluable feedback on their portfolio and compete for scholarships and prizes. Students present their work to local agency designers, business owners and artists, and the professionals give feedback on the student’s work, how they can improve and advise on how to present their work to land their dream job. This year, The Review is being held on Saturday, March 14th at the newly formed Denver Ad School. Sign up here: https://www.oneclub.org/chapters/-denver/-event/the-review-2020

In addition, the third session of our College Mentorship Program is underway. The program matches local advertising and communications students with industry professionals for an open exchange of valuable, real-world experience while helping students learn about the industry and perhaps get their proverbial foot in the door. The program is currently working with Arapahoe Community College, Metropolitan State University, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design and the University of Colorado Boulder, with additional colleges looking to be added in the future.

What role has luck (good luck or bad luck) played in your life and business?
In my life, timing has been everything, and with that, I’ve had the good fortune of working alongside some of the most talented and passionate creative professionals in the business. Long before “gratitude” became a trend, I felt genuinely blessed to learn from and work with all types of creative people. They are an inspiring and contagious breed! I’ve always been an avid fan of advertising and design in all its forms and evolutions, and I do wholeheartedly believe that creativity has the power to transform and connect us. I’m lucky to have developed this belief system early on in my career because it’s undeniably been the “thing” that has opened so many doors for me, like the opportunity to lead the One Club for Creativity Denver Chapter!

In closing, for someone who negotiates job offers for a living, the hard work, talent and dedication our board and our volunteers give for absolutely free is nothing short of mind-blowing to me. It’s been a rewarding experience to say the very least and my hope is that more people see the value of what we bring to Colorado and want to join our cause. We show up, we work hard and take a lot of pride in being a part of an organization that can make such a massive difference in a person’s life and career. Oh, and we have a lot of fun, too!

Pricing:

• Come meet the team and join us for our marquee event, The Paper Fashion Show. Over 50 paper fashions are set to walk the runway on April 30th. Tickets range in price from $35-$135. More information can be found at paperfashionshow.com

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.oneclub.org/chapters/-denver/-page/about
• Phone: 720-838-3797
• Email: info@denver.oneclub.org.
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oneclubdenver
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheOneClubForCreativityDenver/
• Other: http://www.linkedin.com/company/the-one-club-for-creativity-denver

Image Credit:
Steffany Murica, Jason DeWitt, Jason DeWitt, Randall Erkelens, Blu Hartkoop, Blu Hartkoop, Jason DeWitt

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