Jay Marose

Until I had turned 18, work meant family business in Chicago. The minimum wage job that began my professional career at 18, was also a family business. This one built on a legend that may or may not have been true - Ron Jon Surf Shop.

Family business meant no job titles or descriptions. Get the job done. Whether driving to each of the Florida borders to turn around and make sure the lights were working on each of our 99 billboards or manning a register during Spring Break. Getting the job done meant know your business. Know your customers. Have a great story and listen to theirs.

When I challenged the allocation of ad buys between radio stations to the CEO, he didn’t fire me. He told me to prove it. Armed with a box of lip balm samples and a one-page questionnaire, over two weekends, I did. He trusted me next time, but I always did my research to back my instinct.

With over two dozen ADDYs and a NoRMA, before the age of 20, a year living in Milan, Italy without a plan seemed like a good idea. It was a better experience to introduce a broader appreciation for the power of communication – as well as steady income - when returning to the U.S.

The ability to communicate, explain, plan and execute were useful to go from phone clerk in a 3 person brokerage to the marketer for Swiss Bank Corporation’s Interest Rate Derivatives group, earning series 3, 7 & 63 licenses. International Finance Review justified Swiss Bank’s top ranking in the derivatives category to creating a brand in a crowded and competitive banking environment.

From there to here included leading strategy, creative and execution on such accounts as RJ Reynolds, the Fruit of the Loom companies, SKYY Vodka, TiVo, Chrysler, Absolut, Red Bull, Tribune Media, Ford and AT&T. I helped found a boutique agency in the world’s largest conglomerate and advised media strategy for Backstreet Boys, NSync, Mandy Moore, TLC. I worked exclusively for the Osbourne family. Form follows function.

The stories I share are about the causes and cause-related events such as Green Dot Public Schools, The Trevor Project, Planned Parenthood or Intel’s Inspired by Education multi-media campaign. Consulting on the groundbreaking Yes, We Can Song project when measured against the impact of a documentary like Bridegroom, The Movie… the power of communication is infinite. The tools change. The vision doesn’t.