AdPR students visit set of Nickelodeon commercial

This summer, I participated in the 2014 Cannes Lions Advertising Festival Study Abroad Program. During the festival, I attended a workshop focused on promoting brands through online blogging sites such as Tumblr. This workshop differed from the larger seminars held at the festival and took place in a more intimate setting where we could ask questions with professionals in the creative field. 

I happened to sit down at the same table as Hafeez Saheed, Vice President of Production for Nickelodeon Creative Advertising.

AdPR students Felisha Ellison, Madeline Hawkins
 and Chelsea Jade Gray with Nickelodeon's Hafeez Saheed

We chatted about the uses of Tumblr and how online blogging has largely affected the advertising industry.  During our brief conversation, he provided intriguing insight into the advertising field, and I knew immediately that I wanted to keep in touch.

After connecting with him on LinkedIn after the festival, I invited him to UGA to speak to students about his personal experience within advertising and his expertise in production. My Cannes Lions experience was key in helping me understand the public relations/advertising industry better, so I thought, Why not try to bring a little of that experience back to students here at UGA?

Hafeez Saheed discusses advertising production with students

Hafeez Saheed visited Grady College on Wednesday, October 22, and gave his talk on Production in Motion: The Advertising Production Process. After Hafeez Saheed spoke, AdPR students Felisha Ellison, Chelsea Jade Gray and I had coffee with him at Jittery Joe's in the Miller Learning Center. We learned more about his creative work at Nickelodeon and his previous experience with Saatchi & Saatchi. During our conversation, he invited us to visit the set of a digital commercial Nickelodeon was shooting in Atlanta the next day!

Hafeez Saheed answers students' questions following his lecture

Being on the Nickelodeon set that Thursday was a captivating, yet slightly surreal, experience. We met the account manager, art director, producer, copywriter, wardrobe manager and actors. As we watched the commercial being shot, Adrienne, the producer, explained to us all the details of what was happening. Everyone was so welcoming and eager to answer any questions we had. In fact, Clancy, the copywriter, was a fellow Grady graduate!

My favorite part of the day was talking with the project manager, Rachel, who was acting as the eyes and ears of the client. Her attention to detail was impeccable, and she gave valuable insight into working on the marketing and sales side of Nickelodeon Creative Advertising. Overall, it was incredibly enlightening seeing what we learn in class, firsthand.

I could not be more thankful to Hafeez Saheed for his kindness and willingness to speak at UGA and to invite us to the set at Nickelodeon. I’ve learned so much from this experience and hope that the students who heard him speak were equally as motivated to pursue their passions within the advertising and production field.

Written by Madeline Hawkins

Public Relations, Grady College of Journalism

The University of Georgia '16

AdPR Alumni Spotlight: Steve Guyer (ABJ '05)

Steve Guyer

Steve Guyer (ABJ '05), an advertising major, is originally from Royston, Ga.

What activities/internships were you involved while in Grady/UGA?

• Martin Agency Student Workshop (Richmond, VA) ‘05.
• Staff Photographer, UGA Bulldogs Athletic Department ‘03-’05.
• VP. Interactive Media, UGA Ad Club ‘04-’05.

What are you doing now and how did you get there?

I’m a manager for Viacom’s Kids and Family group, which includes Nickelodeon and Virtual Worlds. I’ve been managing digital initiatives since 2006 when I worked at Grey’s direct marketing and digital agency. In the past, I’ve worked at G2 (part of Grey Group), Experian CheetahMail, AgencyRx (part of the CDM Group Omnicom Group).

What is your day-to-day like at your job? (Any interesting projects that you can share with us?)

We wake up each morning trying to find new ways to make Viacom’s kids and family properties more and more educational and fun. We just wrapped nick.com’s LIVE Kids’ Choice Awards experience which supported the on-air show experience on March 23 at 8:00pm.

What part of your Grady experience (classes, professors, etc.) has been helpful in your career today?

The Campaigns class, definitely. Pulling together teams to do the new business pitches in the Campaigns class was by far the most helpful. Nothing beats real-world experience dealing with other team members. I realized after graduating that while I might take a test on my own, I needed every one of my coworkers to finish projects. Ron Lane was always very supportive of the work that I did and helped me build my confidence.

What is your favorite Grady memory?
There were two experiences that are in my memory:

• Traveling to New York was really what kicked it off for me. The school arranges the trip for students every year. The trip is a great opportunity to see what an agency looks like inside and a bit about what the environment is like.
• Working on the Campaigns class was a lot of fun. We worked really late and long hours to make the presentation the best it could be. There really is nothing like seeing an idea go from inception to a fully realized product.

What advice do you have for current AdPR students?

• Meet as many people, resources, colleagues, teachers, professors, athletes, musicians (you get the idea) as you can since you never know when you might want or need to reach out to them for advice or to join you in your project.
• Get really involved in any of the projects that you want to take on and drop the ones you aren't interested in (no one cares about a laundry list of clubs if all you did was pay dues--- that makes you a subscriber, not a member).
• Get ready to work really really hard!