Marketing Master Monday
Megan Gopp, The Adventure Agency
Meet Megan!
Founder and Creative Director, the Adventure Agency
Megan Gopp is the Founder and Creative Director of The Adventure Agency, a branding and website design studio in Chicago. Having been in the industry for 8 years, she finds joy every day in designing elevated branding and marketing and helping business owners feel excited and proud of their brand.
Q&A with Megan
Tell us about your career path and how you came into your current role.
After graduating from Michigan State University in 2012, I found a list of 150 ad agencies in Chicago and sent my resume to each one, even if they weren’t hiring. After hearing back from only one agency, my [now husband, then] boyfriend and I moved to Chicago for an unpaid graphic design internship. (We are so grateful to have family we were able to stay with until we both had full-time jobs!) After 3 months I was hired on as a graphic designer with the agency, and that’s where I stayed for over 7 years. Over the course of those 7 years, I moved up from an unpaid intern – to Graphic Designer – to Art Director – to Senior Art Director. During that time, I was able to work on a multitude of different projects – including a beverage package that was awarded one of the Top Beverage Packages of 2013 according to Beverage Industry Magazine, a full wall mural, branding, strategy, websites… you name it!
Then, you could say I had the “7 Year Itch”. I just felt like I was ready for more. After attending a few conferences (Digital Megaphone Social Media Masters Summit, Create + Cultivate, She Did It Her Way) and listening to all of these inspiring entrepreneurs, I knew that was what I wanted to be! After a lot of planning, I left the agency in 2019 to pursue my dream as the Founder and Creative Director of The Adventure Agency!
What is one of your favorite ad campaigns and why?
Ad Campaign: The Pure Michigan Campaign. I grew up in Michigan, so I love this campaign from both an advertising perspective, and a Michigander perspective. The state is so beautiful, and I am so proud to see my home state featured on the side of buses and television commercials.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by creative products and ideas that I don’t fully understand how they work. For example, Pixar is a constant inspiration for me. I am in awe at the amount of creativity, brain power, and teamwork that goes into everything that they create! The combination of art, design and science behind Pixar is constantly inspiring me to think outside of the box.
What do you wish you knew when you started your career?
I wish that I knew how imperative confidence is when it comes to growing your career. I had never been taught to negotiate, and honestly, I didn’t realize that it’s almost expected. I wish I could tell myself to have confidence in the value that I bring to the table and to ask for what I wanted sooner.