keith reinhard

Keith Reinhard is the Chairman Emeritus of DDB Worldwide, which ranks among the world's largest and most creative advertising networks with 200 offices in 90 countries. As a working creative director, Keith was responsible for McDonald's iconic "You Deserve a Break Today" and "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is There."

In 1988, Keith was one of the architects of the advertising industry's first and only three-wat merger, creating Omnicon, which today ranks as one of the world's largest advertising and marketing holding companies.

Advertising Age has referred to Keith as the advertising industry's "soft-spoken visionary" and in 1999 named him one of the top 100 influential figures in advertising history. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2007.

TOM BURRELL

After breaking into the advertising agency business in 1961 at Wade Advertising (Chicago), Tom Burrell quickly worked his way from the mailroom into the position of Junior Copywriter. From there, Tom went on to Leo Burnett, Foote, Cone & Belding, and Needham, Harper & Steers before launching what is now Burrell Communications in 1971.

By understanding and highlighting black American culture, Burrell changed the face of American Advertising. A collection of Burrell’s Advertisements for Coca-Cola is archived at the Library of Congress for its cultural and historical significance. Today, Burrell remains a leading marketing communications firm, noted for its expertise in reaching African- American and urban youth markets.

Over the years, Tom has garnered numerous awards, honors and accolades, including the coveted Albert Lasker Award for Lifetime Achievement in Advertising, DuSable Museum of African American History’s HistoryMaker Award, and was recently inducted into the One Club's Creative Hall of Fame.

thomas dyja

Much of American culture was made in Chicago, and to understand the country you have to understand its “third coast.”  So argues Chicago-born-and-raised writer Thomas Dyja.  His illuminating The Third Coast: When Chicago Built the American Dream argues that after the Second World War the Windy City functioned as the center of the nation—not just geographically, but also in terms of culture, politics and business.  Chicago’s extraordinary mix of architects, politicians, musicians, writers, entrepreneurs, and actors shaped America’s culture, and national identity. 

Dyja is the author of three novels and two works of nonfiction.  A native of Chicago’s Northwest Side, he was called “a real Chicago boy” by Studs Terkel.

Jeffrey cruikshank

Jeffrey is a writer, editor and consultant who lives and works in Milton, Massachusetts. The co-founder in 1989 of The Cruikshank Company, he is currently Executive Director of Communications, Stewardship and Events at Boston University. He is also the co-author of The Man Who Sold America (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010), a biography of Albert Lasker, providing a wealth of biographical and early 20th century advertising material.

Susan credle

Prior to joining FCB New York, Susan Credle was the Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett. For Credle, "Great creative has to build helpful, meaningful brands for the long-terms. That's the sum of what we at Leo Burnett do, and what I've set out to do my entire career."

She came to Leo Burnett in the fall of 2009 after more than two decades at BBDO. After joining Leo Burnett, Susan spearheaded a creative renaissance at the agency, influencing such forward-thinking campaigns like McDonald's Happy Meal "Happy Tales," Kellogg's Special K "What Will You Gain When You Lose?," Secret's "Mean Stinks" anti-bullying campaign and Allstate's "Mayhem."

Bob scarpelli

Bob Scarpelli is the former Chairman and Chief Creative Office of DDB Worldwide. At DDB, he was a tenacious champion of the company's most defining values — creativity and humanity — and of DDB's core beliefs that creativity is the most powerful force in business.

Under Bob's leadership, DDB ranked as one of the world's most awarded agency networks, winning Agency of the Year awards in various countries 35 times.

In 2004, Bob was awarded the Silver Medal by the Chicago Advertising Federation for service to the advertising business and the community. In 2013, he was elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame.

Bob now teaches at the Northwestern University graduate program in Integrated Marketing Communications. He also serves on the board of the Chicago International Film Festival, Off the Street Club and the advisory board of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brand Center.

bruce dumont

Bruce DuMont is the Founder, President and CEO of The Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. The MBC includes America's only National Radio Hall of Fame, which DuMont brought to Chicago in 1991.

DuMont launched the MBC in 1982. In June 1987, the Museum opened its doors in Chicago's South Loop. In June 2012, the Museum opened at 360 N. State Street, following a successful $23 million capital campaign.

Since 1980, DuMont has also been a host of Beyond the Beltway, a nationally-syndicated weekly radio program heard in over 35 cities from coast-to-coast every Sunday night.

Stephen fox

Stephen Fox is a historian from Boston. Among his books is The Mirror Makers: A History of American Advertising and Its Creators (William Morrow, 1984), widely regarded as the best history of the advertising business. The story unwinds in the cyclical interplay between two great schools of ad making, hard sell and soft sell. Stephen studied American History at Williams College and then finished his doctorate in the field at Brown University. He currently lives in Silver City, New Mexico.