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Jake Edinger, BJ '02

What do you do at your job as a copywriter?
Well, I make ads. With my counterpart, an art director. We come up with ideas, pitch them to our creative directors and try to sell them to a client. I've done work for clients such as Sonic Drive-In, Ameren UE, AT&T, Cellular One, Payless Shoesource and Paramount Theme Parks.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
Creating. It's extremely gratifying to see something come to life that started a foggy idea.

What has been your greatest professional challenge?
The biggest challenge is navigating the emotional rollercoaster of advertising. One day can be great, and the next day, your ideas suck.

How did you get started in your career?
I started as an intern with Barkley Evergreen & Partners in Kansas City the summer before my senior year of college. After graduation, I interviewed with over 30 agencies in Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, New York and even London. Hearing the word "no" was good practice for life in the business. Six months after graduation, Brian Brooker (another Mizzou grad) hired me on at Barkley Evergreen and Partners. And the rest, as they say, is still working itself out.

How did you end up at Rodgers Townsend in St. Louis?
I had just finished rebuilding my portfolio after working for about two years. So, I sent it to Rodgers Townsend when I heard they were taking books. I guess they liked it and offered me a job.

What personal characteristics must a person have to succeed as a copywriter?
Resilience. Resilience and, obviously, creativity. But they're pretty much inseparable. As a writer, you have to be unafraid of coming up with bad ideas. Because once you sift through all the crap, something good's going to surface. And then someone's going to kill that, so you have to be tough enough to do it again.

Who do you aspire to be or look up to in your profession?
I'm a big fan of the work coming out of CP+B in Miami. They do work for Burger King, Molson and used to do work for Mini Cooper. Great stuff that proves creativity moves people. And advertising is fun.

How has your education at the Missouri School of Journalism helped you in your professional career?
When I came to Mizzou, I knew I wanted to write and decided to major in journalism. From there, I was stumped. Then, I heard you can get paid to make commercials. I'd always wanted to be a playwright, so I guess I decided I'd try writing really short ones. Also, going to school at Mizzou gave me access to people like Professor Steve Kopcha who knows more about advertising than he could teach in fifteen semesters.

What is one thing someone might not know about you?
Mechanical pencils are no match for my writing. Write. Snap. Write, write, snap.

What is the last movie you saw and would you recommend it?
Kong. The animation blew my mind. You've got to see Kong take it to the dinosaurs.

Since you have only been out of the J-School for a few years, do you have any advice for students interested in a becoming a copywriter?
Don't settle on your first idea. Come up with tons, pick your favorites and come up with some more.