Take 5 with Ad Club: Joey Parks

This week marks the return of our esteemed (or so we like to think) “Take 5 with Ad Club!” This is a member spotlight series that shows off a different awesome club member each time. The process is simple: 5 questions about your advertising perspective, no more than 15 minutes, and a free Take 5 candy bar as a parting gift.

For this year’s inaugural “Take 5,” we sat down with Joey Parks. In addition to making all of Ad Club’s fantastic graphics, Joey has worked with GVSU’s Promotions Office, Broadway Grand Rapids, and is currently a Content Producer for OXX Beyond Rugged. Let’s meet Joey, shall we?

Q1: Why should someone reading this bother to read the rest of your answers? In other words: what makes you so gosh darn cool? 
“I have a lot of experience in not only crafting creative ideas, but also bringing to life the creative ideas of others. I like to think I’m pretty good at turning thoughts into visual manifestations.”

Q2: So what made you choose advertising?
“I wanted to be creative but not in a starving artist kind of way. I think advertising is a great way to get experience as a creative, even if you don’t plan on staying with it forever. I’ll pull a lot of skills from advertising in any career I choose to go into: branding, video, and beyond.”

Q3: What can you bring to the industry to make you stick out and be an advertising rock star? 
“I can bring not only creative skills but also a recklessly optimistic personality. A lot of people tell me I’m great to have in a workplace because I’m always willing to think about the positives and tackle something new without hesitation.”

Q4: What’s your favorite ad? 
“There’s this ad by BuzzFeed for Purina puppy chow. It’s pretty much just a 2-minute movie about a man and a dog. I really just love any ad with dogs—for example, the Heinz Weiner Dog Super Bowl spot was kind of life-changing.”

Q5: Finally, what is one fun fact about you?
“I own the complete DVD box sets for That ‘70s Show, Community, 30 Rock, and Parks & Recreation. In my opinion, those are the greatest shows to ever grace mankind.”

A big thanks to Joey for sitting down with us. If you’d like to be the next awesome Ad Club member in our “Take 5” series, email Dan Goubert, goubertd@mail.gvsu.edu. After all, why wouldn’t you want free food?