Today we’d like to introduce you to Preston Thompson.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Preston. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Marietta and ended up staying local for undergrad and advertising school. After graduating from Kennesaw State, I moved in town as soon as I could into a cramped in-law suite in the basement of two very kind retirees.
A couple of months later, I wound up at Miami Ad School at Portfolio Center for copywriting. After heaps of cheap food and a couple more in-law suites, I’m now a much better cook with a permanent spot who’s been able to write for brands like Under Armour, Atlanta United, UFC and more doing internal communications and experiential & traditional advertising.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Trying to land a job in an agency creative department feels kind of like being twelve and trying to get into bars.
I just assumed you could get an internship or entry-level role, but like a lot of people, I learned that entry-level still requires 1-2 years experience or a degree from ad school. After KSU, I missed on some marketing roles and ended up taking a job that had nothing to do with advertising. That lasted all of six months before a tragedy refocused my career back to writing.
I enrolled at Portfolio Center and spent the next two years finding work wherever I could. Sometimes that meant working for every creative’s favorite form of payment: free exposure.
Even after graduating ad school, trying to get noticed for a full-time position was tough. Once, I was offered a job on a Friday and had it taken away on the following Monday. If there’s a reward for most unanswered emails, I at least want to put my name in the running. But eventually, things work out, and you find yourself creating and pitching insane ideas to clients just like you wanted.
Until COVID, at least.
Please tell us about America Rugby Pod.
My time at ad school did more than craft my writing. One of the first things we learned was how to transform an idea into a tangible product or service. So, that’s what a childhood friend of mine and I did. The two of us talked about rugby incessantly, more than any of our teammates. We decided to record our conversations and turn them into a podcast. As dime-a-dozen as podcasts can seem now, there were virtually zero of them focusing of American rugby at the time. It definitely filled a void because it grew to around 3,000 listeners per episode across all platforms. We’ve interviewed Olympic athletes and professional players who also happen to listeners.
By sheer coincidence, we started this when professional rugby was kicking off in the U.S for the first time. Through a rugby friend’s media company and the owner of a team in Major League Rugby being a listener, I was given the opportunity to handle play by play for Old Glory, Washington D.C.’s professional team. After calling three of their preseason matches, I was scheduled to call four games throughout the season, culminating in a Memorial Day rivalry between Boston and D.C. Before things shut down, I was able to get one match in that was actually aired on ESPN+.
The pandemic forced the league to cancel the season and it also forced the agency I worked at to severely cut down their staff, including me. All that means is that I’m open and ready to write whatever comes my way.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Mostly my parents for trusting me. But everyone I’ve ever met deserves a little credit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.PrestonThompson.com
- Email: lpreston.thompson@gmail.com
- Twitter: @AmericaRugbyPod
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