August 12, 2020 4:00 am Published by

Episode 68:

Jillian Gibbs was born and raised in Brooklyn. She struggled financially to get through college, majored in music, minored in advertising, all with the hope of singing jingles one day. And that she did! Jillian turned her knowledge of advertising into a global marketing services company, APR, specializing in content creation optimization. From her first client Coors Brewing Co. to growing her company to now more than 60 companies, in 35 countries, representing over $1.5 Billion in marketing production spend, Jillian is celebrating 20 years of APR.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

  • Jillian’s entrepreneurial journey in the advertising industry
  • How Jillian’s singing background prepared her for a career in advertising
  • Jillian’s personal transition from humble, shy singer to powerful business leader
  • How Jillian built her company with no strict business plan in place
  • Changes that Jillian has experienced both as an advertising professional and a leader in 2020
  • How to use communication strategies to affect the changes you want to make in society
  • How all of the change in 2020 has shaped Jillian as a leader
  • What motivates Jillian’s workforce

Resources:

How to Make an Impact as a Female Leader

Jillian Gibbs is the founder and president of Advertising Production Resources (APR), a global marketing services company, specializing in content creation optimization. With over 60 companies in 35 countries, APR represents over $1.5B in marketing production spend and houses more than 200 employees. In this episode of the Intentional Greatness podcast, Jillian shares her story and walks us through her entrepreneurial journey in the advertising industry. She talks about the drastic changes she has experienced both as an advertising professional and a leader in 2020. And she teaches us how to adapt so we can thrive and serve the greater good simultaneously.

The Shining Light Within Us

In college, Jillian did not have the powerful, outgoing business leader persona that she has today—it was something she worked extremely hard to develop. Jillian came from humble beginnings. She was a shy, classically trained opera singer with a minor in advertising, and now she runs a massive agency with over 200 employees. That transition was not easy, but it is important to recognize that we all have a shining light within us. The more interactions you have with people, the more of that light you will start to see. Jillian always wanted to have an impact on people, and she wanted to do so by spreading emotion through storytelling. She brought in other people with tons of experience to help her realize that vision as an entrepreneur, and it eventually snowballed into APR as we know it.

Make an Impact

Having an impact on employees, clients, and now the industry at large really matters to Jillian. She works hard to position herself as a thought leader, and client by client, APR continues to evolve. Jillian never had a concrete business plan, but life is not static, and sometimes being able to work outside of the constraints is the best move. That is especially true as Jillian navigates the events of 2020, which have dramatically affected the work she does and the way she shows up as a leader. There is a silver lining to everything that is happening, and the global impact is beautiful in and of itself. Everyone is so interconnected right now, and it is becoming ever more apparent that we DO have the power to make an impact in each other’s lives and our clients’ work. As business leaders, we have to make monumental changes to adapt. But all of this is worth it in the end.

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