In-depth with the Think Big i-Team: Brennan Power

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Brennan Power, one of our four copywriter interns.

NAME: Brennan Power

FAVORITE COLOR: Blue

FAVORITE TV SHOW: True Blood

SECRET FUN FACT: Great artist, specifically drawing.

As the summer comes to a close for the i-Team, we at Think Big would like to showcase the final piece of the i-Team puzzle: our fourth copywriter, Brennan Power. Mr. Power is somewhat of an international man of mystery.  In fact, he was late to the party known as the i-Team this summer because he was studying abroad down under in Melbourne, Australia.

So what have we learned about Brennan in his short stint at TBP? For starters, Brennan is a lifelong citizen of Kansas City, Missouri. A graduate of Pembroke Hill, like fellow i-Team member Max Gall, Brennan was a phenomenal two-sport athlete in his high school days, wielding a mean stick in both hockey and lacrosse. In high school, Brennan was also the president of the Spanish club, which like any presidency, yielded the amazing perk of a free Chipotle burrito every month. Talk about power! But Brennan made sure he was not above the people.  In fact, whenever asked, he would willingly lend his skill as an artist to teachers and classmates by designing flyers for events and clubs around the school.

After graduating high school, Brennan embarked to the east coast to attend Boston College. Brennan will head back to school in a little less than a month to start his senior year and graduate with a degree in history and sociology.  As an avid volunteer, Brennan spends a lot of his time in the intercity school reading program Jumpstart. In this program, Brennan helps teach students reading and writing skills.

Brennan’s love for sports has also continued into his college years.  Brennan is a member of the Boston College intramural club hockey team.

During breaks from school, Brennan enjoys music blogging to stay current with the hottest hits. He also enjoys hiking and sees it as a great way to relax and take in fresh air.

Now time for the golden question: How does Brennan Think Big? Brennan likes to be original and sees it important for a person to stay true to themselves and their style. As he puts it, “It’s the best way to become successful.  People appreciate that and can see that it’s genuine.” 

We look forward to the exciting things Brennan has in store and are delighted to welcome him to the team!

In-depth with the i-Team: Mike Thompson

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Mike Thompson, our bizperc legal intern:

REAL NAME: Norris Michael Thompson

HOMETOWN: Columbus, OH

HIDDEN PASSION: The performing arts

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Watching any and all sports

Mike Thompson joined Think Big Partners as a legal intern in the midst of one of the most critical summers of his life—while he was studying for the Missouri Bar exam.  It has taken Mike many years of preparation—from the hills of Lawrence, Kansas to Omaha’s growing downtown—to finally face the dreaded law school test.  Mike earned his undergrad at KU and then moved to Omaha to study business law at Creighton University.  It was at Creighton that he found his true legal passion, intellectual property. This soon-to-be-lawyer is now nervously awaiting those pesky bar exam results come the fall!  But now that the exam is finally over, Mike is ready to kick back and watch some sports (of course including the Olympics - USA! USA! USA!).

Mike’s favorite part about interning at Think Big Partners has been immersing himself in the coworking space, bizperc.  At first, Mike was a bit skeptical about the amount of work he could accomplish with soccer balls being thrown around and Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots at the conference table.  But he soon learned that these “productive distractions” can actually help increase productivity (as opposed to stuffy, boring offices that only make you more stressed out!).

If Mike could start his own business, he would open a nonprofit organization dedicated to Kansas City’s performing arts.  You guessed it—Mike was a theatre kid growing up!  He would love to give back to that community in the best way he knows how—after all, nonprofits need lawyers too!

Mike Thinks Big by daring to be adventurous.  Anytime he can put himself in a position where he’s uncomfortable or in an unfamiliar setting, he doesn’t back down.  Mike knows he’ll be able to pick up and run with whatever comes his way...in doing so, he also knows that he’ll grow as a person.  Now that’s a Think Big attitude! 

In-depth with the Think Big i-Team: Max Gall

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Max Gall, our bizperc coworking space intern:

NAME: Max Gall

FAVORITE COLOR: Changes with the seasons

3 BEST QUALITIES: Jack of all trades, creates his own music, never satisfied with the status quo

GREATEST FEARS: Small towns & being unsuccessful

SECRET FUN FACT: Loves shopping

As native of Kansas City and the oldest of two children, Max is a young man with many talents. The newly 20-year-old (he celebrated his golden birthday on July 20^th) began his education on the Kansas side at Westwood View Elementary. Like many bright young men, Max was on the move and his educational journey took him to Pembroke Hill where her was a 2-time science award winner in middle school. While in high school, Max competed in cross country, basketball and track and field.  He also competed in academics. As he describes it, “at Pembroke, academics are very competitive”.  After graduating from Pembroke as an honor roll student, Max decided to take his talents to South Beach.

As a current student at the University of Miami, Max likes to spend his time studying. But when he’s not studying, you can expect max to be dropping sick beats. Whether as a disk jockey at the #1 ranked College radio station WVUM 90.5 FM, or at bars & parties around Miami—Max has done it all. Max has fully dedicated himself to music in more than one way. He is currently pursuing a major in finance and a minor in music industry. However he is still not fully decided as to what he wants to do when he completes his degree.  “On one hand, I could see myself working for a large firm working a desk job. Or I could see myself graduating and just living as a free bird disk jockeying wherever!” as he puts it.

Here at Think Big, Max is a self-described “swingman”.  If there is something to be done, he is more than willing to do it. A fellow jack of all trades that Max admires is RZA of The Wu-Tang. If given the chance to spend an afternoon with RZA, Max would love to talk to him about his philosophy of how rap and chess are similar.

How Does Max Think Big? As he explains it “I think big when I dream. I dream when I sleep. So usually after a nice nap I’m thinking pretty big.” Whether he pursues a career in the financial sector or as an electronic musician Max’s future is one to keep a look out for.

In-depth with the Think Big i-Team: Emily Leeper

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Emily Leeper, our event planning intern:

NAME: Emily Leeper

BIGGEST OBSESSION: Ironing

DREAM VACATION: Europe

ALMA MATER: University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Born in raised in Papillion, Nebraska, Emily is a graduate of Papillion-La Vista High School, where she was self-described as an overachiever.  Participating in soccer and volleyball alone are enough to fill the days of the average high schooler. But due to a back injury, Emily’s high school athlete days were dramatically cut short. But Emily isn’t the type of person who accepts “average”.  So she repurposed herself in many different ways and found new passions. Emily quickly joined choir, show choir, STUCO, DECA and everything in between.

After cementing her legacy at Papillion, Emily went on to Iowa State University to pursue animal sciences.  After her first year (in a way that many freshman do), Emily decided animal science wasn’t quite her thing. She transferred back home to the University of Nebraska where she earned her degree in advertising.  

Here at Think Big, Emily serves as the right-hand woman to bizperc manager and event extraordinaire Sarah Snyder, with whom Emily credits as a big help. Coming in, Emily states that she has never dealt with large events that Think Big produces, such as iKC.  She says that the smallest details in planning an event can be some of the most difficult. Emily is able to take care of those minor details thanks to her obsession with ironing. Yes, ironing. It has become well-known that Emily has a complete distaste for wrinkles. As she puts it, “no one is allowed to leave the house with wrinkly clothes!”

Like many young go-getters, Emily carries dreams and aspirations with her wherever she goes.  One of these motivators is to finally go to Europe—an adventure she was planning on going on in college.  Another motivator for Emily is her fear of failure.  Keeping an always-positive attitude, Emily is determined to succeed and proclaims that she “won’t let fear get in her way”. 

The desire to be great can be heard in her voice when she explains how she thinks big: “I try to push myself to learn something new and put myself out of my comfort zone every day”. With conviction and a strong head on her shoulders, it is clear that whatever wrinkles Emily may encounter in life, she’ll be ready to face them head-on with Febreze wrinkle release and iron in tow.

In-depth with the Think Big i-Team: Mariah Rittel

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Mariah Rittel, one of our two social media interns:

NAME: Mariah Rittel
FAVORITE COLOR: “Right now it’s coral, but it used to be red.”

FACEBOOK OR TWITTER?: “Facebook is for creepin’ and Twitter is for ranting”

WORDS TO DESCRIBE MARIAH: loyal and positive

MISSION STATEMENT: “I learn and I gain knowledge for without it, I would be nothing. I feel and gain emotion for without it, I would not be human. I know what I want, where I'm going, and where I am, but there are possibilities that all of that will change. And I will welcome those possibilities as they come.”

Mariah is a native North Dakotan (Bismarck to be exact). She grew up constantly playing soccer. But Mariah is so much more than just a soccer jock. Mariah got her start in marketing back in high school where she was involved in DECA. She got 2^nd place in the state DECA competition and moved on to the nationals in California. Talk about an awesome field trip!

After high school, Mariah packed up her things and moved to Kansas City. She planned to go to school for music production, but soon found out she didn’t much care for music theory. Her favorite part, however, was promoting the music and bands. She didn’t want to leave KC because she loved the atmosphere of the “big city, but not too big”. She researched programs and decided to transfer to UMKC where she is currently a junior.

Mariah is an active member of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority at UMKC.  Last year she was the social chair and she was in charge of PR marketing for Greek Week. Now, Mariah is on the programming committee within Alpha Sigma Alpha. “I love it because it keeps me focused and we give back to the community”, said Mariah when asked what her favorite part about being in the sorority is. One of the service activities she enjoys most is Girls on the Run, where she said, “We run with younger girls and motivate them while keeping healthy”. She not only likes helping the community, she also likes going to concerts. “I listen to the radio a lot, so I like pop. But I’ve also started getting into country music,” said Mariah, “that’s why I love Hot Country Nights so much.”

Mariah is a social media intern this summer at Think Big Partners. She got involved with social media during her last internship with Vive Media. Mariah thinks social media “is a great way to interact with people and it’s great for businesses to become more personable”.

In the next five years, Mariah would love to be working in social media for a Kansas City-based company, or in sports marketing for a soccer team. “Maybe even social media for a soccer team!” she says. Sounds like the best of both worlds!

Mariah’s favorite part of Think Big Partners is meeting all sorts of different people and learning from them. She really enjoys the atmosphere of the coworking space. The hardest thing about this internship so far is the transition from creative writing to business-like writing. She said she has “had to change some things” about her writing style.

How does Mariah Think Big? “I think big by dreaming big”. 

In-Depth with the Think Big i-Team: Colleen Rowley

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Colleen Rowley, one of our two social media interns:

NAME: Colleen Rowley

AIM SCREEN NAME: IrishCurlyQ

INTERESTS: Anything and everything Kansas City related (especially the Royals!) and social media

DISLIKES: Overly negative people

Colleen is a born and raised Kansas City girl and self-proclaimed (on her Twitter account) “Kansas City Enthusiast”.   In fact, she’s been pretty enthusiastic about everything in her life from as far back as she can remember.  Colleen was the captain of the spirit squad (the “Scream Team”) at Notre Dame de Sion where she made t-shirts, came up with new chants and ensured the defeat of her high school’s biggest rivals.  While working on her communication degree at Mizzou, Colleen passed the time again making t-shirts, but this time it was as the Apparel Manager for her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma.  She marketed more than $10,000 worth of merchandise during her time in office.

In addition to selling sorority swag, Colleen has more than 10 years of experience with social media, beginning in 5^th grade with her AOL Instant Messaging (AIM) account IrishQurlyQ (she did Irish dancing as a kid).  After honing her skills there, she continued to develop her social media skills until college where she blogged about her study abroad experience in Prague, marketed apparel for her sorority and created various social media accounts for her coursework.  However, those experiences pale in comparison to what she’s learned so far at her internship with Think Big Partners.  “I’ve learned about things I didn’t even know existed!” she says.

Colleen thinks big by always trying to challenge herself and to learn from every experience (even if it’s from “failing miserably”).  No matter what, she’ll always keep a positive attitude throughout because she hates when people are negative. 

In-Depth with the Think Big i-Team: Sara Heins

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Sara Heins, one of our four copy interns: 

NAME: Sara Heins

PERSONAL MOTTO: “Work Hard, Play Hard and on Occasion, Laze Around”

3 WORDS TO DESCRIBE SARA: Funny, loyal, fun

SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCE: Facebook

FUN FACT: Sara has been a regular in several videos on her friend’s YouTube channel

Sara Heins is a native Missourian, born and raised in South County, St. Louis. She attended Mehlville High School where she excelled in tennis and soccer. And being the ambitious person she is, Sara was a member of many different high school organizations and clubs...too many to name.   

Upon graduation, Sara made the two-hour journey west to Columbia, where she attended Mizzou. Sara spent her time watching old T.V. shows on Netflix, running and drinking the occasional beer. Oh, and she also graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in journalism with an emphasis in strategic communications (which is basically advertising) and a minor in both business and French. In other words, she majored and minored in everything.

During her junior year at Mizzou, Sara traveled to Brussels for a study abroad program with Procter and Gamble. After returning to the States, Sara said she turned into a “beer snob” until her bank account felt the negative effects.

Sara has dreamed of becoming a writer ever since she visited an advertising agency in elementary school. The advertising environment inspired her and meshed well with her creative side. Her future dream job is to be a creative director at an agency, like Don Draper from the T.V. series “Mad Men” (but without the sexism).

In the next five years, Sara plans to move to Kansas City (she currently commutes 2 hours from Columbia.  Talk about Think Big dedication!) and gain a new family member, a kitten. After working for a few years, she’d like to take time off for traveling. Sara wants to go “anywhere but western Europe” since she’s already been to Brussels, but “is thinking South America” for her next trip.

Sara joined Think Big Partners in June of 2012 as a summer associate/junior copywriter/content developer. Her entrepreneurial experience goes back to high school where she was a part of DECA. She was also a part of collegiate DECA and won awards including Top 10 in Fashion Merchandising.

Sara already enjoys working in Think Big Partners’ coworking space, bizperc.  “I love the energy and the environment,” she says. “The office space is great and all the people are super friendly”. The biggest challenge for her, so far, is the 2-hour commute every week from Columbia. But that’s nothing compared to her 4-year stint at JCPenney, where she said, “People [customers] were mean to me and I would have to cry in the fitting rooms!”.

How Does Sara Think Big? “I try to be open to new experiences and not say no.”

In-Depth with the Think Big i-Team: Shelby Livingston

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Shelby Livingston, one of our four copy interns: 

NAME: Shelby Livingston

GRADUATED FROM: Mizzou with a degree in marketing

FAVORITE COLOR: Pink

FUN FACT: She doesn’t own cable

WHEN SHE GROWS US SHE WANTS TO: Open an Roth IRA

If Shelby was on an elevator and had to give her 30-second pitch, she would start with where she is from—Lake St. Louis, MO. Shelby is a small-town, self-proclaimed “girly-girl” who graduated from Wentzville Holt High School Where she was a part of the National Honor Society, Varsity Cheerleading, and the tennis team.  She went onto the University Of Missouri where she was a part of the service sorority Little Sisters of the Gold Rose. When she wasn’t serving the community, Shelby attended marketing and business classes and completed her marketing degree in 4 years.  After graduation, Shelby packed up her things and without knowing anyone moved to Kansas City to start her career and the next chapter in life—at Think Big Partners. 

But if the elevator got stuck for one reason or another, Shelby would go on to say that she loves to be the center of attention (or in her own words, “I wanna be famous!”).  More specifically, Shelby would love to be an actress on the small screen or Broadway. She’d be modest in saying that she’s not the strongest of singers, but she can carry a tune. She honed her voice growing up not only choir, but as a soloist in church.  

In her free time, Shelby likes to hunt for entertainment. And we’re not talking about guns and traps and taxidermy.  We’re talking about literally hunting for entertainment. Since Shelby doesn’t have cable, she has to track down her favorite TV shows online. Some of her favorites are The Bachelorette, Cougar Town (which she feels she maybe too young to watch), and anything that has to do with the Kardashians and The Real Housewives. 

Living down her girly-girl title, Shelby’s favorite color is pink and she is a “pearl girl” rather than a “diamond girl”.  Like any girly-girl, Shelby loves to go shopping. Unlike most girly-girls though, her biggest goal when she gets her first “big girl job” is to set up a Roth IRA.

Shelby is very bold, driven and passionate.  But most importantly, Shelby likes to Think Big: “The way I Think Big is to take every experience as an opportunity to learn and try not to say no to anything even if it is scary”. Shelby is proof that Girl Power is alive and kicking (and sporting pearls!).  

In-Depth with the Think Big i-Team: Bobby Miller Jr.

This summer, Think Big Partners proudly took on its biggest project of all—managing 9 rockstar interns!  We were so excited to bring on these 9 eager students that we felt like we had to come up with name for them—they are now known as the i-Team. We can’t wait to teach the i-Team all about the world of entrepreneurship, startups, marketing and all things in between.  Learn more about i-Team member Bobby Miller Jr., one of our four copy interns: 

NAME: Bobby Miller Jr.

FAVORITE SPORT: Wrestling

HOBBIES: Improv, deejaying and rockin’ shorts to work

FUN FACT: Performs improv with troupe LSR

BIGGEST FEAR: Being adequate

Bobby Miller Jr. was a high school athlete, excelling in football and wrestling.  When he wasn’t busy striking fear into the hearts of his opponents with his half-nelson techniques, he competed and held leadership positions in the marketing group, DECA.  He was the Vice President of Kansas DECA his junior year and then ran for international office when he was a senior.  One of his biggest accomplishments was securing a corporate sponsor for his campaign (which never happens. Seriously, it’s impressive.) Bobby cold-called Kodak one day, established a relationship and with persistence, landed a sponsorship from the company.  He believes this is the right attitude to have in life.  “You’re never small enough to ask and never big enough to ask,” he says.  “It doesn’t matter who you are.  If you project yourself properly, you can do anything.” 

Bobby enjoyed two and a half years at Kansas University studying business.  But after awhile, he came to find that many of the classes he took had nothing to teach him (or at least weren’t teaching him anything he hadn’t already learned from his extensive DECA experiences).  Although he wouldn’t have had these problems had he gotten a quality education from Mizzou*, Bobby decided to leave the college life and pursue his true dream career—entertaining others and making them laugh.  Today, Bobby deejays at the Velvet Dog and studies and performs with his improv troupe LSR on the side, apart from writing awesome waffle blog posts for Think Big Partners.

If he approached a wishing well, Bobby would sacrifice some loose change for his one true dream: to sit in the front row at Wrestlemania.  Bobby has been a fan of wrestling ever since his early childhood, with a brief hiatus due to the very distracting presence of the opposite gender in high school.  His love for the sport has now been rekindled and the flame burns hotter and more passionately than ever (wrestling matches take up most of Bobby’s TiVo). 

It’s pretty obvious by now—Bobby doesn’t know how to think small.  If he’s not calling Kodak for sponsorships, he’s pursuing his dreams in any and every way possible, even if it’s not the most roundabout way of getting there.   

Bobby would like to leave you with this thought: “My biggest fear is being adequate.”  Angela Hayes said something similar to this in American Beauty, but they’ve sure got a point – being average just isn’t acceptable.

*Yes, this was written by a recent Mizzou grad. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.