Inside with the Experts: The Secrets to Starting Successfully

Randy Meza, Global Director of Licensing at Carhartt, and Lauren Stauffer, Managing Editor at NBC Chicago, will share important career building insights into the world of media and strategic communication that every aspiring professional should know.

Greg Braun, co-director of the Master of Arts in Media and Strategic Communication, and Kathi Groenendyk, chair of the Communication Department, will host this discussion.

To register for this event, please email mmsc@calvin.edu.

About the participants

Randy Meza serves as Carhartt's Director of Global Product Licensing. In his position, he oversees contracts that encompass product design and development, sales and marketing, and product licensing to reflect Carhartt's brand standards and exhibit the company's DNA imprint. Before the licensing role, Randy spent 25 years in marketing, developing strategy, advertising, product launch, promotion, public relations, and content creation in brand management roles at Carhartt, Coca-Cola, Coors Brewing, and Colgate-Palmolive. He began his career with Telemundo, where his degree in anthropology and fluency in Spanish intersected for one hot moment.  

Lauren Stauffer is the Managing Editor of NBC Chicago. Every day, she works with reporters and producers to craft the best possible content highlighting our city and suburbs. She also manages the station’s special projects like Race in Chicago, Making a Difference, Celebrating Black Heritage, Celebrating Women’s Heritage, and more. She is a Chicago-area native, and was raised in Wheaton, Illinois. Lauren graduated from Wheaton North High School, and earned a degree in Communication Mass Media from Calvin College. Since graduation, she has worked at news stations in Sioux City, Iowa, Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, DC.  She has covered Presidential inaugurations, riots, life-changing weather events and, most importantly, the stories that showcase the heart and soul of communities. Her work has been recognized with several Emmy Awards, as well as regional and national Edward R. Murrow Awards. She was thrilled to return to her hometown in March 2019. 

Greg Braun is the retired Dp., Global Chief Creative Officer of Commonwealth/McCann.  He is currently Co-Director of the Master of Arts in Media & Strategic Communication at Calvin University, and Adjunct Professor of Advertising.  Prior to that he was the EVP/National Executive Creative Director of Innocean/Los Angeles.  He was also previously President and ECD of WPP’s PULSE, and has held creative leadership positions at Y&R, BBDO, and Saatchi & Saatchi.   

In his career, Braun lead campaigns for brands such as Chevrolet, Toyota, United Airlines, Starbucks, and Hyundai, and has created work for the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and FIFA World Cup.  His work has been recognized by awards shows like Cannes and the Clios, including winning Ad Age’s Best Ad of the Year, the #1 automotive commercial on the Super Bowl, the Grand Award at the New York Festivals, and was named to AdMeter’s all-time Best Super Bowl Commercials of the last 25 years, and has work in the Museum of Modern Art’s Permanent Collection.