(left to right): Wes Rockwood, Katie Walz, Ryan Taylor, Sondra Langley, Alex Reid, Daniel Vance, Kathryn McAdams, and Christine Chinberg
AutoActive was founded on the drive to actively pursue the most effective automotive retail marketing campaign for our client. We chose our name based on three factors: Our client is in the auto industry; “Active” relates to our course- Knacktive; and Auto + Active together can refer to how we are naturally active in pursuing the best for our client.
The Team
Kathryn McAdams, Public Relations Manager, is a senior PR major from Maryville, Mo. “I joined Knacktive because I wanted the opportunity to learn and interact with other students from other disciplines. Having the opportunity to work with a real client is invaluable experience that will help me in the future and build my resume and portfolio.”
Christine Chinberg, Art Director, is a senior from Chesterfield, Mo., and is working towards a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design. Christine is currently a senior and is AutoActive’s Art Director. “In regular classes, a class project is done for a professor, and not a client. In the research phase there is no contact with the client. In the production phase, there is no feedback from the client about the direction of the work. For a class project the student does all the work in their specific discipline, but in Knacktive, the students get a feel of all the disciplines represented and how to work with each other.”
Ryan Taylor, Project Manager, from Atlantic, Iowa, is a junior management information systems major with a minor in computer science. “Knacktive sounded like a great opportunity to not only get a taste of a potential career but also to get a perspective of what all goes into a real-world, marketing campaign.”
Katie Walz, Research Manager, is a senior from Omaha, Neb., majoring in business management and marketing. “I joined Knacktive to gain real-world experience while working alongside a group of dedicated students. It will help me to enhance my marketing skills while working in a team atmosphere.”
Sondra Langley, Copywriter, is a senior English major/writing minor from Kansas City, Mo. “I joined Knacktive to gain experience outside of the typical English major types of literature and writing poetry. The real-world is going to be bigger than hiding in libraries analyzing texts for prose and writing poetry about colors, and Knacktive is giving me the opportunity to work with people from different majors and to see how my own major applies to their fields.”
Daniel Vance, Interactive Digital Manager, is a senior computer science/IDM major from Kansas City, Mo. Daniel said he joined Knacktive to gain real-world experience and as a portfolio booster for future job applications.
Wes Rockwood, Graphic Designer, is a senior graphic design major from Polk City, Iowa. Wes said he joined Knacktive to improve his portfolio and gain as much real-world experience as he can before he graduates Northwest Missouri State.
Alex Reid, Media Manager, from Onslow, Iowa, is a senior marketing and management major. “I joined Knacktive not only for the great resume booster, but to truly see if I was prepared for the real world. It is essentially giving me an internship. Networking is also a great part of this course.”
