Thinkers
Who are we?
Well, we’re HenkinSchultz Communication Arts. We’re a collective of thinkers. And since 1991, we’ve been connecting HOWS and WHYS around the Sioux Falls area and beyond.
Alex Knust
Alex will readily admit he’s kind of a nerd. If you’re really, really lucky, he’ll do his Gollum impression for you. Fortunately, Alex’s nerd cred goes beyond being a fan of Lord of the Rings. He’s definitely got the smarts to qualify—he’s earned degrees in marketing and interactive web development from Creighton University in Omaha.
Amie Van Overmeer
Quick. Name all of the exotic places you’ve been to. Wait, what? You’ve never been to Uzbekistan? Well, Amie has. And while it doesn’t really tie into her job as a writer, it does lend itself to a handful of great stories. She also has two spelling bee trophies, which, coincidentally, DO tie into that whole writing thing. So there you go.
Becka Burger, MBA
Okay. Let's say you need a party planned. For instance, a quarterly potluck, or a going away soirée, or a spontaneous release of pressure. There's just one person to turn to: Becka. Or, let's say you need some social media solutions - from someone, who is, say, Google Adwords Certified. With over a decade of experience in pretty much everything account oriented, there's a reason she's the self-proclaimed Account Executive of the Year seven years running. And we think she's maybe even deserved the award a few of those years.
Bekah Neu
With a slew of interesting hobbies, Bekah fits right in with the creative crew here at HenkinSchultz. She’s a rock climber, a unicyclist and a pianist. She studied in Greece for a month, she’s a budding photographer and she was a candidate for the Minneapolis Aquatennial Queen of the Lakes. Can you say well-rounded?
Betsy Larson
Looking for a good deal? Betsy, an ace in frugality, can tell you how to make the most of your dollar. She also can tell you the words that will add nuance to an advertising campaign. Sound refined? She’s a city girl now, but Betsy’s rural upbringing taught her to fish, catch crawdads and dig in the mud for clams. So yeah, she’s basically the person we’d want to be marooned with on a deserted island; plus, she’d write a great message in a bottle.
Cami Lovely
She paints. She draws. She uses a finely honed sense of artistic awareness. That's Cami – a designer with a talent for illustrating, an ability to cross her toes and a penchant for saying "dank." She graduated from SDSU, and holds the honor of being the only person in the state to whom Charles Barkley said, "You have nice eyes." Seriously. That Charles Barkley.
Chris Huls
Without Chris, we'd be lost. Like a driver without a road map. Like a mouse in a maze. Like a ghost without a white sheet. He's like HenkinSchultz's traffic police, urging jobs through busy intersections by way of one of those Stop/Slow signs that construction workers use. Except he doesn't even have one of those signs—that's how good he is!
Erik Rodne
Erik’s humor balances the fine line between intelligent and potty-mouthed in a way that makes us proud to know him (if not a little uneasy). He was an award-winning designer before he even had a chance to be a professional designer, so we know he’s one of those “early starter” types. He also uses big words, which, for the record, are in no way related to the size of his too-small monitor.
Fletcher Farley
In seventh grade, Fletcher toured eastern South Dakota in an all-boys dance group named Da Boyz. So did all the fancy spin moves ready him for the whirlwind that is media buying? Eh, probably not. The good news is he doesn’t need the preparation—his exceptional negotiating and organizational skills get him pretty far. Besides finding great buys for our clients, Fletch also finds the best YouTube videos. And, come on. Who doesn’t want to watch a video of a salsa-dancing labrador?
Frank Fradella
It’d be a stretch to say Frank chose China for his first feature film in the hopes of meeting his favorite actor, Jackie Chan. Yet, if Frank is determined to do something, it usually happens. He’s an accomplished video producer, published author, film editor and podcast producer. Watch out, Jackie Chan. He’s coming for you.
Hilairee Mosier
She’s been a lifeguard, a fitness room supervisor, an intern and a phone banker. No wonder Hilairee’s people skills are so good. Hilairee puts her congeniality to work while juggling complicated projects for a variety of accounts. But what we really, really like about her is her thorough knowledge of the TV show Friends—we have dibs on Hilairee for Trivial Pursuit.
Jason Jellis
Affectionately called "Juice" by about three of us, Jason is a multi-positional graphically-inclined production artist with 16 years of experience in the field. That means he's not just designing stuff – he's displaying, printing, finding promotional items and, in the most extreme situations, hanging off of scaffolding and building stages. He was born on Friday the 13th. Which is spookier when you realize his name is Jason.
Joe Henkin
Joe is a seasoned media and marketing veteran. As former owner and general manager of television and radio stations and owner of HenkinSchultz since 1991, let's just say he's been around the block a few times. His hair is legendary, and he believes Miami Vice is the show most responsible for our current age of television. (Go ahead. Ask him.) What's he most proud of, though? A stint as Bozoville Deputy Sheriff on Bozo the Clown. Naturally.
Joey Schultz
One part animation expert. One part delivery guy. All man. He's self taught, straight from the streets; our skateboarder and advocate for the skate scene. He received a perfect attendance record one year in high school (but didn't attend the ceremony) and has won two Mario Kart battle mode tournaments, as well as a self-proclaimed Connect Four world championship.
Justin Fink
Former journalist, former client, Justin has sampled from each of marketing's buckets. Which makes him one of our favorite AEs. He's a gym rat too, so he'd beat us up if we said otherwise. Just don't hold his blind devotion to the Los Angeles Lakers and Nebraska Cornhuskers against him, okay?
Kirby Schultz
Kirby will give you the best you've ever seen. If he can find it on his desk, that is. After decades of experience in every aspect of the industry, Kirby has more know-how than nearly everyone in the area. Now, when he's not hiding away at Lake Okoboji or pretending to be Fred Couples, he's creating emotional, heartstring-tugging videos and commercials and directing the general creative direction of the entire company.
Lynell Unruh
Master lyricist Lynell is part aspiring songwriter, part talented designer, creating parody lyrics to all of today's popular songs for use in various party settings. She went to school at the Illinois Institute of Design in Chicago, so she's street smart. Don't steal her Coke Zero. You'll be sorry. After all, she's seen a million faces, and she's rocked them all.
Mark Johnson
You've heard his voice. You've seen his talent. Mark has extensive experience—since 1974!—around these parts, from voice talent to non-linear editing. In other words, he can write, shoot, voice, edit, dub and even deliver the product. Plus, he wins awards for doing it—he received a Creative Legacy Award from the South Dakota Advertising Federation. And his collection of voice impersonations and corny jokes is just as legendary as his resume.
Melissa Carter
Just what every agency needs. Its own bartender. In addition to four years worth of bartending experience, Melissa's a former spinning instructor, construction worker, painter and book binder. She's also a former Snow Queen and an avid reader of cookbooks. Oh yeah, and she's a designer and artist with over nine years of experience.
Paula VerDouw
It takes precise measurements, attention to detail and careful calculation to make a muffin or puff pastry plump up to perfection. Perhaps that’s why Paula loves baking so much. Number-crunching is her thing. It’s what makes her so good at not only her favorite hobby, but also at accounting. Paula’s in charge of billing, payroll and other management functions – you know, all the things that make the creative types run for their sketchpads.
Tammy Larson
So she didn't become a fashion designer, as was her desire after high school. Instead, she became a graphic communicator. Her most important job around the office, however, is "keeper of office stories." She serves as the head of the HenkinSchultz historical archive, keeping track of every employee and every anecdote, no matter how embarrassing. And, her favorite word is chiaroscuro. Look it up.
Tanya Christensen
Through a kaleidoscope of bright jackets and shoes sits Tanya, designer, shopper and mother of three (Carter, boy; Chloe, girl; and Bromus, dog). She's served in about seventeen different positions (give or take thirteen or so) with AIGA over her design life, though now seems retired from the Board scene. Her job requires playing around and making things look cool, but as a double major in Advertising and Graphic Design, she's pretty smart about both sides of the coin.
Teresa Jackson
She’s an account manager with a background in design. Yes, boys and girls - she’s daring to cross the line between account and creative! Teresa’s well versed in advertising, branding, media and public relations and has been for over 15 years. And she’s one of three that can handle a Harley in the company. It can get to be a little intimidating. Seriously, we all think they’re going to start a gang or something. You know, with those spiky little knobs on their helmets?
