Q & A

WHO?

WHAT?

WHY?

WHERE?

WHEN?

HOW?

COSTS?

THE TEAM

Bill and Kathy, Partners

William J.P. Smith, Jr.
Mentor

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Blue Chip corporations, and advertising/public relations agencies where he pioneered Integrated Marketing Communications, the video news release and event marketing, Bill is a product of Florida State University with a journalism degree, and Boston University and New York University, where he holds a masters, majoring in public relations. In parallel, he has taught at Emerson College, Pepperdine University, Northeastern University, Citrus College and Azusa Pacific University.

His corporate affiliates are diverse, including Xerox, Data General, United Technologies, Digital Equipment and Hoeschst, as well as with entrepreneurial start-ups, and arguably the greatest creative agencies ever, among them Doyle Dane Bernbach, Ammariti & Puris, Scali McCabe Sloves, and Papert Koeign & Lois.

Bill's focus on mentoring young people comes from his listening to students who are prepared academically, but clueless on how to jump start their careers.

Recognition and awards are not one of Bill's passions. Only results are as one of his adages is if you come in second, you lose. Pin him down and the one he cherishes most is the Lifetime Achievement Award he received from a small California school after teaching there as an adjunct professor for eight years. "The school's student population at Citrus College was comprised mostly of minorities, who showed me the passion of excelling and of having a better life for themselves and future generations apart from what their parents had experienced. It was a great trip."

Kathy Smith
Mentor

Kathy leads by example, graduating from Syracuse University magna cum laude with a BFA degree in graphic design, and working with a trove of clients in many market categories, including foods, medical, beverage, sports, health education and pharmaceutical. And, she’s saved the best to last, assisting Bill in his classes in a variety of ways, complementing his lectures and informal presentations by giving his students a women’s perspective of life in mass media. Additionally, Kathy has been interviewed by students as part of class assignments in public relations writing. For final exams, she has role played in mock input sessions as the president of a cosmetics firm introducing a new product, the result being a strategic plan by each student as part of his/her portfolio.

Along the way, Kathy has been active in the Southern California Seminole Club of FSU, mentoring young people in formal and informal settings, along with students from Azusa Pacific University, Emerson College and Citrus College.

No stranger to college life, Kathy has seen her twin daughters through undergraduate and graduate programs, where both have masters in theatre related sequences.