Meet Our New Board Member: Ally Pridgen

We’re so excited to introduce you to Ally Pridgen, Atlanta Ad Club’s new Sponsorship Chair for 2023 – 2024!

Ally Pridgen

(She/Her)

Sponsorship Chair for 2023 – 2024

Practice Lead, Aston Carter

In your opinion, how can we best support people starting out in the industry?

We need to guide them throughout the career process in terms of interviewing, negotiating, managing expectations, and mentorship. Connecting them with people relevant to their career goals and opening doors that they might not have considered before. 

How can we better attract, promote, and advocate for greater diversity in advertising?

If you see it, you can be it. We need to offer a diverse group of speakers to young people going into college or college students to show them the types of careers available to them.s an opportunity for Agency leadership to strategize with their HR departments to become more objective and creative in achieving goals through recruiting practices, as well as establishing support systems for retention to develop leadership opportunities for employees, advocating from the top, and enforcing accountability for creating a diverse workforce.

What’s your dream title in advertising?

Since I support advertising teams and don’t run them, I think my dream title to work with is VP–they’re hands on enough to know what’s going on in the business but strategic enough to build a vision.

How do you think Atlanta compares to other advertising cities? 

I think Atlanta is an A-market with a ton of talent to tap into.

The diversity of people and companies in Atlanta is one of the best in the country.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Why do you think it’s important to have industry groups like ours?

It’s critical to create a personal brand inside and outside of your company and continue to build your skillset and learn from others.

How do you see the role of the ad agency evolving as more businesses take work in-house?

I think it’s going to be the creative engine for big brands still–even if it’s a support structure to internal teams. Innovation comes from challenge, and when the industry is challenged, it will rise to the occasion.

How do you think work has shifted with the increase in being remote?

I think we have to be more intentional with our touchpoints and relationships. There aren’t as many casual conversations and encounters at the office anymore, so we have to be focused on creating opportunities for collaboration and touchpoints that aren’t always centered around business.

What’s one thing most coworkers don’t know about you?

I’ve been with my company over a decade, so there’s not a lot they don’t know. One thing that is less-known about me is that I came of age in the Great Recession, and my family was heavily impacted at the time. Going to school and graduating on the heels of that recession instilled an intense desire to work and makes it difficult for me to totally shut off and relax…. it earned me the nickname, “Turbo”, from my Manager when I started in the company.

If you weren’t working in advertising, you’d be working in:

Travel and food writer! I love, love to cook (and eat) great food and drink interesting cocktails and wine in places I’ve never been.

Traveling, food, and drinks just go together, IMO.

What’s your 30-second elevator pitch to get people to join the Ad Club?

If you want to build your brand and gain access to execs in the industry to further your personal development and your career, you’ll find it here. If you want to find top talent to grow your organization, you’ll find that here too.

If you were a brand… what would your tagline be and why?

Live Fast. Have fun. Drink Wine.