Recently, CCI alumni–Jessica Clark (B.S. Communication ‘10) and Meagan Nixon (B.S. Communication & Media Studies ‘11)– were named 2022 Notable Noles by the FSU Alumni Association. The Notable Nole program recognizes FSU graduates under the age of 35 who have made significant contributions to their profession, their community, and/or the university.
Read on to learn more about the CCI’s Notable Noles.
Jessica Clark
Jessica Clark, PMP® (B.S. Communication ‘10) is the founder of Skye Creative Marketing, and founding member of Ology Brewing Co. She began her career working at Sachs Media Group, a PR agency in Tallahassee where she was exposed to public relations, advertising, marketing, design, and production. After about 5 years at Sachs, Clark went on to open her own company Skye Creative Marketing in 2015.
Regarding her current work at Skye as CEO and Chief Creative Strategist, Clark stated, “The things I am most excited about are our company’s growth, the clients and team members we get to work with every day, and the type of work we are doing. I’m the mom of a toddler, and a lot of our current projects are a direct reflection of my life – child and maternal health, safety, and empowerment work. I get to use my life experiences to relate to fellow Florida moms when developing marketing and outreach campaigns – it’s incredibly fulfilling!”
When speaking with CCI, Clark explained the decision to open her own business was made for a variety of reasons but especially to create a work-life structure that allowed her and her female colleagues to support their families and pursue personal ventures such as her work with Ology Brewing Co. during its inception. She explained, “Ology Brewing Co. started alongside my long-time group of friends, one of which was a passionate homebrewer. He had a dream, and we all saw his brewing skill and the business potential of a brewery. We looked around and realized that each of us offered a unique business-building skill, including my marketing experience.” The company has now expanded to include not only craft beer, but also a successful distillery and coffee brand with locations in both Tallahassee and Tampa.
When asked how her time at CCI shaped her current career, Clark explained, “What I loved the most about CCI was how it helped us take what could very easily be “theoretical information” and make it very practical… I would also say that the value the college puts on internships and the support my professors provided to help us connect to internship opportunities is directly related to the successful career I have now.”
Meagan Nixon
Meagan Nixon (B.S. Mass Communication & Media Studies ‘11) began her professional career in Atlanta, Georgia as a multi-platform video journalist for CNN before turning her focus toward public relations in Tallahassee. After working at an agency for about three years on numerous hospitality accounts, Nixon received the opportunity to work as the marketing director for Tadlock Roofing, one of the top 100 roofing agencies in America. There she gained inspiration for what would eventually become her own marketing company.
“It was during this time,” Nixon explained, “I experienced a yearning desire to provide the same marketing direction and execution for other business owners.” In 2018, Nixon opened Big Fish Marketing of which she now serves as CEO and Founder. She further explained the company as a, “boutique, Florida-based marketing agency with a nationwide team that offers white glove marketing services to all industries seeking to establish a brand that will last.” Nixon also shared her advice for current students who aspire to also open their own businesses. “My advice,” she stated, “to current FSU students pursuing entrepreneurship is to start with passion and work out from there. The hard work that it takes to be successful as an entrepreneur will be second nature when it’s founded on the principles of passion. An inherent trait I have noticed from our most successful clients is their unwavering desire to perfect their craft, their marketing, and their team. Never settle.”
While studying at Florida State, Nixon focused on her passion for both broadcast journalism and mass media communication and spent a lot of her time interning with the News and Digital Communications Department. She expressed her gratitude for the lessons she learned at CCI stating, “I learned how to communicate in the most compelling way and broadcast that information in a way that is well received. Florida State University is first-class, and I owe a lot of my success to the professionals who led me and took extra time out of their schedules to teach me. GO NOLES!”
For a full list of 2022 Notable Noles, visit https://alumni.fsu.edu/notablenoles