Brea Mikel, Ad Ops Coordinator
What’s your background? Tell me your story.
I was born and raised in Palau and moved to Washington at 9 years old with my family, and it’s been home ever since. I’ve always been interested in a career in tech, so I joined a program called Year Up where I studied in the Software Tester track. Through the program I was able to intern at Microsoft for 6 months as a Software Test Engineer intern. After this I found my way to Jun Group!
Explain your job to a first grader.
I build ads that you might see on various apps or social media.
How do you do your job differently?
I ask a healthy amount of questions when I’m learning something new, and I make sure to understand the ‘why’ for any process so I can get a deeper understanding of what I’m learning.
What are you most passionate about?
I’m most passionate about sustainable living and marine pollution. Coming from a small island country, I’ve seen firsthand the effects of what human pollution is doing to the oceans and marine life. I try to find ways to reduce the amount of waste I create, such as buying second hand instead of new whenever possible, as well as repurposing items that may otherwise be thrown away.
Sara Tapfer, Account Executive
What’s your background? Tell me your story.
I’m from California and majored in advertising, with a minor in media and German, at UT Austin. When I was a kid I decided that I wanted to work in advertising. I love to read and work out; pre-pandemic I taught yoga twice a week at Corepower for five years.
Explain your job to a first grader.
I sell ads on the internet to brands to help them make money.
How do you do your job differently?
I ask a lot of questions and am not afraid to fail, or own up to my failures. In my experience, this has helped humanize me and make me relatable.
What are you most passionate about?
My German heritage. My dad is from a small town in former East Germany and moved to the US in his 40s, so his experiences have shaped who I am as a person. We have a lot of German traditions and recipes–it’s not just beer and bratwurst!–that I’m hoping to pass down to my family one day. In the meantime, I can’t wait to travel back to Germany again post-covid!
Justin Hicks, Associate Director, Sales
What’s your background? Tell me your story.
I lived in various places growing up, settling in Wichita, Kansas where I graduated high school. I was really into athletics, so went on to play football and run track at Carson-Newman University where I graduated. I currently reside in Atlanta, GA where I’ve been for 8 years.
Explain your job to a first grader.
I help businesses get their message to you through the internet, but only when you raise your hand! 😉
How do you do your job differently?
Deep meditation in the wee hours of the morning, and… (just kidding!) Seriously, by disrupting my clients’ status quo – driving the need for change, always creating a buying vision that differentiates from the competition all while focusing on their clients’ goals.
What are you most passionate about?
I enjoy playing pretty much any sport, cooking, traveling the world and listening to music. There’s always a chance for learning new things, understanding new perspectives, and discovering and solving problems! Oh and I LOVE the beach.
David Cullen, Senior Software Developer
What’s your background? Tell me your story.
I was born in Dublin, Ireland but moved to Florida as a child and lived in New York for three years. I design and build software in the media and healthcare marketing space. I have previously worked at Jun Group building some of the tools that are still in use to this day.
Explain your job to a first grader.
I write code that helps make the apps and games on your phone work.
How do you do your job differently?
I do my best to balance the company needs with the technology requirements to hit both goals at the same time.
What are you most passionate about?
I love my German Shepherd Zeus, drones, and technology in general.
Jordan Boswell, Associate Director, Influencer Marketing
What’s your background? Tell me your story.
I was born in Southern California, but primarily was raised in northern New Jersey, where my family is still based. I moved back to LA to attend UCLA, where I found my true passion for digital media. I moved back east to New York where I’ve been since, building my career in digital media and influencer marketing.
Explain your job to a first grader.
I help businesses meet their goals by working with content creators on social media to tell compelling stories.
How do you do your job differently?
I approach my work with a focus on storytelling and identifying the best voices to tell that story. When it comes to influencer marketing, creating organic content is key to the success of a sponsored campaign.
What are you most passionate about?
Building social impact is extremely important to me, whether in my work or personal life. Specifically, when it comes to my current role, it’s my goal to create a social media landscape that celebrates inclusivity and representation, and I hope to use my platform at Jun Group to move the needle in that direction.
