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Skip Dampier ('87) | Journalism and Mass Communication

Vice president planning,
Rapp Collins Agency in Dallas/Austin

Q&A with Skip Dampier

What is your hometown?
Austin, Texas 

What are you doing now?
I am the VP - Brand Planning for RAPP, a global digital agency headquartered in New York City with offices around the globe. RAPP is ranked by AdAge as the No. 1 Direct Agency, the No. 3 Digital Agency and was named to AdAge's Agency A-List. RAPP is part of the OmniCom Network, the world's largest marketing services network with more than 5,000 clients and $13.3 billion in revenue. 

Currently, I am working across a broad portfolio of clients including: Hewlett Packard, Bank of America, Macy's, Hyatt, Amway, Continental Airlines and SuperValu.

What do you like most about your job or career?
I love that I get to think about some of the world's coolest brands from a unique perspective - the mind of the consumer. Every day I get to look at the world and experience life from three or four totally different viewpoints and cultural experiences. Sometimes I get mental whip lash going from a session where we are immersing ourselves into the world of a busy mom who's juggling a career and her pantry - and then dive into a meeting about a chief technology officer making million dollar decisions in the data center. But that's what makes it so much fun!

Tell us some fun facts about you:
My favorite thing in the whole wide world is people watching. I could sit in a mall or an airport and just people watch for days! I'm also passionate about gardening, spending time with my family and singing on our church's praise team. I'm totally addicted to my iPhone - in particular the FaceBook application.

How did your JMC experience help prepare you for your career and life?
I think the single largest impact the JMC experience had on my career was instilling a great work ethic and an understanding of the depth of effort and preparation required to be successful in the agency world. A very close second in terms of impact would have to be how the program instilled a sense of curiosity and an appreciation for the power of asking a better question.

What do you think set your ACU experience apart from other universities?
Definitely the caring and nurturing environment of both my classmates and professors.

How did your experience at ACU shape you as a person?
Primarily the fact that I met my wife there - that not only shaped my life, but the life of my entire family! Beyond that, I would say that it gave me the foundation for building a spiritually integrated life - where my personal, professional and spiritual lives were not distinct but integrated. 

What advice would you have for JMC students wanting to enter your field?

Do an internship - in fact, do LOTS of internships! Explore different types and sizes of agencies as well as different roles within the agency environment. Become a true student of advertising and marketing - follow some of the top agencies, top brands and campaigns. The agency world is actually quite small - and most of the people within it are very eager to help students in any way they can. Start networking now!

Would you recommend ACU's JMC program to someone else who wants get the same degree you did?
Of course, but I would tell them to be sure they get some very clear guidance in thinking through which communications path they want to pursue so that they can supplement the JMC program with meaningful and helpful electives and internships. Try to be as focused, rather than broad, as possible.

Additional comments:
The communications field has so much influence - the need for Christian communicators is huge and the opportunity for impact is equally great!

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