“Marketing is all about relationships. To the consumer, the brand, and every point in between.” Name: Ethan ThomasTitle: Marketing SpecialistFavorite bite to eat: Beet Burger at Krueger’s Tavern If you’re looking for Ethan, just look up — he’s the tall one in the blazer. As a marketing specialist at TrendyMinds, sports enthusiast, downtown resident, and men’s fashion blogger, Ethan’s style follows him wherever he goes. Get to know our resident style guru in a Bolt Bio Q&A. Q. What do you do in your role as a marketing specialist?A. I work to protect the client’s brand and help them make solid marketing decisions, and I’m also responsible for presenting our agency’s ideas, strategies, and deliverables to the client. My clients include professional sports teams, law firms, pharmaceutical companies, and more. I get a little bit of everything, so no two days are the same. I also do a lot of work in quality assurance, making sure every piece that goes to the client is perfect. No typos, no mistakes — we don’t have room for error in our work. With our robust QA processes, we’re always confident that we’re delivering the best possible work to every client. Q. What makes work meaningful for you?A. I love knowing that our work is actually helping clients and making an impact in a positive way. Ads are for more than just looking cool — everything we do is tied to business objectives. One of the more recent projects I worked on was expanding the look and feel of the WNBA Fever brand for a full campaign. It was fulfilling to know that we're helping to put fans in the stands. As a strategist, I’m not afraid to push back at the right times — I’m not just going to say “yes” to everything a client says. If the relationship turns into an echo chamber, you lose that value of an outside perspective. I ask questions and challenge so we can accomplish more together. There’s a reason they hired us — we’re experts with valuable insight. Q. When did you know #agencylife was for you?A. One summer when I was a student at Butler, I was interning at a home security company doing marketing. I got to sit in on an agency pitch, and as soon as I heard about the creative ideas and strategies these firms had, I knew I wanted to be on the other side of the table. After finishing almost 1,400 spreadsheets that summer, I knew I needed to make the pivot from client side to agency life. Q. How do you keep up on the industry?A. I read industry pubs pretty often, like Adweek and TechCrunch. I subscribe to several Google daily emails as well. I constantly learn from my coworkers and ask them questions about how they do what they do, and take any opportunity to soak up some knowledge. Everyone here specializes in something and we’ve built a pretty deep bench, so I know I can find an expert on just about anything within the office walls. Q. Do you love Indy?A. Absolutely. I live downtown, so I’m right in the center of all the action. I’m from Chicago originally, and I still love visiting friends and family back home. But Indy has really felt like home these last few years, and I definitely get that sense of belonging in the community. Mass Ave is hands-down my favorite spot to spend time in the city. I love to eat and drink, just like any other downtown-dwelling yuppie millennial. Q. You wear a lot of blazers for someone who runs a blog called No Jacket Required. What’s the deal?A. I do love a good blazer, but I’m also into casual wear and streetstyle, too. No Jacket Required is a blog I started a few years ago, just looking for a creative outlet. I’ve always been really into men’s style, and after friends kept asking me about where I shopped and how I put things together, I figured it would be cool to have a place to share what I’m loving. It also gives me a chance to window shop and share looks that I’m into without actually spending the money to expand my wardrobe.