Following the announcement of Luke Sullivan’s hiring at SCAD Savannah, “The Connector” contacted Sullivan with questions regarding his plans as the new chair of Advertising next quarter.
His experience as a creative design expert and a well-known industry professional has excited advertising students who look forward to learning from his knowledge of the field.
Seth Crowe: What made you choose SCAD over other institutions?
Luke Sullivan: I’ve lectured in ad schools and universities around the country (and a few overseas). I’ve had a chance to walk many campuses and take in the vibes of some pretty cool, pretty creative places. In the end, I just thought SCAD was the coolest of the bunch. My association with SCAD began a couple of years ago when the current advertising chair, professor Stephen Hall, invited me to be on SCAD’s advisory board. I got a chance to see a little bit of what makes this place work, and I liked what I saw. Also, it didn’t hurt that I got such a warm welcome from folks like Stephen Hall and John Lowe. So in the end, it was a combination of the creative vibe and the nice people that sealed the deal.
Crowe: What goals do you have for the advertising department?
Sullivan: The ad department is already working extremely well. I’ve just been asked to see if I can bring it up another level, and I’m pretty sure I can. The only specific goal I can tell you is this: the advertising world is being tipped upside down by digital — advertising students are going to have to tip upside down with it. They’ll need to speak fluent digital to succeed in the industry today.
Crowe: Should students expect changes or new challenges?
Sullivan: I’ve been in the advertising business for just over 32 years, many of those years in management. One of the things I learned in all that time was the value of shutting up and listening. I learned you can’t come into a place and start changing things overnight. You need to listen, to see what works, to understand why it works, to know what people like, what they don’t like . . . and none of that learning happens overnight. So, to answer your questions, yes, I suspect there will be some changes, but not right away.