Without each and every member of our team, we couldn’t make great work that helps our ambitious clients succeed. These Friends may not be front and center at client presentations, but without them our work wouldn’t get off the ground. Check out what we learned from Liz, Joe, Chad and Brett about how they impact the agency.

Liz Johnson, Integrated Producer

After balancing freelance and full-time work elsewhere, Liz Johnson joined the creative team nearly three years ago—and we now couldn’t pull off a shoot without her (and her clipboard).

What does a typical day look like in your role?

When not on set, I spend much of my time in either pre- or post-production, whether that’s building pre-pro decks, organizing schedules, managing team bandwidth, calling vendors or sorting through POs. I never have the same day twice! I love working with other creatives on being resourceful to problem-solve for a shoot—it takes a lot of relationship management.

What does being a part of the GS&F team mean to you?

It means Friends come first. Check in with each other, show respect and have fun.

What brings you the most joy about your role?

I love seeing a project come to life from beginning to end: from ideation and building the shoot schedule to ordering the props, hiring talent and seeing something live in the market—that’s the most satisfying feeling. But also…receiving vendor swag.

Why couldn’t the agency survive without you?

Who else will put together a killer production estimate?!

Joe Dougherty, Quality Assurance Manager

Nearing his 22nd year on staff at GS&F, Joe Dougherty landed at GS&F after answering an ad in the Nashville Scene, and he’s been helping the team present polished, professional work to our clients ever since.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

For the most part, I start the day without knowing what exactly I’ll be working on. There are occasions when I will get a heads-up the day before about a project coming in, but for the most part I don’t know what I will be working on until it shows up in my inbox. It definitely keeps things interesting.

How do you get to live out GS&F’s values in your role?

Look, you don’t want your proofreader taking chances! But I have attempted to improve our internal workflow processes over the years. My work helps me to stay curious—I know more about tires, building products, air conditioners and lots of other things than any one person should know. I am always learning about a new product or service around here. I work to earn trust by being good at what I do and getting it done in a timely manner. I get questions about grammar and usage fairly frequently, which says to me that people see me as an expert in this area. That means a lot to me. And having fun? I was the commissioner of the very first fantasy football league at GS&F.

What brings you the most joy about your role?

Besides interacting with all of our wacky Friends, just the work itself brings me joy. Not a day goes by that I don’t find something that needs to be fixed. Finding errors and getting them corrected suits me. Even though I don’t make our product, I like to think that I help to ensure it’s as good as it can be.

Chad Grant, Director of Information Technology

In the IT field for over 20 years now, Chad Grant has been part of the GS&F team for the last eight. His role involves ensuring that backups and critical services are up and running for the team each day, staying on top of updates and security needs, and supporting the staff with IT needs.

How do you get to live out GS&F’s values in your role?

I take chances by continuing to look for better solutions for technology needs. Accountability is imperative to my job—if I’m not accountable to myself and to the agency, we can run into serious technological issues very quickly. As an IT professional, it’s always a good idea to stay curious—to continue learning and thinking outside of the box.

 What brings you the most joy about your role?

Ensuring that the agency technology backbone runs smoothly and transparently. I have had the mindset for most of my career that, if I’m doing my job right, then no one even knows I’m there.

What does being a part of the GS&F team mean to you?

Landing a role in this company has turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made. The opportunities I have been afforded and the trust that has been given to me have been incredible. Unless they decide to phase out technology, I’m in for the long haul.

Brett Thompson, Senior Creative Producer

As Senior Creative Producer, Brett Thompson helps ensure that creative concepts are executed correctly so they can exist in the real world. His expertise extends from digital and HTML5 ads to storyboard sketching and image retouching.

What brings you the most joy about your role?

When I am able to put my own fingerprint on a piece of creative—whether it be the way I animate a digital ad, finding a simple way that an image interacts with type, or just figuring out how to make something work when no one else could figure it out. That or getting the Great Flag (not gonna lie… that feels good).

What’s one of your favorite memories from your time at GS&F?

I created a new font, AmperHand, and I had the opportunity to present it to the agency and explain my creative process.

What’s something most people wouldn’t know about your role?

I have to know a lot about several individual creative disciplines. Both print and digital layout and design, UX/UI, video editing, motion graphics, illustration, coding, photography, ad trafficking, typography, storyboarding and maybe even a little IT.

What does being a part of the GS&F team mean to you?

I love that I get to be a part of an agency that understands the value of people—but also the value of a person—their experiences, ideas, opinions, and even their biases. I love being in an environment of such a wide variety of talent, thought, experience and opinions.

Ready to take your next step? We’d love to meet you. Take a look at our open positions and see if you’re a good fit!