Previously the Lansing Advertising Club, the
Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance (MMCA) is one of the oldest advertising clubs in Michigan. Due to little preservation, the history of the club is somewhat of a mystery. However, it is the future that concerns the new MMCA board. The non-profit organization changed their name to the Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance in 2007, and as of June 2011, the organization has gone through a complete transformation.
The Need for Change
“The Creative Alliance had seen both good and bad days,” admitts Julie Becker, vice president of the MMCA.
It was after joining the Alliance and organizing the 2009 studio crawl that Becker and current MMCA President Katie Wittenauer saw the potential in the group. “I knew I wanted to be involved in bringing together people from all different creative industries,” says Wittenauer.
“We saw that there was a void in the community for creative professions to network and come together and share ideas,” says Becker. “There is a lot of really great talent here and the Ad Club already had the foundation to help build [creative] businesses up and create a new membership base.”
The MMCA’s strong roots and brand identity in the community are a part of that foundation. Every year, the MMCA hosts Lansing’s Addy Awards. One of the most prestigious advertising competitions in the country, the Addy Awards recognizes local, regional and national talent. However, the visionaries that came together to rebuild the MMCA found that simply hosting the Addy Awards once a year was not enough.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
Between the fall of 2010 and spring of 2011, MMCA website Chair Jessy Harger and MMCA Secretary Dottie Zimmerman joined Becker, Wittenauer and former president of the MMCA, Dominic Cochran, for weekly lunches at Pablo’s in Old Town to brainstorm about how to breathe new life into the organization.
One of the issues they noted was that the evolving creative marketplace called for a stronger networking opportunity.
“A lot of companies are bringing advertisement and design in-house, so you have departments that are down to just one person,” says Becker. “There are these creative people sort of isolated within companies that want to interact with other [creative] people.”
They also wanted to give members a reason to stick with the MMCA. “We want to continually reengage our members,” says Wittenauer. “And have a greater presence in the community […] and make creative work and passion visible.”
In order to bring about these changes for the future, the new board had to bring the company back to basics.
“We want people to feel like they were getting something back from us, to feel like there is a value in being a member,” says Becker. “To run a successful organization you have to have structure.”
A set of bylaws for the organization found in the storage locker is one of the rare pieces of history the new board has been able to dig up. Until they can amend them next spring, the board plans to stick to the laws. And a few revisions will be needed, as the bylaws have not been changed since 1988.
“They were a bit outdated,” admits Becker. She recalls what it was like for the new board to make this discovery, “One of the board members says, ‘It was like we were playing monopoly and had just found the rules!’”
The New Board
In June of 2011, the MMCA held a general election and elected 12 new board members. While the new board is an admittedly young one (most are under 30 years of age) Becker sees it as an advantage.
“What’s great about the new board is that a lot of us are young professionals. That means we have the time to give back and invest ourselves in the mission of the organization,” she says.
The reception to the new board and rebirth of the MMCA has been a positive one. On August 4, the board hosted their first event, their Meet the Board Special. Held at Art Alley, their 100 person capacity seemed like more than enough space. Beer and wine were catered and in about an hour-and-a-half, over 100 guests arrived and the bar had run dry.
“It reinstated what we believed in,” says Becker. “There was a niche we could fill with this organization.”
The future also looks bright for the MMCA. One of their first events coming up is the quarterly luncheon. On October 19, Michael Rush, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, will come in to speak publicly about the museum’s opening and the arts on Michigan State University’s campus.
The new board also has high hopes for the impact the organization could have on the city of Lansing.
“We want people to start looking at our region as one that can compete with Grand Rapids, Detroit, Chicago… the wonderful businesses doing amazing things across the Midwest,” says Becker. “I think we have the potential to foster creativity in the region, not just in business but in arts and the community we serve.”
“We want to be able to show people outside of the creative sphere what people in Lansing are doing,” adds Wittenauer.
By this time next year, the members of the MMCA board look forward to much smoother sailing. But for now, they must tread carefully between looking forward to the future and going back to the fundamentals of running an organization.
“The lifeblood of this is the people who have stepped up to the plate and are helping,” says Becker. “That’s exactly what [we] needed.”
Want to get involved with the new Mid-Michigan Creative Alliance? The new board welcomes you.
“Before you talk yourself out of it, come see the type of things that are happening” says Wittenauer. “You can find a place for yourself in the mix.”
“For members who may have become disengaged,” says Becker, “this is really the time to rejoin and become an active member. We want and need your feedback!”
Megan Polom is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.
Photos:
Julie Becker
Katie Wittenauer
MMCA reception at Art Alley (Photo:Khalid Ibrahim - Eatpomegranate Photography)
Jessy Harger
MMCA reception at Art Alley (Photo:Khalid Ibrahim - Eatpomegranate Photography)
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie (Unless noted)