Stories

Langston Williams, an ACE alum from Denver, Colorado, graduated in 2017 and majored in Marketing.  Following his graduation from SCU, Langston moved to New York City to participate in a 3-month-long internship program at R/GA, an international advertising agency headquartered in New York.  Through his internship, Langston worked as a strategist and was exposed to the advertising industry. After taking a couple weeks off back at home, Langston returned to the Bay Area and began a full-time position as a Management Consultant for PwC.  At the end of 2017, Langston accepted an offer from the R/GA San Francisco office to come onboard and work as an Associate Strategist.

As an Associate Strategist at R/GA, Langston explains that “every day presents a new challenge.”  After getting briefed on a business's specific marketing objective, Langston does primary & secondary research focused on identifying behaviors of potential customers as well as behaviors occurring in the wider culture.  Based on his research and those identified behaviors, Langston develops a recommendation for what the strategic message in the specific advertising campaign should be. He also identifies and presents unique ways to deliver the intended message and occasionally prescribes operational changes for his clients.

After working with R/GA for a number of months, Langston explains, “The most exciting part of my job is that there is always something new to learn! In the short amount of time I've worked as a strategist, I've gotten to help out with campaigns (commercials, events, displays) for Starbucks, LEGO, Nike, Ubisoft, Google, and many more. With each of these projects; I've learned a lot about corporations' business challenges and gained a deep understanding of the people who buy their products. My passion lies in figuring out what makes people tick and coming up with a hypothesis that translates those cultural feelings into inspiring creative work.”

Looking back on his Santa Clara experience, Langston explains that “ACE was such a valuable part” of his experience at SCU.  He acknowledges that “the workshops around resumes, networking, and interviews gave [him] the confidence & knowledge to navigate the daunting world of securing an internship.”  He recognizes that his cohort challenged and inspired him to do better than his best and that the mentorship he got from Brenda, Jack, and his ACE Buddy were crucial as he began to consider a career path different from the one he had initially planned for.

For now, Langston plans to continue to learn and develop in his new position and watch his work with various clients come to life.  In the future, Langston would like to find his way back to big cities like New York and London, work on award-winning advertising campaigns, and help groom the next generation of strategists.

Congratulations, Langston, on your new position at R/GA and we wish you the best of luck in your endeavors!