Ian Hanson, Associate Art Director, will judge students’ portfolios during the conference and make recommendations to hopeful graduates on finding a job in the industry.  Mad Genius’ Vice President of Creative, Eric Hughes, will speak to students regarding the biggest myths of “idea-making”, how to identify the enemies we all have inside that stifle our creative thinking, and proven practices to be your own idea ninja.  If you want to find out more, check out his presentation below!

“Don’t Get Smacked” and “Don’t Get Bit” are the first two in a group of six short videos Mad Genius has planned to produce for the school.  Since posting the first video on December 14^th, Delta State’s YouTube Channel has received over 18,292 views between the two videos.  The second video, posted on January 9^th, has already received 7, 105 views in just five days.  Don’t forget to come back- we’ve got more plans for this Fighting Okra!

With the growing demand for high-quality, digestible videos for online consumption, Mad Genius believes these types of results are indicative of the branding, video, and digital insights we can bring to the table for our clients.  Check out our videos below:

It’s Christmas time at Mad Genius again, and while we usually have fun with the holidays- we wanted to do something a little more meaningful this year for our fellow mankind. What ensues is creative fusion with a holiday twist- frustrated Geniuses and yuletide animals included. Enjoy!

Check out the full job posting for more information and instructions on how to apply.

NOTE: This position has been filled.

Louisiana Hot Sauce, a popular condiment produced by Bruce Foods, a New Iberia, Louisiana-based company, had over 45,000 Facebook fans at the time they hired Mad Genius; those numbers are growing under Mad Genius management. Their current promotion, a partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is an all-expenses-paid trip to Canton, Ohio, where the winner and 7 friends can have the “Ultimate Fantasy Draft Party” at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Other prizes include $1,000 cash, a Cajun Injector Grill and a year’s supply of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

“Clients like Bruce Foods understand the importance of a strong social media presence, and we’re able to help guide them through running a large-scale promotion like this and maintaining engaging content, long-term,” says Chip Sarver, Mad Genius President. “We’re pleased at our current portfolio of social media accounts, and excited to keep building this department. Having designers and web experts on staff alongside strategists, researchers and writers gives us the unique ability to meet every facet of our clients’ social media needs.”

Mad Genius also helps clients launch their social media platforms. From audience strategy to tab and skin design to content development and management, the agency helps brands realize their potential in the vital social space.

Says Mad Genius Social Media Director Beth Kander: “Some companies still have some hesitations regarding social media, because it’s both new and a lot less ‘controlled’ than traditional media. It’s smart for companies to consider the risks – but companies also need to realize that the biggest risk is opting out of the social media world. It’s where their clients are, it’s where causes are, it’s where constant conversations are taking place. Businesses need to be part of those conversations. That’s how they can mitigate risks, and reap business opportunities.”

Mad Genius is headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, with an additional location in Tampa, Florida. The agency is known for going beyond the limits of most firms, tackling all facets of brand strategy, design, advertising, social media, comprehensive web and interactive development, scripting, media placement and marketing, as well as animation, filming, and multimedia production.

To “like” the Louisiana Hot Sauce page, go to facebook.com/LouisianaHotSauce. To “like” Mad Genius, visit facebook.com/madgsocial or follow @MadGSocial on Twitter.

The Bruce Foods “Yam Right Holiday” television spot, part of the “Yam Right” campaign for Bruce’s Yams, was one of the award-winners. The other winning spot was “We’re Coming,” a television commercial announcing new franchise locations for The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint, A Family Food Drinkery. Both of these spots highlighted the creativity, production value, and energy Mad Genius poured in to the projects, helping celebrate each client and their message in a unique way.

From the Telly Awards website: The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web. Since 1978, our mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 31st Annual Telly Awards received over 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents.

Mad Genius is a full-service creative agency. Headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, with an additional location in Tampa, Florida, the company is known for going far beyond the limits of most firms, tackling all facets of brand strategy, design, advertising, comprehensive web and interactive development, scripting, media placement and marketing, as well as high-end animation, filming, and multimedia production. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/madgsocial, or follow us on Twitter @madgsocial.

Murderabilia, a dark, gritty short film is visually arresting and downright disturbing. Directed by David Matthews, Mad Genius Director of Photography, with first assistant director Zach Prichard, visual effects supervisor Wade Acuff, colorist John Long, and editor Adam Daniel adding to the Genius power behind this creation.

Bearanoid is an animated short, but don’t let the cartoons fool you – the humor and PG-14 language aims more at adults than the little ones as three intergalactic repairmen travel the universe on their hunk-of-junk spaceship. Mad Genius animators Wade Acuff, Zach Prichard and Gregg Wallace worked with local artist Jesse Labbe to create this piece, in cooperation with Eyevox Entertainment and producer Rick Moore.

Finally, Mad Genius Senior Art Director Chris Nolen took his first step as a filmmaker with his short documentary on Jackson band Liver Mousse. Inspired by his love for music, Nolen directed, shot, edited, and put this film together independently.

Crossroads Film Festival 2011 will take place April 1-3 at the Malco Granview Cinema in Madison. For more information, visit crossroadsfilmfestival.com.

Three Mad Genius employees will present at the conference. Interactive Director Rob Rubinoff and Social Media Director Beth Kander will present the keynote “Social Media 101,” and Vice President-Creative Eric Hughes will present the keynote “Brand New World,” and will also lead two breakout sessions – one on effective marketing and branding, one on naming your business.

Free to the public, the seminar is for entrepreneurs and business owners interested in growing or enhancing their enterprises. Participants can attend one workshop, one day of programming, or take advantage of the entire three-day event. Topics range from Business Plan Development to Government Contracting to Intellectual Property. Sponsored in part by the Small Business Administration of Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority, and the Mississippi Technology Alliance, among others, the event aims to support and grow the regional economy.

The Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA) is a not-for-profit corporation acting as a support organization and forum for the advancement of small and medium businesses in the southeastern US. MBA consists entirely of SMB leaders providing mentorship, training, logistics, and other support as needed to facilitate the development of new companies, a better environment for existing companies, and foster community and national awareness of issues affecting small businesses.

Google is one of the largest companies in the world, utilized daily by millions of users. In addition to their search engine, Google has many other platforms. To date, over 3 million businesses have adopted Google Apps to streamline workplace productivity. Of those 3 million businesses, 50 of them will be profiled on the Google blog, including Mad Genius. Google interviewed Mad Genius’ Interactive Director, Rob Rubinoff.

The piece featuring Mad Genius is currently live on the Google Enterprise and Google Small Business sites, and continues being re-posted far and wide.

At the 2011 Jackson Advertising Federation ADDY Awards, the Mad Genius team truly proved that their creative fusion, energy, and collaboration with clients all add up to excellent responses. This year, Mad Genius brought home 15 Gold ADDY awards, 7 Silver ADDY awards, and three Best of Show Awards, including the coveted Overall Best of Show award. Mad Genius also received the humbling honor of the People’s Choice Award, voted on by fellow advertising professionals.

Mad Genius represents a wide range of clients. This year’s awards reflect not only the diversity of Mad Genius’ clients, but also the way that the Mad Genius team works with each client and finds an innovative way to best represent that particular client. This year’s Gold, Silver, and Best awards landed across a unique spectrum of clients.

The “Yam Right” campaign for Bruce Foods earned Gold awards in the categories of National Television Campaign, Music with Lyrics, Mixed Media-National Consumer, and Golds for three individual National TV Spots (“Healthy,” “Holiday,” and “Pancake”). The accompanying “Yam Right” website also earned a Silver ADDY. “Yam Right” also earned the Mad Genius team Best of Show for Broadcast, Best of Show Overall, and the People’s Choice Award.

Another client with multiple awards is The Shed BBQ & Blues Joint. Mad Genius’ work for The Shed earned two Gold awards for Special Effects (for TV commercials “We’re Coming” and “We’re Here”), another Gold for the “Adam’s Rib” print ad, and Silver awards for National Television Campaign, the “Classy” print ad, and Mixed Media Campaign.

Primos Hunting can also claim victories, with two Gold awards in the Packaging category, for the Primos XCam and the Primos XCam Blackout series.

One of Mad Genius’ very first clients was Mississippi College. This year, the innovative “Find Your Plus” campaign earned two Golds acknowledging the historic university’s modern approach: one for Local Television, and one for Mixed Media/Multimedia Campaign.

Mad Genius is particularly proud of the honors in the community service categories this year. The Genius team won ADDY Gold for a National Television spot for Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast (“Put Yourself in the Picture”). Mad Genius was also awarded a Gold ADDY for the Public Service Multimedia/Mixed Media Campaign for Heather’s Tree – which also went on to win the Best of Show for Community Service.

Silver awards were also presented to the Mad Genius team recognizing their work for Southern Farm Bureau (National Multimedia Campaign), Members Exchange Credit Union (Local Television), and Mad Genius’ own internal promotion (Genius Genre Generator).

The ADDY Awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types. Hosted by the American Advertising Federation of Jackson, central Mississippi chapter of the American Advertising Federation, the 2011 ADDY Awards were held at The South, a trendy refurbished warehouse-turned-event-space in downtown Jackson.

The local ADDY Awards are the first tier in a national competition: all across the country, local entrants vie for recognition as the very best in their markets; local winners then compete against other winners in one of 14 District competitions; finally, district winners are forwarded to the third tier, the national ADDY Awards competition. It is the only creative awards program administered by the advertising industry, for the advertising industry.