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.

In a quick, insightful, and engaging breakout session, these two “mad geniuses” will explore a range of topics related to creative and interactive development. They will explore the link between being an entrepreneur and a genius, and the challenging journey of developing breakthrough products and services in today’s ever-changing media landscape. The presentation will focus on sharpening skills in audience analysis, naming and trademarks, key message development, interactive development, and more.

The two-day conference, sponsored by AT&T, Cellular South, Comcast, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, the Mississippi Development Authority, Mississippi Technology Alliance, and Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be held December 7th and 8th at the Jackson Convention Complex in downtown Jackson.

In addition to the merger, Mad Genius is announcing a realignment of leadership. Owner Rick Moore is stepping down as President, to focus on new business opportunities in the world of filmmaking and entertainment. Moore will remain among the Mad Genius leadership as Chief Executive Officer. Replacing him as President is Chip Sarver, a founding partner of Mad Genius, who formerly served as Chief Operating Officer. Another founding partner, Rob Bridges, is being promoted to Senior Vice President of Branding and Strategy. Billy Tinsley is being promoted to Senior Vice President of Finance. Creative Director Eric Hughes will become Vice President of Creative.

“We are so proud to announce this merger,” says Sarver. “It reflects both hard work and partnership. Mad Genius remains true to our core values of innovation and commitment to our clients, and we’re looking forward to all that lies ahead.”

Mad Genius and Mad Genius Tampa Bay offer a full-range of services, including branding, advertising, web design and interactive strategy, media planning, video production, post production, animation, special effects and more.

The two companies involved in the merger are Eyevox Film & Video Production and Mad Genius, Inc. Eyevox was established more than a decade ago, and became the largest full-service production company in the state of Mississippi, while Mad Genius, Inc., has operated since 2005 as a groundbreaking creative and advertising agency. The two companies often collaborated on cutting-edge projects; now, they will capitalize on the creative benefits of their alliance by entering into a formal merger, under the single brand name Mad Genius.

The innovative advertising and creative services provided by Mad Genius will be augmented by the full-service, in-house capabilities that made Eyevox a production powerhouse. Integrating the insight, strategy and creative vision of a trendsetting advertising agency with the high-end work of an award-winning production company is the Mad Genius recipe for success.

The merger makes good business sense, according to Mad Genius President and CEO Rick Moore. “Our client list just keeps expanding,” says Moore. “We’re proud to have a strong base of local clients, and in the past few years, we’ve also seen our regional and national opportunities grow. By bringing these two companies together, we can provide more streamlined, efficient and comprehensive services, enabling us to better serve all of our clients.”

Mad Genius serves a range of clients, representing a wide cross-section of industries, from health care, insurance, and banking to gaming, entertainment and colleges. With more than thirty employees, whose skill sets encompass all areas of advertising, media, web and creative production, the new Mad Genius is designed to take client projects from concept all the way through post-production, promotion and public relations. Clients’ brands are conceived as a whole throughout the entirety of the creative process. The agency refers to this process as “creative fusion.”

“We don’t just think about an ad, or just a video, logo, website, or radio spot. We think about fusing all of those,” says Mad Genius Creative Director Eric Hughes. “That’s why Mad Genius is uniquely equipped to provide limitless ideas to progressive organizations who want to expand their brand relevance. Because we can seamlessly fuse creative and production in so many formats, we can achieve that in truly surprising ways. We help our clients build real momentum.”

Being able to offer start-to-finish creative and promotional services, as well as a signature style of outside-the-box-thinking, makes Mad Genius a regional standout. “We see this merger as a way to open new doors and bring more business to the area,” says Chip Sarver, Chief Operating Officer at Mad Genius. “That’s why we’re so excited. Moving forward, we’re poised to continue expanding our services and pursuing new prospects.”

Mad Genius is now located at 279 South Perkins Street in Ridgeland, Mississippi.

View a video commemorating our union over at our Vimeo Channel.