I'm Ryan Murray, an agency "swiss-army knife", and a Temple University graduate. I've worked everywhere from a national bank, to advertising agencies across Philadelphia. My experience has been super helpful in every new job I encounter, but what companies see the most in me is my ability to learn quickly and pick up on whatever is thrown my way. I even have experience leading a creative team in an agency management role as well. 

I had somewhat of an unusual path that led me to Advertising but I couldn't be happier. Being born an only child in a predominately older neighborhood, the TV was my best friend. I knew two things, I loved cartoons, and I watched a lot of advertisements in between them. I started to develop my creative abilities when I was home alone and drawing soon became one of my favorite hobbies. Fast forward a few years and I found myself to be a huge part of the art and music program at Malvern Preparatory School. One of my teachers suggested Advertising and it made sense, but I only kept it in the back of my mind. 

When I arrived at Temple I was a Bioelectric Engineering major. I wanted to help people and create things to make lives easier. I still do. I worked at a bank's corporate HQ to pay the rent in college and eventually had a full time job lined up for me come graduation. I was doing very well, but I just wasn't passionate about it. I took a deep breath and evaluated my situation, ultimately deciding that this wasn't how I wanted to achieve my career goals. I remembered what my teacher had suggested. I remembered my parents suggesting I should be a lawyer or a salesman because I "always had a thing for persuading people" or I "had an answer for everything". So I realized there was a place for my creativity in my career. That's when I knew what I wanted to do. Two days after that I declared myself as an Art Direction major. 

​Upon graduation, I found myself ironing out a career path, and getting experience wherever I could. I kept telling myself not to quit, just keep grinding, no opportunity is a bad opportunity. I had some trouble finding my breakout moment until an agency role as a Project Manager came along. That was my "foot in the door" chance. I gained valuable knowledge on how every department operates, and I saw key insight and talent that each person can bring to the table. I saw how to work with your peers in the most efficient way possible. I saw how to lead a team. Most importantly, I saw what was expected of creative, and I began to speak with the members of our Studio team to switch roles. I have since climbed the design ranks and found myself thriving in an agency setting.  Can't wait to keep grinding and creating.