SpeakerPost Spotlight: Don Lupo

"I have been very fortunate in my life and career. It’s my pleasure to share my experience to help others get their start."

Every time we reached out to you with a request to speak with students, you said YES! What motivates you to guest speak?

I’ve had a varied career which gave me experience in several areas. It gives me great reward to share knowledge and experience to help others get started. I learn a lot in the process as well. If we have seen achievement in our careers, it is our responsibility to help pave the way for others.

You are an industry professional who has also taught courses at the University. How do you weave both these experiences when you speak to students in classrooms?

Learning is a two-way street. Sharing my experience with people at the start of their careers is a way to give back, and I learn a lot about the world from their perspective. No one knows everything; learning is a life-long process.

You are the Executive Director of ThinkLA, an association that serves the advertising, marketing and media community of Los Angeles. What initiatives does ThinkLA have in place for marketing communication college students? Can educators participate and he

We are very proud of our Industry Accelerator series; we’ve expanded it to help people at different stages of their careers get a solid start in our industry. We also offer a thriving Mentorship Program which has sessions in spring and fall. And, our Professional Development series offers courses in skills such as negotiations, presentation skills, and more. Programs such as She Suite provide support to women in defining a path to executive careers. We welcome educators to get involved, and we have a student membership level as well.

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Don Lupo is Executive Director for ThinkLA. He is a mentor in the ThinkLA Mentorship program and a founding member of the DIG Initiative. He spent over 20 years in digital production for major brands including Volkswagen, Toyota, PlayStation, Activision, and Honda, among others. In the early days of the web, Don helped develop the first web-based profitability comparison tool. Don is also a former professional photographer.