The Brainstorm
Future Star Award
Lauren Cuis,
Art Director,
SKM Group
When you first meet Lauren Cius, your immediate impression is that
she’s quiet, unassuming and even a bit shy. But looks can be deceiving.
Because when it comes to pumping out smart, sophisticated work for the
SKM Group, she’s an absolute dynamo.
Lauren is a 2002 graduate of Daemen College, but there’s nothing
junior about her abilities. She joined SKM as an Assistant Art Director
in 2005, and was promoted to Art Director little more than a year later.
Ask anyone at the agency, and they would tell you that her performance
has been consistently excellent. For instance, she recently single-handedly
designed a major launch campaign for one of the agency’s largest
clients, and was instrumental in the development of an extremely successful
campaign for another. In fact, clients regularly comment on the quality
of Lauren’s work.
As far as work ethic goes, Lauren is always willing to put in the extra
hours to get the job done…whether the task at hand involves one
of her own projects or the work of others. And with her unflagging enthusiasm
and unbeatable positive attitude, Lauren is one of those rare individuals
who manage to completely shun negativity. That mindset serves her well
among both colleagues and clients.
What’s more, her appetite for learning is extraordinary. Lauren
is constantly seeking to improve her skills and genuinely welcomes constructive
criticism. And once it’s offered, she takes it to heart and immediately
puts it into practice. Her coworkers and managers note that her maturity
is really astounding for someone so young.
Lauren has eagerly volunteered to assist at ADDY judging for the past
few years. She was the 2006 United Way co-chair at SKM. And she frequently
does pro bono work for deserving local organizations. Lauren recently
art directed a brochure for the Catholic Biblical Studies Program. The
piece was well received, much appreciated, and highly praised by the
Program’s executive director.
One final thing is worthy of mention: Lauren’s most appealing
quality may very well be her modesty. She doesn’t think much of
her abilities. But that doesn’t matter, because – without
exception – those who work with her do.
Criteria: The Brainstorm Future Star Award honors an outstanding young
professional in the marketing and advertising field who has demonstrated
great potential in his or her early years in the industry. The recipient
must have five years or less experience in the marketing and advertising
field (excluding internships or part-time employment while working on
a degree) and have been a Brainstorm member for at least one year.
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