Being back on a college campus is a little nostalgic for Jesse Kirshbaum.
It reminds him of the early days of his career when his ‘differentiator’ was tracking down up-and-coming artists on the college scene. Chiddy Bang at Drexel University and Mike Posner at Duke University are clients he found and helped break into the music scene.
“Now, to be back on campus working with bright minds, which I think are the future, is exciting,” Kirshbaum says of his role as a Kogod faculty member.
But make no mistake, “instructor” won’t be his only title this next year.
On top of teaching and steering his advertising agency, Nue, and operating an industry insider-esq newsletter, Beats + Bytes Kirshbaum will take on a new label: juror.
A force at the intersection of brand marketing and entertainment, Kirshbaum recently learned he’ll serve on the jury for the next Clio Awards—a prestigious honor at an event that recognizes the most creative and innovative in advertising.
“The Clios are like the Grammys of advertising,” Kirshbaum said. “I’m going to be able to impact who wins and who I believe is doing the best work.”
And that’s precisely, he says, what makes this role so exciting: the chance to judge hundreds of campaigns alongside a highly esteemed panel of jurors, providing him an up-front seat to some of the most groundbreaking and impactful campaigns out there today.
“I’m really going to have my finger on the pulse of everything that happened this year with music and brands,” Kirshbaum said.
That’s not to say he’s wading into unfamiliar territory, though.
After all, his Nue Agency won a Clio in 2015 for its work with Sour Patch Kids and music—an unconventional yet effective brand campaign fit for a creative house Kirshbaum describes as “not your grandpa’s ad agency.”
“I’m known for being somebody that puts together really innovative deals that align artists, musicians, and brands, and I’ve been doing these campaigns for ten-plus years,” he said.
Come January, he’ll bring that knack for innovation, entrepreneurship, technology, and brand marketing to the classroom.
For the second straight year, Kirshbaum will teach The Streaming Revolution course as part of Kogod’s undergraduate Business and Entertainment major during the spring 2024 semester.
Equal parts history lesson and crystal ball, the course scrutinizes roughly 30 years' worth of music and entertainment streaming history.
“From Napster to Netflix,” Kirshbaum said, offering a sort of tagline for a course focused on an “ever-changing” industry.