Hello there – I’m Danielle Destrade Ali, and I’m the newest addition to The Cyphers Agency. Jocelyn introduced me earlier this week, and shared how I will be contributing to Push-n-Pull, the Word of Mouth division of the agency. As a social media devotee, working in this department is a great fit for me! For the next few months, I’ll be blogging about my experience as the newbie around here.

The Cyphers Agency is my first job at an advertising agency, and while I have experience in online marketing for various organizations, I had no idea what to expect at an agency. Would the workplace be like a modern day Mad Men? I hoped not – I’m not really in favor of smoking indoors. While I didn’t know what I was walking into, I did know that I would be working with people who had a lot more advertising experience than myself. I was more than a little nervous about being able to measure up to all the talent here.

My first day, I sat in on a brainstorming meeting, and expected to just observe and learn. I was a bit surprised when my colleagues were interested in my opinion! I quickly discovered that The Cyphers Agency has a friendly culture where the members of our team are constantly collaborating. Even the open layout of the office lends itself to teamwork. This lack of pretentiousness really allows everyone to share their great ideas freely. I’ve been invited to contribute my own suggestions from the very beginning, and I’ve helped come up with awesome plans for our clients. I love being a part of a team where everyone works together and supports each other, and its been exciting to get validation from my super talented co-workers.

Of course, I am still just getting my feet wet. While I’ve already had opportunities to contribute creatively, I know I will continue to grow and gain more responsibility. I’m excited to continue working, especially with our campaign for The National Chicken Council, which is an excellent example of how social media marketing can be fun, useful and effective all at once!

Keep checking back to read more about what I’m working on and learning about.

My, my, how we have grown! We are happy to announce the addition of Nevin Laughlin to our Creative Department.

Nevin joins us with knowledge of all things web and will be acting as an Interactive / Search Engine Marketing Coordinator. He graduated from Shepherd University with a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design. He will be helping us create some seriously awesome work.

He is originally from Greencastle, PA (or Smalltown, USA, as he likes to say) and is currently living in Towson, MD. He likes making homemade pizza, traveling, watching live music, and web design.

We look forward to working with you, Nevin!

The Cyphers Agency is proud to announce the addition of Danielle Destrade Ali to the Word of Mouth Department. She will bring support on the WOM front, which includes responsibilities like content management, blogging, internet research, contests, events, flashmobs, or anything else cool we think up!

Danielle is originally from Tennessee, but joins us from Missouri. There, she attended the University of Missouri School of Journalism, which is the world’s first journalism school (and she won’t let you forget it either). She majored in Convergence Journalism, which studies new media and Web 2.0. She digs sushi, Friday Night Lights, Oprah (her ultimate idol), and Diet Coke (she has two before lunch). She is also learning to drink coffee and be a better cook.

Welcome, Danielle! We look forward to working with you. Can’t wait to see what she is up to? Check out what she has to say over on Twitter.

The Cyphers Agency is happy to announce that Tessa Carroll has officially joined our ranks.

She has become part of our account team as an account coordinator, working with clients such as Strayer University, The National Chicken Council, The Chesapeake Bay Trust, and others. She brings experience in and knowledge of marketing, social media, and public relations with her, helping us strengthen our marketing efforts here at The Cyphers Agency.

Tessa is a graduate of Kent State University with a degree in Public Relations. She is a Baltimore City living Pittsburgh transplant with a mad love for Steelers and Nittany Lion football. She also digs cooking and dance parties (who doesn’t?).

Find out more about what Tessa is up to. Welcome, Tessa!

The Cyphers Agency is proud to announce another addition to our ever growing team. Kari Miller joins us as an account coordinator, providing support on the account management front. She will be working with clients such as Plastic Surgery Specialists, Severn Savings Bank, and Heim Lantz, among others, and will help strengthen our marketing efforts.

Kari graduated from Elon University with a degree in Strategic Communications and a minor in Psychology. Aside from advertising and marketing, Kari loves Mexican food, downtown Annapolis, the beach, and country music in the summer. Her favorite tv show is The Office (whose isn’t?) and she enjoys travelling and even spent some time in London. Cheerio!

Welcome Kari, we look forward to working with you.