Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Zenk-Tills.
Hi Danielle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up daydreaming on a farm in West Central Minnesota. I studied Graphic Design at the University of Minnesota and worked part-time at the State and Orpheum Theaters and the MN Daily – the U of M student newspaper. Not only had I been experiencing amazing theater productions on the weekends, but I was also learning the business side of managing a team and working towards short deadlines at the MN Daily.
After college, I got my first job at Baker Associates, a packaging design firm where I worked on a team designing for General Mills cereals. This is where I developed and honed my graphic design skills and began to think conceptually about consumer experiences. During this time I was also freelancing and doing weddings and gala design.
After applying for a packaging job at the creative agency Periscope, the Design Director saw my book and suggested I join their new Experiential team. Within 2 months in this department, I knew I was where I belonged – experiential design builds communities, and connections and can create lasting memories.
In 2017, after six years at Periscope, I decided to freelance full-time. I hopped around to various agencies helping them execute experiential ideas, including a month stint in San Francisco. During this time, I was continuously paired up with the same experiential producer; in 2019, that producer became my business partner and we made it official – Push Play was created.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been easy to find the jobs or land where I want to be. It takes patience and a lot of networking.
For both of my first two jobs, I had been looking for over six months, and when I was finally offered a position, I was offered two positions on the same day – both times! Each time, the positions offered were extremely different and I went with my gut and what excited me or challenged me the most. Taking those chances has put me in unfamiliar situations and I took those opportunities to learn and grow.
Before making my most recent change from freelance to agency co-founder, I had to get over a lot of insecurities about my ability to manage a business. I’m thankful to my network of friends and family for supporting me along the way, especially my business partner. With any obstacle, I believe in being a kind human. This community is too small to be unhappy or unpleasant to work with.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Push Play?
Push Play is a women-led creative agency specializing in brand action through experiential marketing. We connect brands to audiences through unique and immersive storytelling and innovative experiences.
Our services include brand activations, pop-up shops, mobile tours, sampling programs, environment design, influencer campaigns, brand launches, corporate meetings, and many more. We are also a full-service design shop and offer branding, packaging, influencer kits, and advertising campaigns.
As a company we have identified strong values that keep us grounded; these include: Encouraging Daydreams, Leaving Time to Play, Collaboration not Competition, Prioritizing the Environment and our evolving growth and commitment to Diversity Equity, and Inclusion in our business and through our work.
I am most proud of the unique programs we have created for our clients.
Some of our recent experiences include: 1) Creating a mullet barbershop at WeFest for Revel Stoke Whisky, 2) Turning a 1958 electric golf cart into a vending machine that has traveled across the country to various music festivals for Vivid Seats, 3) Working with Target on their local MN sports activations bringing joy to the communities through fun games and experiences for the Minnesota Twins, Timberwolves, and Lynx – if you’ve been to a game- you may have seen us, and 4) Designing and producing events for a The Constellation Fund, a local non-profit that fights poverty in the Twin Cities.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Push Play started in 2019 – before the pandemic. When March 2020 approached, we quickly pivoted to virtual events and experiences. We learned that even during a pandemic people crave to connect and that’s exactly what we did.
We also created experience kits and influencer kits for brand launches, virtual events, and corporate holiday gifting.
Although we love creating in-person experiences, we know that the world will never be the same, and consumers still crave different ways to connect. Our virtual experiences are still going strong and we see a lot of hybrid experiences in our future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pushplaycreative.com
- Instagram: @pushplaycreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/push-play-creative/
Image Credits
Lacey Criswell and Hunt + Capture
