The Jack Philipps Gold Medal is the highest honor bestowed by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Fourth District, which is comprised of Florida and the Caribbean. It is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to advertising and furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and public service. The award for 2013 was presented to Terri Brown, CEO of MLB Creative, headquartered on St. Thomas, USVI, for her accomplishments in the Caribbean.
Brown has been instrumental in the exponential growth in the quality of advertising. In 1997, after serving as president of the AAF-US Virgin Islands Club, she recognized that other agencies throughout the Caribbean needed a platform to showcase their creative strengths as well. To provide this exposure, she founded the Caribbean Advertising Federation (CAF).
Under her guidance, Caribbean agencies and advertising professionals have benefited from the exposure brought by the ADDY Awards competition. “Agencies around the Caribbean owe Terri a great debt,” said Allison Cadogan, creative director for GA Design in Barbados. “Many of us wouldn’t be able to put ‘award-winning’ in front of our names had she not taken the initiative to set up the Caribbean arm of the ADDYs.”
Many AAF-USVI and CAF agencies have received District ADDY honors and CAF entrants have gone on to win National ADDY Awards, the highest industry awards in the U.S. This year, 32 total national finalists from the Caribbean will compete in the National ADDYs Awards. Winners will be announced in June.
This year under Brown’s direction, the CAF ADDY competition grew to the status of the largest competition in the AAF Fourth District. The 52 percent growth also earned recognition from AAF national as the sixth highest increase in the country.
Serving the district for a number of years as Caribbean liaison, this year Brown also assisted Gov. Lucas with coordinating the return to V.I. for the annual District Leadership retreat.
“Terri Brown is most deserving of the Jack Phillips award,” said 4th District Governor Marla Lucas. “She has been a champion in the Caribbean for the advertising industry for many years and is a strong proponent of the talent in the region.”
Brown and business partner Beth Mock LeBlanc started MLB Creative in St. Thomas in 1997 and built it into a premiere advertising agency in the Caribbean. They now have locations in both the U.S.V.I. and Orlando, Florida. MLB boasts an impressive roster of clients including Choice Wireless, Scotiabank, Caribbean Buzz Helicopters, Bud Light Facebook and Mc Donald’s.
Brown and MLB Creative have won numerous creative awards at the local and district level, including Best of Show multiple times. She earned a lifetime service award from the AAF USVI and was presented the AAF USVI Silver Medal for service to the community.
“I am very honored to receive the award,“ she said. “I am proud to have helped the many talented agencies, designers, producers, writers and animators gain recognition for their work and expand their reach to new markets. I especially enjoy sharing my passion for advertising with young entrepreneurs and helping them get started in the industry.”
Brown is dedicated many local charitable causes including Virgin Islands Children with Disabilities, the United Way, My Brother’s Workshop, Women’s Resource Center, Virgin Islands Little League and American Cancer Society among others. She also donates time to further professional enrichment through SBDC and AAF-USVI, serving as a panelist on the economic initiative Marketing in a Post Hovensa Economy.