River City Six – Ryan Stauffer

Meet Ryan Stauffer, account strategist for Eleven Twenty-Three (www.11twentythree.com).

Tell us a little about your business.

Eleven Twenty-Three is a full-service advertising agency, led by Dave Distefano and Shana Boyd. We have a tremendous team and years of experience working with local, regional, and national brands on their traditional advertising campaigns, digital campaigns, social media strategy and management, events, public and media relations, and non-traditional campaigns. We also have an incredibly talented creative department. Whether it’s video, statics, billboards, radio ads, you name it…our creative team is the real deal.

How did you get started in the business?

I joined Eleven Twenty-Three a year and a half ago. Before that, I had been working in radio for over 11 years. I was on-air at stations in Minnesota, Iowa, and Lincoln before moving to Omaha to be on Channel 94.1 in 2010. While in radio, I had the opportunity to work very closely with several clients on endorsement campaigns, which is something I really enjoyed. In addition to being on-air, I was also the music director, so I had a front row seat to many national campaigns for artists. These experiences really molded my interest in joining the advertising world and being a part of a team that created meaningful, impactful, and creative campaigns.

Tell us a little about your family.

I have been married for eight years. My wife Kristina and I have two children, Noah (7) and Audrey (3). Noah plays soccer, baseball, and basketball; and Audrey started dance classes in the fall. In other words, we are rarely home.

What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life?

After high school I moved from a small town in southern Minnesota to Minneapolis. I really had no idea what I wanted to do with my life outside of “something in business.” I attended classes at a community college (occasionally). I had an excellent attendance record at the college parties, though. I didn’t know what I was pursuing so I wasn’t passionate about my studies; it all seemed so hollow. It was through my college job, serving tables at Famous Dave’s, that I became friends with someone who attended a broadcast school in the area. I could tell he loved it and I thought it sounded incredible, so I ended up enrolling there as well. Radio provided me with amazing experiences. It also led to meeting Dave and Shana, which opened the door for another HUGE turning point in my life…leaving radio. My interests and goals had evolved; I was ready to pursue something different. I’m so grateful for the team I’m a part of at Eleven Twenty-Three; it’s become a family.

What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

There are so many great quotes that you can grab from Twitter or an inspirational book or speaker, but the one that is most personal to me is, “You will be great.” I lost my mom to cancer in 2004 and that is something she told me numerous times as she was fighting her fight. I think about those four words a lot and live life wanting to prove her right.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off?

Outside of spending time with family, which is obviously the best, it is watching the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoons!

Who inspires you?

People who work hard and push themselves to go beyond the status quo.

If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be?

Philomathic.

If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be?

Warren Buffett.

If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so?

Phone: (402) 593-1132 Ext. 206; Email: ryan@11twentythree.com; Website: www.11twentythree.com.