Local social media entrepreneur picked for national marketing boot camp

Jeremy K. Smith, founder of social media marketing company Authentic New Media, is getting hands-on national marketing experience as part of The Marcus Graham Project's 3rd annual iCR8 Summer Boot Camp.

Smith is one of 11 young professionals picked from across the country to participate in the program, aimed at encouraging minorities to consider marketing, PR and advertising careers. The Dallas-based network of marketing professionals identifies, mentors and trains people from ages 16 to 34, exposing them to a wide range of marketing opportunities.

Smith has been in Dallas since the end of May for the 10-week intensive boot camp, working on with its signature program: a real-world marketing communications firm. The firm, Bippitus, is working on campaigns for well-known national brands, including AT&T, lifestyle website  Neo Soul Cafe and Grammy-winning singer John Legend's The Show Me Campaign, an anti-poverty initiative.

Smith is the agency's brand manager and digital strategist, promoting Bippitus and clients in the digital sphere.

"This is real experience with agencies and clients you've always dreams of working with," Smith says. "There is no way I would have been able to work with John Legend to further his nonprofit otherwise. I'm getting exposure to big brands that I can take back to my own company."

The iCr8 Summer Boot Camp is sponsored by 4A's, Deutsch Inc., The Omnicom Group Inc., Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners, RAPP, TPN, Wieden+Kennedy and Y&R.

To share the experience, the boot campers are documenting the 10-week experience, and sharing it via a live Ustream show called The Drum and YouTube web series called The Us. The Drum is broadcast live at 2 p.m. every Friday. It's interactive, and viewers can call and live tweet questions during the show.

By Feoshia Henderson

You can follow Feoshia on Twitter @feoshiawrites