OUR STORY
SWOOP began as a dream and then turned into reality all thanks to the faculty of the Mayborn School of Journalism. Championed by Dr. Sheri Broyles, SWOOP opened in August 2011 with 17 charter members, a newly hired director, and no name.
With the UNT eagle in mind, the nameless agency became SWOOP and thanks to one of our fellow SWOOPer alumnus, Matt Jordan, SWOOP now stands for “Students Working On Our Profession”.
That newly hired director is our very own Bill Ford. An Art Director with a plethora of experience in the Advertising world. He took SWOOP and ran with it, focusing on the logistics, executing ideas and grooming students into their positions.
Before too long, word got out and UNT Admissions approached us to revamp their Preview Day booklet. Work with the Denton County Transportation Authority followed shortly after and the rest is history.
THE FOUNDERS
Sheri Broyles | Advisor
Sheri grew up in Chillicothe, Missouri, the daughter of a farmer. One of the principals at the Dallas ad agency where she would later work said she had that great Midwestern work ethic. The other principal jokingly said she was too honest to be in advertising. Both qualities were ingrained in her personality from forever.
Growing up in Missouri took Sheri to Mizzou and one of the top journalism schools in the country (after getting a performance degree in percussion and deciding that she didn’t want to perform for a living). It was the J-school that made her a student of writing. Made her love words. Made her realize how precise words can be. Her love for writing and music came together in her first job out of college doing advertising, PR and marketing for a symphony orchestra. It also brought her to Texas.
From the symphony, she went to a Dallas ad agency and learned how much fun the ad biz can be. Sheri’s philosophy is never work for a living. Rather, do something you love (and if you love it, you’ll do it well) with people you like. Then it isn’t work. She then began working as a professor of advertising at North Texas, teaching classes she loves. She also says teaching college students is the secret to the fountain of youth. Her belief: Being around college students keeps me thinking young.
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Bill Ford | Director
Bill Ford brings thirty years of experience in all facets of advertising and public relations to direct the activities of SWOOP. He works with students so they can produce professional results for their clients. Ford’s diverse experience in the field gives him a unique advantage when critiquing work.
Ford is also a Principal Lecturer in the Mayborn School of Journalism. He has taught art direction and graphic design at several other universities in over twenty-five years as a professor.
Before entering the academic world, Ford owned an advertising and design agency in Dallas for 15 years and served as creative director at the national Internet services company, Luminit Worldwide, for four years and creative director for websites such as American Airlines, Hilton, Merrill Lynch, and The Container Store to name a few.
Ford is the former lead singer of the Dallas blues band, Bona Fide Blues. The band performed regularly at the House of Blues in Dallas and other local venues.