An industry veteran Matt Stefl has joined Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration as clinical professor and director of the M-School, a cutting-edge undergraduate program designed to cultivate advertising and marketing professionals for today’s digital business environment.
With nearly 15 years of advertising industry experience, Stefl brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic direction to the M-School. He most recently served as executive vice president, director of strategic planning at LA-based Dailey & Associates. Prior to that, he worked at several agencies including RPA, RAPP and DDB, gaining experience in nearly every aspect of the advertising business – from media planning to copywriting to digital marketing to strategic planning. He has advised clients in building some of our nation’s top companies and brands like Honda, Turbo Tax, Nestle, IHOP, Dole, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and many more.
In addition, Stefl has guest lectured at USC, Pepperdine and the University of California, Santa Barbara – educating students on the latest topics in advertising, marketing and business. As director of the M-School, Stefl strives to “continue to educate, prepare and inspire the next generation of talent and provide them with the necessary tools to make an impact in the industry.”
Launched in 2012, the M-School bridges the gap between academia and industry and gives students real-world advertising and branding experience through offsite visits and interactions with industry professionals. Innovative courses are co-taught by faculty and industry pros and cover new product development, branding, strategy, social media, content creation, coding, and analytics, among others.
The M-School also addresses the talent shortage of the fast-changing world of marketing and advertising by grooming students to be “job-ready” right out of college. Each year, prospective students go through a competitive application process for a coveted spot in this groundbreaking program. The outcome so far has been very promising. Last year, 90 percent of M-School students secured internships or full-time positions at leading agencies such as RPA, 72 & Sunny, Deutsch LA, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Ignited, Universal McCann and many more.
“I’ve had firsthand experience with the talent shortage that Los Angeles agencies are facing,” said Stefl. “The M-School is one of those ideas that I wish I had thought of. So far, I’ve been blown away by support from the university, excitement from the students, and the response from the industry. Already there is so much buzz, energy and excitement surrounding this program – and we’re really just getting started.”
