Vaughn Juares (Creative Director)

The addition of Vaughn Juares as Creative Director expanded North Woods Advertising's capabilities in online communications, diversity marketing, and creation and production of rich media. Vaughn has worked in collaboration with numerous global advertising agencies, including Fallon Worldwide, Carmichael-Lynch and La Agencia De Orci, for brands as wide-ranging as Suzuki, TiVo, AG Edwards, Dairy Queen and Progressive Insurance.

Since Vaughn took the reigns as Creative Director the campaigns he developed and the spots he directed have received both industry awards and media recognition. His work on Charlie Wheelan's 2009 senate campaign was recognized on CNN, MSNBC and CNBC. "Case Closed", a spot created for Congressman Alan Grayson's 2008 campaign received a First Place Pollie Award for best TV/Candidate ad.

Vaughn has written and directed a catalog of short films in conjunction with Alliance Marketing Partners for one of their marquee clients, Dunkin' Donuts. The webisodes, produced in cooperation with the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball for the New York Jets, New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Yankees and the New Jersey Nets, all feature Joe "The Cup" Dunkin', a larger-than-life man in a foam Dunkin' Donuts cup suit.

Jim Cousins (Senior Brand Strategist)

Like all of North Woods, Jim does great work in both politics and business. He first began with North Woods in 1999, managing the Nader 2000 account and Malt-O-Meal. He continues his work with M-O-M as well as recently managing the gubernatorial ads for Chris Daggett (NJ) and Scott Heidepriem (SD). Outside of North Woods, Jim earned a Pollie for his work on statewide gubernernatorial race in 2002, recognition for MyWarTax.org, awareness for the MN DFL, and we are still seeing the success of his time chairing the board of FairVote MN and its work promoting Instant Runoff/Ranked Choice Voting. He still remains heavily involved in The BrandLab, a non-profit bringing more diversity to our marketing world.

Jim began his advertising career in 1993 and has worked in local agencies for clients such as 3M, Malt-O-Meal, UnitedHeathCare, Target, Toro, KSTP, Telex, MN Corn Growers, Principal Financial Securities and Timberlodge Steakhouse. He has also worked internationally in sales and marketing for Scoop, a news service in New Zealand.

If not working on politics or business, you'll likely find Jim outside on the bike trails or frustrating Greenskeepers.

Lupe De La Cruz (Strategic Marketing & Hispanic Markets)

Lupe has also served as a brand marketer and promotions director at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia and later for Pepsi-Cola in Southern California. His soft drink industry experience includes media planning, buying, developing and producing advertising campaigns, international product launches, and integration of New Media (Internet) opportunities with traditional sales channels.

Lupe has more than ten years experience as a music label executive in marketing and developing artists in the Latin music industry. He is one of the original executives to establish Univision Music Group in June 2001, helping them grow into the leading Latin music label in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Mexico. Prior to Univision, he led the marketing department at Capitol/EMI Latin Records.

A bi-lingual, bi-cultural Latino, Lupe has also previously worked in the government sector as a staff director for the Lt. Governor of the State of California (the Hon. Leo McCarthy) and chief of staff for the Hon. Esteban Torres (Los Angeles), Member of Congress for seven years.

Lupe has been working on political campaigns since college when he became active with Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta on behalf of the fledgling United Farmworkers Union and the lettuce boycott. Later, as a student activist, Lupe was elected student body president at California State University and also became a youth director for the McGovern for President campaign and conducted voterregistration and get-out-the-vote campaigns for Jerry Brown during his gubernatorial campaign. At the age of 27, he was appointed state director of Employment and Training for the second term of the Brown administration. Later, Lupe joined the staff of Assemblyman Art Agnos and worked on his successful campaign for Mayor of San Francisco. In 1988 Lupe was an alternate delegate to the Democratic National Convention and helped organize and staff the first Hispanic American Democrats Convention in Atlanta that year. He also served as a State Director of Field operations for the Dukakis-Benson presidential campaign in California and later worked field operations for Sen. Diane Fienstein's U.S. Senate campaign as well as volunteer roles in the Clinton-Gore campaign. Lupe has also worked on numerous State, county and municipal races as well as legislative referendums. He recently volunteered his services for Governor Bill Richardson's presidential campaign.

Luke Danielson (Production Manager, Interactive Development)

Luke has come quite a long ways since first working for North Woods as an intern in 2007. As is typical in small agencies, Luke wears a number of hats at North Woods. Apart from account and production management for certain clients and projects, Luke also heads up the interactive development wing of North Woods, leading the charge in the creation and implementation of various digital media experiences. This includes website development, analytics tracking and online media planning & placement. In 2009, he designed & implemented the campaign website for New Jersey Gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett, a site that took in over six figures in online contributions.

Prior to North Woods, Luke worked for the Al Franken for Senate campaign as a communications research assistant in the Summer of 2007. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Political Science and Journalism & Mass Communication. In his free time, Luke enjoys watching the Twins at the new Target Field, Skiing out west in the Rockies, and soaking up the Minneapolis sun in the summertime.

Jill Harrison (Business Manager)

Jill Harrison has been working at North Woods Advertising since it first set up office in 1996. She has overseen North Woods' growth from $2.9 million in billings in 1996 to over $19 million in 2006. Prior to joining North Woods, Jill spent 5 years at F&M Savings Bank (currently US Bank) as a banking counselor supervisor, 10 years at Kauffman Stewart Advertising and 1 year at Periscope Marketing Communications. She has been involved in all aspects of life in a small communications firm: office management, benefit management, project management, trafficking, media, accounting, computers, radio talent, etc. Jill also lays claim to having worked with Bill Hillsman since 1988 — something we can attribute to her undying patience.

Jack Paar (Assistant Producer)

Jack Paar has been in the entertainment business since 1967 when, at the age of three months, he began his career in a television series produced by Aaron Spelling. At the age of five he became an active member of Screen Actors Guild and continued his acting career through the late 80's with roles in several feature films, TV commercials for Polariod and McDonalds, and television shows such as "Baretta", "Kojak" and "Rockford Files".

Jack's first experience with marketing and politics came in 1973 while campaigning for his cousin Democrat James C. Corman. Corman represented California's 21st District in the US House of Representatives from 1961 to 1981.

Jack's greatest passion however still lay in the arts, and he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA, Associates degree from Courtesy College in Motion Animation/Graphic Design and several certificate programs from the American Film Institute.

Soon after graduation Jack had a long run with FOX TV's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" as a key production person. He also worked with Universal Pictures, Access Hollywood and Sony Pictures. Jack's career later grew into film and music production where he has worked with world class music acts like Ringo Starr, Anita Baker, Donna Summer, The Counting Crows, Maroon 5 and Willie Nelson.

In the past year Jack has been involved in television production projects for Discovery Channel and CNN and is producing several reality television projects. Today Jack is getting back to his political roots as a Sales Consultant for North Woods Advertising.