By Jared Fields, Editor in Chief
Since graduating from ACU in 1992, Aundrea Hearn has worked in radio, film and advertising, but not because she didn’t enjoy previous jobs.
Living in Atlanta, Ga., where she grew up, Hearn works as a copywriter for the advertising agency JWT. She currently works exclusively JWT’s account with Ford.
Hearn said she enjoys her job, but doesn’t know how much longer she’ll be there.
“I usually get bored pretty quickly,” Hearn said. “After a while my ADD kicks in, so I need to do something different.”
Before her job with JWT, Hearn worked on other clients’ campaigns, such as Home Depot, UPS, Blockbuster, eHarmony. com and others.
Aside from her job with JWT, Hearn is also working with her cousin on organizing a charity concert in Nashville, Tenn.
The concert, “What a Pair!” pits artists together in duos singing show tunes to benefit breast cancer research.
After ACU, Hearn began her professional career in Atlanta, working at a radio station. But after two years, Hearn decided to try another path and moved to Los Angeles with ACU graduates Craig and Leslie Barnett who let Hearn stay in their guest room.
Hearn got a job as a production assistant at Dreamworks. One of her jobs involved organizing Steven Spielberg’s rolodex. The task took a month and a half and had perks like celebrities leaving contact information on her answering machine.
Going from ACU to Atlanta to Los Angeles, Hearn said she experienced some initial culture shock after arriving in Hollywood.
Hearn said she knew nothing about film and was thrown in to her job like a kid learning to swim.
“It was a really great education there to learn from the ground up,” Hearn said. “And they allow you to do that there.”
Her hands-on experience led Hearn to work with other award-winning directors and writers. Hearn worked with Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise) and John Herzfeld (Don King: Only in America).
Hearn went on to work with Herzfeld and helped develop “Dr. Vegas” on CBS, “Point of Origin,” an Emmy-nominated HBO show, and “15 Minutes” for New Line Cinema.
“I really enjoyed working with Herzfeld and Callie Khouri,” Hearn said. “To get your hands dirty and get involved, [from] conception to birth. I was very lucky to work with people in that. It was fun to go from working in a studio and not having that kind of access and getting thrown in the mix and being able to have a say in something.”
Now that Hearn is getting her say in quite a few somethings, Hearn said she’s excited about her first trip to ACU since 1993, but she doesn’t know just what to expect.
“I’m sure I’m going to feel old,” Hearn said. “That’s one thing I’m expecting.”
A Siggie while at ACU, Hearn also worked as a waitress at the Towne Crier, a DJ for local radio stations and for KACU radio.
Since ’93, Hearn has missed such changes to campus as the construction of University Park Apartments, Barret Hall, the ACU pond, Jacob’s Ladder, the Lunsford Trail and renovations in the McGlothlin Campus Center and Sikes Residence Hall.
Hearn will get a tour of ACU and the area Friday and looks forward to the changes since her last visit. But like everything else, Hearn’s attention span will likely grow bored with ACU and become ready for another change of scenery.
With the things she has done so far, Hearn is beginning to run short on other careers to pursue. Working in radio, film and advertising, it’s all just storytelling to Hearn.
“It’s just finding different ways to tell a story,” Hearn said. “There’s always a takeaway; you always think about a story.”
Hearn said she would like to get into publishing but hasn’t had the opportunity yet.
“I haven’t been in publishing yet,” Hearn said. “I always admired authors, but never been able to do that.”
While she may feel the urge to move from job to job, Hearn will continue to be a storyteller, no matter the medium.
