Chicago guy. Car guy. Music guy. Our guy. Meet PJ, co-founder and Managing Partner here at Popskull. With a diverse background that ranges from finance to copywriting, PJ is equal parts creative thinker and business driver.

Have you ever found yourself leaving the movie theater in a dream-like state, feeling as though your faded polyester seat transported you to another world, let you in on a big secret, and then returned you to reality an entirely new person? The power of motion picture is undeniable, and chances are, you could fire off three movie titles that changed you, or at least left a lasting impression (go ahead, we’ll wait).

Meet Anwar Khuri, Popskull’s Executive Creative Director. Before co-founding Popskull, Anwar got his start in advertising as a content producer, working at agencies like Ogilvy, FCB and McCann. He developed an eye for stand out work from his experience with big brands like Dove, Sears, GM, SC Johnson, Miller-Coors and more. If there’s one thing he’s passionate about, it’s kickass creative work thoughtfully grounded in strategic insights. When he’s not working, you can find him taking theater classes at Piven, or more likely sitting at The Pepper Canister drinking a rye.

Ah, the Facebook algorithm. If there’s one thing we as advertisers know about it, it’s finicky at best and constantly evolving. So it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that Facebook is altering it again. In a long personal post, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced earlier this month that Facebook's algorithm is getting a makeover and the social network is aiming to create more “meaningful” interactions between friends and family, the way the network was intended to be used. As publishers and brands have worked tirelessly for a spot in your News Feed, they are now up against an algorithm that’s working hard to keep them out. That is unless of course they are creating a discourse that Facebook deems meaningful.

What better way to end a night out imbibing than a safe ride home? Lyft partnered with Baderbräu to create Five Star Lager, a tasty brew to be served on-premise in Chicago with the potential to expand to other cities. The beer is a part of their “Safe Rides” program and promotes such with discount codes, worth up to 60% off, for bar-goers to get a ride home.

Founded in 2009, Swoon Group, a technology and professional services recruiting firm, needed help breaking into the highly competitive technology recruiting space. Founder Andy Baker, former CEO of Glotel, and current Swoon CEO, Michelle Baker, turned to Popskull to help them successfully launch their company and ensure future growth.

Time flies when you’re having fun, right? 2017 at Popskull was a great year filled with exciting work opportunities and new clients. As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a look back at few things we’re most proud of.

What we learned at Food Vision USA 2017

When it comes to the food and beverage category, customer needs continue to change dramatically. From more transparent sourcing to “clean label” products, brands large and small are facing a tide as increased consumer perceptions regarding health and wellness evolve from niche products to mainstream acceptance. Last month, Popskull co-founders, PJ Rashid and Anwar Khuri, attended Food Vision USA 2017 to learn about the latest trends. Here’s what they discovered.

Meet Maddie Marret, Popskull’s lead strategist, research queen, and HubSpot wizard. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago in three years, interning at Ogilvy & Mather, and working at Havas, she joined the Popskull team.

Optimizing your social media content is hard enough as it is. With more advertisers snatching up ad space, Facebook’s ever-changing algorithm, and widespread short attention spans, there’s a lot working against you to simply get a few eyeballs on your clever caption and perfectly styled image. Add the holiday season into the mix, and now you’re dealing with a real unmanageable and unpredictable beast.