Staff Bios | Job Opportunities
 
North Woods Advertising is the only marketing and communications firm to successfully bridge the commercial product and services world and the political/public affairs industry. This dual experience gives us a broader perspective, sharper insight and more innovative thinking on every client we handle.

We apply state-of-the art marketing and communications strategies to products, services, nonprofit organizations and trade associations, public policy issues, advocacy issues, initiatives and referenda, and political campaigns.

We are experts in marketing/communications strategy; media strategy, buying and placement; creative copywriting and art direction; public relations and promotions; and broadcast and print production.

North Woods has a long record of delivering exceptional results on cost-effective budgets, especially in the areas of:

  • Product/Service Branding
  • Sports Marketing
  • Retail Marketing
  • Enthusiast Products
  • Financial and Professional Services Marketing
  • Nonprofit Organizations and Associations
  • Politics and Public Affairs
  • Educational Institutions
  • Turnaround Situations
  • Crisis Communications
  • Sponsorships and Corporate Partnerships

Our clients include/have included:

 

STAFF BIOS

Bill Hillsman (President, CEO & Chief Creative Officer)
Bill Hillsman is the founder of and the driving force behind North Woods Advertising, and the genesis for some of the most successful and attention-getting marketing campaigns over the past decade. Regarded as without peer nationally in achieving results by using unorthodox marketing methods to persuade a jaded public, Hillsman has devised creative and cost-effective solutions to marketing communications problems previously thought unsolvable. His work for Paul Wellstone's 1990 U.S. Senate campaign won the Grand EFFIE — awarded by the American Marketing Association for the most effective marketing and advertising in the nation — and changed political advertising in the process. His work for Jesse Ventura's gubernatorial campaign in 1998 received even more accolades and is generally considered to be the biggest upset in American political history.

Bill was named a Resident Fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics in the spring of 2002. That fall, he served in Washington as Director of Communications for interim U.S. Senator Dean Barkley (I-MN). In 2003, Bill created critically acclaimed television advertisements that propelled political neophyte John Hickenlooper to mayor of Denver. In fact, the successful communications campaign enabled Hickenlooper to run up the largest margin of victory ever in Denver’s mayoral election. Bill also worked on Arianna Huffington’s independent campaign for governor during the California recall election of 2003.

In 2004, Bill supervised and integrated all marketing communications for the successful launch of the national Air America Radio network. He also helped launch the nonpartisan Iraq veteran’s organization Operation Truth, and founded the organization Independent Voters of America.

In 2006, Bill helped elect the youngest mayor in Washington D.C.’s history, Adrian Fenty; and worked for Massachusetts independent gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos and Texas independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman. He helped engineer political unknown Ned Lamont’s upset of the three-term Democratic incumbent Senator Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut primary — pioneering the approach that Democrats all around the country would use to take back the House and Senate. His powerful ad for the VoteVets independent expenditure group contributed to narrow election victories by Senators Jim Webb in Virginia, Claire McCaskill in Missouri, and Jon Tester in Montana, as well as Bob Casey’s victory over Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania.

Bill's commentary on marketing, advertising, and politics has appeared on the editorial pages of The New York Times, NBC's "Today" show, National Public Radio, CNN, C-SPAN, The Nation, George, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), and Japanese and German television. Advertising Age named Hillsman to The Marketing 100, their annual selection of the 100 best marketing people in America. He has also been named one of Minnesota's "100 Most Influential People" and one of the "100 Smartest People In Minnesota" by Minnesota Law & Politics, as well as one of "100 Minnesotans To Watch" by Minneapolis-St. Paul magazine. His work for clients such as Mall of America, Ralph Nader for President, Twin Cities Public Television, the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA team, Republic Airlines, Arctic Cat snowmobiles, the Minnesota AIDS Consortium, the Air Line Pilots Association, U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone, Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, and Governor Jesse Ventura have become textbook cases in marketing and models for others to emulate. Most recently, he has been profiled on ABC’s “Nightline” and in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, PR Week, Salon, Slate (which dubbed him "the world's greatest political adman"), and Brill's Content, which named him to the "Influence List 2000," fifty high-impact people (including Oprah Winfrey, Tim Russert, J.K. Rowling, and Katie Couric) who shape our world by influencing our media and our culture.

Bill’s book, Run The Other Way: Fixing theTwo-Party System, One Campaign at a Time, was published in 2004 by The Free Press/Simon & Schuster.
  See Bill Hillsman's full bio »

Jill Harrison (Business Manager/Finance Director)
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 $10 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.
  

Greta Bergstrom (Director of Politics & Public Affairs)
Greta Bergstrom is the Director of Politics & Public Affairs at Minneapolis-based North Woods Advertising – best known for its creative advertising work for the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone and former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. A seasoned political campaign veteran, Greta has worked on countless local and statewide Minnesota-based campaigns – including staff positions as campaign manager, statewide field director and statewide communications director. She also served as Chair of the 4th District DFL in St. Paul for two years and, in 2000, was elected a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Over the past ten years, Greta has jockeyed between the two worlds of political communications and commercial brand advertising, utilizing her brand management experience from one side to reinforce her work on the other. She began work for North Woods on the 1998 EFFIE award-winning Jesse Ventura for Governor campaign, helping to implement the agency’s statewide target audience strategy that proved decisive in Ventura’s gubernatorial victory. In 2003, she led account work for brewpub entrepreneur John Hickenlooper’s upset mayoral win in Denver. In 2006, she directed account efforts on Ned Lamont’s Democratic primary victory over U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman in Connecticut as well as for Adrian Fenty’s landslide victory as D.C. Mayor. Greta’s public affairs clients at North Woods have included the League of Conservation Voters, California Nurses, Vote Vets, Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, and more.

On the consumer side, she has served as Senior Account Executive on Hispanic brand marketing efforts at Best Buy Advertising, helping the consumer electronics giant build increasing market share. She has also helped manage brand identity campaigns while at North Woods for Minneapolis-based litigation firm Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., San Francisco-based Working Assets Long Distance, and Denver-based retailer Kacey Fine Furniture.

A graduate of Macalester College, Greta lives in St. Paul with her husband and two children.

  

Amy Brendmoen (Senior Account Executive)
Amy Brendmoen joined North Woods Advertising in the summer of 2007. Prior to joining North Woods, Amy served under Minnesota Attorneys General Hubert H. Humphrey III and Mike Hatch. She held several positions in her eleven years of public service: citizen liaison, policy advocate and press secretary. Amy testified and advocated on behalf of Minnesota citizens before the state legislature and public utilities commission. In the pressroom, she publicized and promoted the work of the Attorney General’s office and managed media relations.

In her free time, Amy is the communications director for the “Better Ballot Campaign,” a grassroots organization that champions Instant Runoff Voting as a viable reform measure for municipal elections.

To balance her wonky side, Amy organizes an annual triathlon fundraiser for YMCA Camp St. Croix and is a crewmember on a competitive J24 yacht racing team. She is also seriously considering trying out for the Minnesota Roller Girls.

Amy graduated from University of Wisconsin at Madison with a B.A. in Political Science. She lives in St. Paul with her husband, Jeff, and three young sons.

  

Rena Dundovic (Office Administration)
Rena Dundovic has years of office experience in the marketing/advertising world. Prior to joining North Woods in 2000, she spent 4 years as publications director of Dimensions in Marketing, 10 years as office manager for The Transformed Tree (remodeling firm) and 2-1/2 years as office coordinator/executive assistant at Mosaic Marketing. She serves as the gatekeeper to North Woods — you have to get past Rena to get to the rest of the agency (however, she can be bribed with cookies).
  

Robert Mews (Account Executive)
Robert Mews joined North Woods in October 2006. Prior to his “fulltime” status at North Woods, he served as an Intern there. While attending college, Robert spent one year writing for The Minnesota Daily as a Sports Reporter covering a number of Gopher teams, from baseball to women’s volleyball. During school, he also was an intern in the special projects department of WCCO-TV, a CBS affiliate in Minneapolis, MN. His time at the “U” also included anchoring, reporting, and directing for the University’s news program, University Report.

Robert graduated from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Strategic Communications, while also completing a minor in Political Science. During school, he was involved in a number of groups including the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, where he served as the Public Relations Officer, Alumni Relations Officer and Web Master. He also is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Robert enjoys watching and playing many sports, playing video games, traveling and catching up on the latest news.
  

 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

There are no job opportunities available at this time.
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