Nebo Agency, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a marketing firm that is bringing human-centered work to the communications industry. With more than two decades in business, Nebo remains one of the largest independent agencies in the Southeast.

Along with sponsoring many events within the College of Information and Communications, the agency has worked with businesses across various industries. They have also won awards for their campaigns for brands including LoveSac, Golf House Academy and The Trevor Project.

Nebo has hired a number of SJMC alumni who utilize the skills they have learned to create real, beneficial work for the clients they represent.

Nicole Palmer, who graduated with her degree in public relations in 2021, is currently a strategist at Nebo. While in the SJMC, she was part of the research and insights team with The Carolina Agency where she learned of the different paths she could take with her degree, including strategy.

As a member of the Nebo intelligence team, she performs research to overcome client barriers in the industry and, in turn, provides creative solutions that help the clients reach target audiences.

“It’s a lot of research, like focus groups, surveys, also a lot of secondhand research into different industries and areas,” Palmer says.

Prior to her current position, Palmer was a junior strategist for the agency. In this entry-level position, she was still given meaningful work that impacted her clients.

“You’re not just shadowing and sitting on calls,” Palmer says. “You are definitely doing a lot of work, but with a lot of support.”

Palmer has had a successful career since graduating and has won numerous awards for her outstanding work including the DigiDay Future Leader Award, being named one of PRNews Top Women and Drum Award’s Rising Star.

Sarah Sutton is another SJMC alumna who is thriving at Nebo. After graduating with a visual communications degree in 2023, Sutton began her career as an associate social media specialist.

Now, she has been promoted to a social media specialist and manages daily social media activities, develops content strategies and creates visual and written content for her clients.

Sutton spent her time in college freelancing and gaining marketing experience through on-campus organizations including Garnet & Black, Dance Marathon and various Greek Life chapters.

“I felt like I just got real world experience on a smaller scale that still made me comfortable enough to learn but still broaden my horizons enough to push myself,” Sutton says.

Though she gained experience in college, Sutton, who has since moved to New York City, found those early days of her career challenging.

“I remember starting my job and just being overwhelmed and confused and wondering how the people around me knew everything that they were doing,” Sutton says. “Because it’s such a fast-paced environment, the growth is just constantly hitting you. And it’s a good feeling when you realize that you’re growing.”

Olivia Clarke, who is currently a social media and PR specialist at Nebo, graduated from the SJMC in 2021 with a mass communications degree. She didn’t know exactly what she wanted to major in when coming to college but knew one thing for sure — she wanted to write.

“I thought that would be the perfect major for me that could also lend myself to different industries once I graduated,” Clarke says. “I wanted to make sure that I was getting as much exposure to all of these different industries as possible.”

During her time in the SJMC, Clarke learned a lot of skills she uses in her position today. From her speech classes to being an account manager with The Carolina Agency, she was exposed to client strategy creation and implementation.

“I knew from working within The Carolina Agency that I really loved working within social media, and I really loved the strategy part of social media and PR,” Clarke says. “I was able to find out through doing those different opportunities, what I liked about an agency.”

In her current position, Clarke works on the public relations side by sharing her clients’ messages to the media. Additionally, she supports social media editorial calendars, plans and executes content and creates strategies for both components.

“I really love creating campaigns and creating content,” Clarke says. “It’s really collaborative, especially at Nebo. We always have really interesting and fun brainstorms with the team to pull those creative ideas out of each other.”

With Nebo’s continued growth, SJMC graduates will have increasing opportunities to break into the industry and gain real-world experience.

“Nebo has an incredible culture,” Palmer says. “I think it really is special. I always feel inspired to do better work.”