Master of Science inStrategic Communications

Every brand should have a brand book. But creating one is easier said than done. A great brand book requires insight, inspiration and imagination, and provides direction for the values, personality, behavior, language, and use of words and images that represent an organization.

A great brand book is nuanced, clear and compelling, and essentially helps direct and inform brand decisions at every level of the organization. In this seminar, learn how to create a compelling brand book that creates value at every level of the organization. Kent Rees and Tasha Space will show how to create a brand book that goes beyond logos and tag-lines to provide on-going inspiration for creating brand experiences that connect deeply with a core audience and help reinforce a brand's efforts to own a distinct position in the marketplace.

Kent Rees has 15 years of experience as a creative and marketing executive involved in strategic partnerships with Foursquare, SXSW, Urban Outfitters, Jones Soda, Delta Airlines and Zipcar. He was recently the executive vice president of marketing at Bedrocket Media Ventures. Prior to that he was executive vice president of marketing for Current TV where he spearheaded the strategy and creative approach behind the launch of "Countdown with Keith Olbermann", which premiered in June 2011. In addition to oversight of Current's on-air promotion and brand personality, Rees oversaw the ad sales marketing team and helped manage Current's on- going transition. Rees joined IFC TV in 2004 holding positions as vice president creative director and senior vice president marketing. He was the chief architect behind IFC's rebranding as Always On. Slightly Off. Rees also drove successful show launch campaigns for IFC's original programming, including The Onion News Network, Portlandia, The Whitest Kids U'Know, The Henry Rollins Show and The Independent Spirit Awards. Before joining IFC, Rees was involved with creating and producing promotional launches for ABC Network's "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" as well as "VH1 Behind the Music," "Pop Up Video," VH1 Divas," and "VH1 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," among others.

Rees earned a bachelor's of fine arts degree with honors from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts' film and television production department.

Tasha Space is a brand strategy consultant working with companies such as Comedy Central, MTV Networks, AMC Networks, IFC and Food TV. Previous to becoming a partner at Audience Theory, a preeminent boutique strategy firm, Space was a vice-president and account planner for the advertising agency Deutsch, where she helped develop powerful integrated communication strategies for the Snapple Beverage Group and Novartis. Prior to Deutsch, Space was a vice-president in strategic services for the advertising agency BBDO. Working with clients such as HBO and Campbell's Soup, she developed new product concepts and helped reposition existing brands. Before making the switch to advertising, Space spent several years in the market analytics department at Pfizer. At Pfizer she used primary and secondary research to help develop consumer brand and marketing strategies for direct-to-consumer Rx communications. Space is classically trained in quantitative research, survey design, and statistical analysis. However, she prefers to use her passion for psychology and  interest in the human spirit to design and conduct research that helps reveal the deeper meaning in the relationship between consumer behavior, culture, and business.

Space holds a B.A. in marketing from Michigan State University and an M.S. in marketing research from the University of Georgia.

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