A Legacy of Leadership: From Hollywood TV Literary Agent to Advertising Agency CEO & Owner

Follow the remarkable path of Hawthorne Advertising’s CEO Jessica Hawthorne-Castro who has led the next generation of her family’s advertising agency. After negotiating deals with major TV networks and cultivating a robust portfolio at WME, a surprising recruitment from within the Hawthorne agency led her to the family business. She joined the agency as an Account Executive, earning her MBA simultaneously while acclimating herself to the ad agency and helping the agency pivot into a new era. She was quickly promoted to COO, and then CEO – ultimately purchasing the firm from her father Tim Hawthorne in 2015.

This story of hard-earned success, integrity, and inspiring Midwestern work ethic reached a pinnacle when Hawthorne-Castro was honored with the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in the same category her father had triumphed in two decades earlier. It was gratifying for both father (now living in New Zealand) and daughter that he was able to attend the ceremony in Los Angeles.

Read the NxtGen Nexus article, celebrating a legacy of entrepreneurial spirit, transformational leadership, and the heartwarming continuation of a family tradition within the advertising world, here: https://nxtgennexus.com/family-business-confidential-hawthorne-advertising-from-hollywood-to-the-family-business/