Jay Perdue

Illuminator

My nature:

I am happy to have a few very close friends rather than several superficial relationships. The same is true of my business. I’d rather do good work for a small handful of clients by becoming fully immersed in their world than to do mediocre work for a horde of clients I barely know or understand.

My journey:

I’ve always felt like Jimmy Stewart in “It’s A Wonderful Life” — always meaning to leave my hometown and live amazing adventures in faraway places. But one thing after another has kept me in Memphis — my wife, my family, my career. Yet I have no regrets because now I can look back and see how each turn in my life — though it wasn’t the choice I might have made at that time — was Divine Providence leading me to the place I needed to be. Today I am living my dreams. I am living the answer to prayer.

I’m good at:

Listening. Getting things done. Being accountable. Envisioning the end results, painting a picture for others so they can share that vision and plotting out steps that will lead us to the destination. Being a father, son and husband. And I’m a great cook.

I’ve been blessed to work with:

A small agency where we all wore a number of different hats. A manufacturer of hair care products and cosmetics that gave me experience in a wide variety of media on a national level. The U.S. Sweet Potato Council. International Paper. Verso. HopeWorks. Creative collaborators including photographers, illustrators, printers, prop makers, make-up artists, musicians, directors and others who have inspired me and “filled my well”. Bankers, doctors, lawyers, diamond brokers, inventors, foresters, preachers and priests and other people completely different from me yet from whom I learned and grew.

My mantra:

"I love Jesus but I do drink a little." — Gladys Hardy, 88-year old frequent call-in guest to “The Ellen Degeneres Show”