Quote from Jay Kelly
Jay Kelly

Why PR? "Why not? What other job allows you to actually make news, and not just read about it afterwards?"

Jay Kelly
Vice President

Jay leads the Arts and Leisure practice for LCWA. He has a well-established niche in Chicago’s arts community, but his expertise runs the gamut, encompassing new product introductions, brand positioning, internal and external communications, special events, trade media relations, social networking and street marketing.

Job Highlights

  • Helping Thodos Dance Chicago nearly triple box office projections for its 2009 Fall Concert series
  • Booking interviews and appearances for Crumpet, Chicago’s most sarcastic elf, to boost attendance for Theater Wit’s holiday production, David Sedaris’ “The Santaland Diaries”
  • Fronting a Lions Club caravan of 13 used emergency vehicles, stocked with food, medical supplies and 10,000 pairs of used eyeglasses, on a two-week, 3,200-mile journey from Indianapolis to Guatemala
Before LCWA
Jay was Director of Marketing and PR for Victory Gardens Theater, Chicago’s top producer of new work. Before joining Victory Gardens full-time, Jay managed the theater’s PR campaign for 11 years via his own boutique agency, Off Loop PR. Other Off Loop clients included the League of Chicago Theatres, Lookingglass Theatre, Court Theatre, Video Arts (“The John Cleese Training Company”), the International Housewares Association, and special projects for LCWA.

Involvement
Jay served on the Advisory Committee of Chicago’s Arts Engagement Exchange, a network to build local arts audiences sponsored by the Chicago Community Trust, the Wallace Foundation and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Similarly, Jay has shared his expertise with smaller, non-profit arts organizations at workshops sponsored by the League of Chicago Theaters.

Education
Originally from Kansas City, Mo., Jay graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Fun Fact
Once, when an actor failed to show as scheduled, Jay was forced to don a client’s “Where the Wild Things Are” monster costume, and dance on top of a dugout at U.S. Cellular Field in front of a stadium full of White Sox fans.