Inaugural AMA Indy Success Group
By: Jaymie Shook, Immediate Past President, AMA Indy
As AMA Indy’s immediate past president, I knew I wanted to stay engaged with our members and thought creating a live, virtual event would open the door to members not only outside the greater Indianapolis area but also who have trouble fitting in-person events into their schedules. That turned into the AMA Indy Success Group, a monthly virtual event to be held the second Tuesday of each month.
About the Group
The group is a roundtable for members to share recent successes, challenges, and ideas, based on a Marketing Success Group I created 2.5 years ago in my professional capacity with Wheaton World Wide Moving | Bekins Van Lines. In my role as Director of Marketing Communications, I equip the small businesses within our moving company network with the marketing tools they need to succeed in their local areas as well as generating interstate leads for them through the van line websites. This virtual roundtable has proven popular for the people in those businesses who touch the marketing function to learn from each other’s trials and errors.
Discussion Summary
Our first meeting of AMA Indy’s new virtual success group was July 21 and offered a seat in the virtual boardroom for any and all available AMA Indy members. During this inaugural meeting, participants introduced themselves and discussed work updates. Many shared experiences and questions about using AI in marketing, including drafting RFPs, generating content, setting company guidelines, and managing data privacy and costs. As a group, we discussed the pros and cons of AI-generated images and text, concerns about authenticity and trust with audiences, and differences in perception between younger and older generations.
We didn’t only focus on AI-related topics, though. We also discussed practical marketing topics like lead generation, PPC performance, HubSpot automation, follow-up strategies for sales, and challenges with website tracking and cookie policies. Several participants mentioned recent career changes, new roles, and ongoing learning related to AI and digital marketing.
July 2026 Participants
Our participants for the July 21, 2026 AMA Indy Success Group included:
Colan Blackwood-Holmes, Senior Manager of Technical Communications for the Board of Certified Safety Professionals
Jenn Byers, Owner of Byers and Beyond Marketing and Beyond Theatre Collective
Jeremiah Little, Director and Videographer at RadBot Video
Bailey Ludlam, PCM, Marketing Director at Sonicu
Justin Rife, MBA, Brand Manager for Heartland Food Products Group
A.J. Schneider, AMA Indy President and Director of Client Development at Williams Randall Advertising
Jaymie Shook, PCM, AMA Indy Immediate Past President and Director of Marketing Communications for Wheaton World Wide Moving | Bekins Van Lines
Emilee Wilson, AMA Indy Communications Committee Volunteer and Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Raybourn Group International