Brooke MacLean is going her own way
Her experience at UGA inspired her to forge a path of her own and now Brooke MacLean is leading her Bulldog 100 business and encouraging current UGA students to do the same.
Brooke MacLean is going her own way
Her experience at UGA inspired her to forge a path of her own and now Brooke MacLean is leading her Bulldog 100 business and encouraging current UGA students to do the same.
“I think especially as women, we tell ourselves we can’t or that we need more information or that we need more years of experience. And that’s just not true, it’s just what we tell ourselves. To have someone else tell you that it’s okay to jump in and try and fail is so important. Each time you try and fail and get back up again, the fall gets shorter and shorter.”
—Brooke MacLean (ABJ ’11)
Brooke MacLean (ABJ ’11) is no stranger to standing out from the crowd. As founder and CEO of Marketwake, one of the University of Georgia Alumni Association’s 2024 Bulldog 100 honorees and Inc. 5000 recipient, Brooke has left her singular mark wherever she goes, from her alma mater to the broader marketing industry. And it was through her experiences at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication that Brooke was able to fully realize her own unique capabilities.
“I really felt that the leadership and staff at Grady cared who I was personally and professionally, and that was really transformative for me,” she describes.
The confidence instilled in her from her time on campus was integral for Brooke as she built Marketwake, a growth-marketing firm that helps brands to tell their stories through a unique combination of data and creative storytelling. Marketwake’s ultimate mission is to help brands create meaningful interactions between people and leave their own unique mark on the world.
That combination of data-driven decision making and creative storytelling is what allows their clients to meet their goals and leave their impact on the world. This commitment and focus has helped Marketwake earn a spot on the Bulldog 100 list each of the past four years.
Brooke never thought she would be able to forge her own path like she has — at least, not until she had people who encouraged and supported her in her journey. “I never would have dreamed of being here if it were not for some incredible people and mentors, leaders and professors who believed in me along the way,” she says.
Brooke with her husband, Devin (BS ’18) and their dog, Bear, at Sanford Stadium in Athens.
Hiring Bulldog alumni quickly became a game changer for Brooke and Marketwake because, to Brooke, these alumni stood out as being uniquely qualified for Marketwake’s approach to growing businesses. As it turns out, the graduates had something in common: they had received a certificate from Grady College’s New Media Institute.
The New Media Institute is an interdisciplinary academic unit dedicated to exploring the critical, commercial and creative dimensions of emerging technologies. NMI curriculum focuses on the everchanging technology and media landscape and the development of skills to design and build interactive digital products as solutions to real-world problems and organizational objectives.
If that reads to you like a program perfectly aligned with Marketwake’s mission, you’re not alone. Brooke thought so, too.
“What we do is digital. It’s an intersection of development, app creation, website marketing, and figuring out how to use all of that to reach audiences in a unique, never-done-before way,” Brooke says. “In learning that these graduates went through the NMI, I felt very compelled to facilitate more of that for students because of how imperative those skills are for their careers.”
Brooke and the team at Marketwake share the same values as the NMI, particularly in using digital platforms and applications to create an interactive and engaging space for clients and audiences. Both institutions believe that creating that space within the digital realm and facilitating active interaction between consumers and organizations is the key to solving some of the larger issues that face businesses today.
It was that shared belief that led Brooke to establish the Brooke MacLean Student Support Fund for NMI students. “Giving back is so important to me because I’ve been given so much,” Brooke says. “If I can do that for someone else by supporting this fund or by telling them that they are special and not to give up, then count me in!”
Brooke and Devin may travel the world, but UGA will always be a place to call home.
Giving back looks different for everyone. For Brooke, it is about finding a way to positively influence the next generation of potential employees, clients, and more through something she is particularly passionate about. “That’s how you know that what you’re giving is important and is valuable,” she says. “And, if it means that much to you, just imagine how meaningful it is to those who receive it.”
As Brooke and her team at Marketwake see it, UGA stands out as an institution that cultivates a sense of community among its students as well as a deep value in remaining a lifelong learner. For Brooke, that’s a key quality for the exceptional folks who come to Marketwake: the constant pursuit of education and growth.
After working with many organizations, Brooke knows that UGA and its alumni continue to occupy a unique space in the world. The university’s commitment to pouring into its students long after graduation creates people who continue to seek information, mentorship and connection with the world. “Those are the people who excel and skyrocket in so many beautiful ways,” Brooke says.
It is a fitting honor, then, for an organization and a leader that prioritize growing in both their employees and their clients to be recognized in the Bulldog 100. The award, given by the UGA Alumni Association, honors alumni-owned or -operated businesses that show outstanding growth in their respective industries. “I feel like we’ve come a long way,” she says. “But, it’s really all because of my team that we are able to grow like we have. I just do what I can to help them shine.”
– Written by Rachael Andrews
