Lydia Smith Kerr

Name: Lydia Smith Kerr

Summers as a Camper: 7

Years as a Staff Member/Positions held: 4 years

• Cabin Counselor in Camps II, III and IV

• Sailing Instructor, Lightning Fleet Captain, Land Chief 

Current Profession and Title/Years in role: Creative Director at Telltale for almost 6 years

Can you provide a brief overview of your job responsibilities?

I founded my branding agency in 2017 and have built it from the ground up since then. We focus on strategy, visual identity, web design and creative direction for small businesses across the country. I serve as the Creative Director on all projects, though I’m now joined by a small team of other creatives, as well. On a day-to-day basis, I’m on a lot of calls with clients, helping them strategize and think through how to best reach their consumers. I’m usually working on at least one big project at a time, helping small businesses do full re-brands and partnering with several clients on a longer-term basis with digital marketing, art directing photo shoots and building campaign strategies for growth. 

Do you have any career advice for members of our Camp community?

My time at Camp was not only fun, but also so valuable for my career path and I’m so thankful I continued to come back year after year, even with the pressure for constant summer internships in college. I would recommend anyone working at Camp to take advantage of the great documents and resources that Camp offers to share about your summer experiences with future employers. It’s really powerful to be able to share about an experience in a way that’s relevant to a company, and I was able to get a dream job right out of college because of the tools that Camp gave me to tie my Camp experience into the “real world.” 

What do you believe have been some of your greatest personal and professional accomplishments? Is there a goal toward which you are currently working?

I’m really proud of myself for starting my company at such a young age, sticking with it and growing each year. I had a lot of people tell me I should wait before quitting my previous job to go full-time with my company, but I trusted my gut and knew I could do it. On the personal side, I learned how to snow ski last year and it was something I was so intimidated to learn as an adult so that’s something else I’m proud of recently. I’d also say that no matter how many years go by (I think it’s been almost 15 now), I’ll also forever be proud of my Scot Skipper (back when they were more like Lightning classes), especially since I didn’t pass the first year. Accomplishing such a big goal when I was growing up really did instill a drive and determination in me that I’m so thankful for.

How do the values or skills you learned at Camp show up in your everyday work and/or personal life?

I’ve always been pretty independent, but my time at Camp taught me how to channel my independence in a more impactful way. I also think the confidence to try something knowing that failure was a possibility (and an okay one!) has gone a long way in helping me start a business and keep pushing through when it got challenging. Working with a team in close proximity is also a huge lesson I learned at Camp that carries over into both my work and personal relationships. 

Is there a person or a situation that had a huge influence on you while you were at Camp? How and why did they/it impact you?

Emily Sunderland. She was my Flying Scot trainer in 2009 and after working really hard all summer, I was super disappointed when I didn’t pass my Scot test. Emily reminded me of all that I had learned and helped build up confidence in me that I didn’t even know I had at the time. I came back the next summer and passed and even though she wasn’t my trainer that summer, I honestly think the year I failed was even more memorable than the one I passed because of the lessons it taught me.

Favorite mess hall entry song: Come Clean by Hilary Duff. I will never ever get tired of rain songs in the mess hall.

Favorite Camp meal: Krispy Kreme on a Sunday morning

Do you have a hidden talent? I figure skated competitively throughout high school!

What profession other than your own would you like to try? An airline pilot — I’ve always wanted to see what it would be like to fly a plane!

What would you eat if you could only have one food for the rest of your life? Chips and salsa!