OUR STORY
We Didn’t Wait for Permission.
We built it ourselves.
WHERE IT BEGAN
2022.
Founded in Fall 2022 by Dr. Karen Freberg and a team of visionary students — Sydney Baker, Hailee Andrews, Zaire Robinson, and Jacey Wells — The Bird’s Nest was built on a conviction: students don’t need to wait until graduation to do meaningful work. They needed a real agency, with real clients, real deadlines, and real impact.
What started as a bold student-led initiative has grown into a full-service marketing agency — a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit with national recognition, serving clients across industries while developing the next generation of creative leaders. Powered by student talent and guided by academic mentorship, we foster innovation, collaboration, and hands-on professional development in marketing, branding, and media.
Today, The Bird’s Nest is proof that talent doesn’t have an age requirement. Our students run campaigns, build brands, and produce content that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with professional agencies, because that’s exactly what we are.
OUR FOUNDATION
Four Pillars.
01
Compassion
We lead with empathy, for our clients, our team, and the communities we work in. Every perspective belongs here.
02
Creativity
We don’t wait to be inspired. We show up, we push the work further, and we find the angle nobody else thought of.
03
Credibility
Our name goes on everything we make. That means every deliverable has to be right, no shortcuts, no excuses.
04
Community
We’re invested in the people and places around us. We don’t just work here. We build here.
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Dr. Karen Freberg
Dr. Freberg is a full professor, award-winning author, and one of the most connected minds in strategic communications. She’s consulted for Adobe, Meta, Hootsuite, GM, and the Breeders’ Cup, advising some of the world’s most recognized brands on social media strategy, influencer marketing, and communications training.
She’s also a published researcher with deep roots in public relations, reputation management, and crisis communications, and the author of several books including the award-winning Social Media for Strategic Communications, recognized with a 2019 APEX Print Book Award.
But her real passion has always been people. Specifically, the next generation of them. Dr. Freberg has spent her career building bridges between academia and industry, developing programs, forging relationships, and creating platforms that give emerging professionals a real shot at the work they actually want to do.
The Bird’s Nest is her most ambitious bridge yet. She didn’t build it to teach students about agency life. She built it so they could actually live it, with real clients, real stakes, and a network that most professionals spend decades trying to access.
LEADERSHIP
Meet the Directors.
GUIDANCE
Our Advisors.
BRANDS WE'VE BUILT WITH
