Jonathan Ekstrom | Account Manager

Fork in the road

“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Sage advice from Yogi Berra, to be sure, but also one of the guiding principles of Jonathan’s life. Life often seems complicated, but more often than not, the answer to your questions is right in front of you.

Jonathan struggled to choose a major at Colorado State University, but after earning exceptional grades in public speaking class, he stumbled upon a shattering insight into the blatantly obvious: channel that ability and major in speech communication.

As the old knight at the end of the third Indiana Jones movie says, “He chose… wisely.”

Jonathan was able to harness his passion for writing and public speaking through speech communication studies. While in school, he hosted a popular punk rock radio show in Fort Collins every Friday night for four years. Life was well and good until another fork in the road emerged, and Jonathan was forced to choose a career path.

Once again, he “took it” by accepting a job with an oil and gas trade group as an executive assistant and event planner. Following a brief stint there, Jonathan moved into the world of public policy and helped organize grassroots campaigns to promote a common-sense balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship.

Although government work was fascinating, ultimately the lure of MGA and its diverse array of clients proved to be too much of a draw. Good news for MGA, as Jonathan brings to the agency a strong background in the natural resources industry and a passion for the complex issues that surround them.

He credits his dad for encouraging him to think critically about divisive issues (such as oil and gas drilling) and his mother for fostering healthy dialogue about everything from national politics to next summer’s travel arrangements.

When Jonathan isn’t at the office serving his clients, he can be found lamenting his fandom of the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies or checking out his favorite punk bands at one of the many Denver music clubs.

Jonathan has tremendous enthusiasm for his clients but tempers it with a common-sense approach to their issues. And he always tries to remind them that when they’re faced with a fork in the road, the best (and often only) thing they can do is take it.

• Areas of Expertise: Event Planning & Execution, Collateral Development, Media Relations 
• Industry/Vertical Areas of Expertise: Natural Resources, Government, Environment 
• Recent Client Work: Shell Exploration & Production, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA)
• Year Entered Communications Industry: 2006 
• Year Started at MGA: 2007 
• Education: B.A. in Speech Communication and M.A. in Speech Communication from Colorado State University

Interesting Fact

Jonathan loves parrots and has several pictures and a calendar devoted to them on his wall. His office is nicknamed "Cockatoo Court."

E-mail Jonathan | linkedin.com/in/jonathanekstrom

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