My name is Darby Byrd, and I recently earned my bachelor’s in advertising from the University of North Texas. I’ve always been a writer at heart, and while I initially wanted to pursue screenwriting, the woes of reality steered my passions in more of a corporate direction. I feel really lucky to have found copywriting and I’ve grown to love crafting narratives for brands and helping them tell their stories. Big shout out to Agency Entourage for hiring me as an intern and letting me do just that.
The long and winding road
Growing up, I was always worried about my future. I didn’t even know if I was going to go to college, let alone where or what I wanted to study. I felt detached from the forced curriculum of high school and it seemed as though my need to be creative couldn’t be met in a realistic way.
It surprised me, and everyone around me, when I decided a mere three months before college was set to start that I would be attending the University of New Mexico. I hopped around a few programs before deciding I wanted to pursue advertising, and in a rough turn of events, UNM didn’t offer that degree. I already had my sights set on this career, convinced that it was my calling, and decided to transfer to UNT.
When I arrived I never thought that I’d have real relationships with my professors, be recruited for our NSAC team or have the opportunity to work with our student-run advertising agency, SWOOP. These were all things that seemed out of reach for me, reserved for only the best of my peers. I was lucky that one of my favorite professors saw something in me. She put me in the position to be able to work with people in the program that I looked up to, who I still look up to, and that gave me the opportunity to learn and grow beyond what I thought was possible. My time at UNT really proved to me that copywriting is where I belong, that I can do this work and that I will do whatever it takes to stay in this field for as long as possible.
Who is she?
I like to think I’m at least moderately interesting outside of AE. I moonlight as a line cook at a vegan diner. My favorite thing to do in my free time is roller skating at my local skate park, but only when I’m not injured which seems to happen a lot. I skated to SWOOP (yes, even through the halls of Sycamore) almost every day over the summer and won an “unsung hero” award for it. Sometimes I like to hand embroider and sew things. I’m really trying to start a garden but that’s a tall order right now. I have a sweet cat named Georgia and she acts more like a dog than any cat I’ve ever been around.
The best part about working in Dallas is that I can hit my favorite dumpling spot in Carrollton on the way home. So far I’m loving every part of this internship, commute included. I can’t wait to see what else will come of my time at Agency Entourage.
