Startup Southerner has been desperate to connect with someone in Mississippi to talk about the state of startups and innovation in the Magnolia State. On our third attempt, we were directed to Tim Mask, a partner at the Jackson, Mississippi ad agency Maris, West and Baker, and the director of two innovation initiatives—FastForward and Mississippi Innovation Economy—designed to support the state’s efforts to boost its innovation economy. He’s a bona fide Mississippi mover and shaker, and, oh, he also has a lot to say about the state of startups and innovation in Mississippi. Bear with us (and him), it’s a long interview. But we think you’ll learn a thing or two or seven or twenty about Mississippi and the plight of the startup there.
SS: How long have you been an entrepreneur? Can you briefly describe your journey?
TM: My career path hasn’t been that of what one thinks of as a “traditional entrepreneur.” I didn’t start a company or bootstrap a new product (although I have a couple of side bets currently in development…stay tuned, America!). However, shortly after I began working in the advertising business, the entire industry was upended by seismic disruption in the media landscape, the likes of which we really hadn’t experienced since the onset of broadcast technology in the 1930s. This change hasn’t stopped; it’s accelerated, actually. We have been forced to run our 47-year-old shop less like an established firm and much more like a nimble startup. This meant that titles and tightly defined “departments” became little more than meaningless monikers. Rather than sticking to a strict set of proven business protocols we have had to make predictions, be proactive and really find new ways for building solutions.
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