Roy Spence

In 1971 four UT graduates started an advertising agency in Austin, TX—GSD&M. Forty-seven years later, Roy Spence and partners are still in Austin making a difference together. GSD&M became a renowned idea machine, helping grow brands like Southwest Airlines, DreamWorks, The U.S. Air Force, BMW, The PGA Tour and John Deere, and created worldwide rally cries like “Don’t Mess with Texas.” Roy’s purpose is to use the power of marketing to bring people together. After 9/11 he produced “I’m an American” the PSA that brought Americans together. After Hurricane Katrina, he produced powerful PSAs with Presidents Clinton/Bush (41), and after the earthquake in Haiti with Presidents Clinton/Bush (43). On Labor Day 2017, he and daughter Courtney Spence produced a PSA with all five former US Presidents helping victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Erma. He is now founder and CEO of the Promiseland Project - a purpose-inspired marketing group driven to help bridge the cultural divide in America.

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