A sixth grade advertising assignment sealed the deal and led Fran to find her path and understand that the best visual communication should always give rise to an emotion, or change someone’s view of something.
Studying marketing and advertising led to a 15-year career in publishing on the ad side of the business before Fran launched the award-winning Sharkey Advertising in 1999. “To me, the secret to longevity in this business has always been to create work to tell stories—in any medium—that resonate with people emotionally. It never gets old. Whatever story we’re sharing needs be filled with passion, creativity and honesty. I try to bring that to even the smallest projects I work on. The need to create, experiment and play is, I think, essential to the way I work and, above all else, essential to my overall happiness. It keeps me up at night, and it’s why I still check my iPhone when I’m on vacation—but I love it,” says Sharkey.
Nurturing talent over the years and leading by example has led to fairly simple goals—do smart, breakthrough work with respect for the talent you work with. A bit of a self-proclaimed workaholic, Fran is an avid traveler with her family, loves everything Italian due to her heritage, quotes movie lines, and appreciates a great book when she can find the time to read!
