In celebration of the 40th Annual Crystal Awards, we’re proud to present a free virtual Crystal Awards Submission Academy designed to help marketers submit their work with confidence and clarity.
Whether you’re entering for the first time or looking to strengthen your submission this year, this session offers practical guidance from a panel of former Crystal Award winners on how to build a strong, competitive entry.
What You’ll Gain
- Storytelling Guidance – How to write a clear, compelling entry
- Impactful Results – Selecting the metrics, KPIs, and data that matter most
- Strategic Category Selection – Choosing the right Crystal Awards category and project
- Creativity & Presentation – Tips for making your storyboard stand out
- Judging Perspective – Understanding what judges are looking for
- The Value of Submitting – Why entering the Crystal Awards each year matters
This academy is free and fully virtual, and all registrants will receive access to the session recording.
Register
Questions are welcome in advance at academy@amahouston.org. Depending on time, we’ll also take questions during the live session.
Speakers:
Stephen Brent May
Co-Founder of One Foot Over
Stephen Brent May is a founder of One Foot Over, a strategy-first B2B Marketing agency rethinking how tech and industrial manufacturing companies grow in the age of AI. The agency focuses on Clarity Before Tactics, a process that helps Marketing teams move faster, operate smarter, and drive results that matter. From strategy and SEO to HubSpot automation and AI integration, One Foot Over helps in-house teams get unstuck, align around strategy, and scale with clarity.
He is the President-Elect of the American Marketing Association’s Professional Chapters Council and a past president of AMA Houston. Previously, Stephen served on the boards of the Aldridge Foundation and Bering Open Gate Homeless Ministries.
Stephen is an award-winning, nationally recognized Marketing voice, supporting professionals and students in their careers and leadership development. He has spoken at conferences and organizations around the globe, including the Greater Houston Partnership, AMA Leadership Summit, Rice University, the National Association of Women MBAs, CloudFest, HostingCon, Nonprofit Leaders Forum, and more.
Weslie Gray
Director of Strategic Initiatives & Operations at Sam Houston State University
Weslie Gray is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Operations and Editor-in-Chief of CAM Magazine at Sam Houston State University’s College of Arts & Media (CAM). Under her leadership, CAM Magazine has earned three consecutive AMA Houston Crystal Awards, showcasing student talent on and off the stage across the college while also standing as a creative work built by students through its design, photography, and storytelling. She brings a strong understanding of how to frame goals, results, and metrics to help creative work clearly demonstrate impact.
Stephanie Weaver McKee
Co-Founder & COO of Nicely Done Brands & Ads
Stephanie brings her big-brand media buying experience and relationship-building expertise to clients of all needs and sizes. Over the last seventeen years in Houston, Stephanie’s degrees in communication studies and public relations have melded with her passion for sports leading her to market some of the biggest events in the area.
Stephanie moved to Houston with the opportunity to work for Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. She planned, executed, and even designed creative for multiple collegiate football games and international soccer matches. Stephanie continued to expand her skills during her time as the first marketing and PR manager for the Harris County – Houston Sports Authority, promoting national and international sporting events brought to the greater Houston community.
Making the jump to a traditional agency in 2014, Stephanie became the media director of a multi-million-dollar media portfolio and worked with clients in practically every market in the country. Most recently, Stephanie took on a combination of brand leadership and media responsibilities with Professional Sports Partners.
Launching Nicely Done Brands & Ads with Josh Powers in 2023 was the realization of a dream. Stephanie is married to her best friend, Matt, and has her hands full with two boys under five years old.
Lauren Blair
Account Executive at BrightSpot Creative
With a deep love of combining words, design, and heart to make a lasting impact, Lauren brings 11 years of marketing experience to the BrightSpot Creative team. She’s highly collaborative, a storyteller at her core, and a resident “Tinkerbell,” eager to tackle any challenge with a problem-solving attitude and approach.
Lauren began her career in the worship arts space within church ministry after graduating with a degree in Biblical Studies and Communication from Cincinnati Christian University. From there she made a shift to nonprofit marketing for Child Advocates, the Houston nonprofit which provides volunteer advocates for children in foster care. There she specialized in tailoring design and content to engage and compel potential donors, partners, and high-stakes volunteers.
Since joining the BrightSpot team in 2020, Lauren has worked on more than a dozen client accounts, leading, collaborating, and forging lasting partnerships. Her relationship-centric approach to creative communication allows her to listen keenly to client needs and produce creative solutions to propel their growth.
When she’s not strategizing company messaging, designing a publication, writing a case study, or brainstorming her next Crystal Award entry, you’ll find her dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters, traveling with her husband of 15 years, or singing at her church.