A Mother and Daughter Join Forces at IVY Marketing Group

A new chapter is unfolding at IVY Marketing Group as Katie Sheridan joins the firm full time as creative director, bringing big-agency experience and a fresh creative lens to the company her mother, Debra Sheridan, founded more than 35 years ago.

Growing up, Katie had a front-row seat to IVY’s beginnings. When her mother launched the firm from her home in 1990, guided by a commitment to doing right by clients, Katie watched a business take shape through creativity, curiosity and persistence. That early exposure sparked her interest in advertising, even as she set out to build a career on her own terms.

“I didn’t join IVY from the get-go because I wanted to do my own thing, learn my own things,” she says. “I wanted to work for the biggest and the best to learn everything that I could.”

Doing just that, Katie earned degrees in photography and advertising art direction from Columbia College Chicago and went on to work at top name agencies including VML, Energy BBDO, and Dentsu. Along the way, she contributed to campaigns for nationally recognized brands such as Intel, Home Depot, Ziploc and Bud Light, developing a creative approach based on strong client relationships, strategic thinking and visual storytelling. She earned multiple international awards along the way.

As Katie was honing her expertise, IVY was growing too, into a nationally recognized firm, eventually carving out a strong niche in senior housing and services. Along the way, Debra Sheridan navigated shifting markets, technological upheaval and economic downturns, always guided by integrity and curiosity.

Long known for its strength in public relations and storytelling, IVY is now expanding its capabilities to include a stronger advertising and creative services offering, with Katie at the helm of that endeavor.

“I like that I’m able to come in and continue what my mom has started and take that PR aspect and keep moving the needle into creating something that is also advertising,” Katie says. “Expanding the IVY brand is the most exciting part for me.”

As creative director, she is focused on translating brand stories into compelling visual expressions across platforms. From campaign ideation to execution, her work centers on solving client challenges in ways that are attention-grabbing and meaningful.

“It’s about taking an understanding of what the client is trying to say or what their business problem is, and then coming up with something really impactful,” she says.

Her approach aligns with IVY’s client-first philosophy, which emphasizes the value of building trust and collaboration; principles that are central to her approach to her work.

“When you really get to know the client and they really trust you, they let you explore more,” she says. “That’s when you can push boundaries and get into unexpected executions.”

Katie’s arrival also supports IVY’s interest in helping clients evolve and develop their own channels, from social media campaigns to newsletters and podcasts, allowing them to tell their own stories in their own ways.

“Our clients are really wanting to keep up with the times,” Katie says. “Not just having a story picked up by a newspaper, but creating their own kind of news platforms. It gives us an opportunity to tell our clients’ stories in more depth.”

The mother-daughter duo keep collaboration as a priority; an exchange of experiences and fresh perspectives enabling Katie to follow her own creative journey and impact IVY’s future growth.

“Advertising has been an outlet for me to express myself, and I think it’s really the perfect job for me because I get to take my strategic thinking and my love for art and visualizing things into something that is impactful for our clients,” she says.

With its ongoing emphasis on providing premier client service, IVY remains intentionally boutique, and the advertising side of the business is being built carefully. Joining IVY full-time represents both continuity and renewal; honoring what has been built while shaping what comes next.

“My mom has always done such a beautiful job with IVY,” she says. “I get to come in and, with her, craft this other discipline. It’s exciting to continue that legacy, but also, for me as a creative, to pursue my own visions and build the best agency that we can.”

With the mother and daughter working serving side by side, the firm’s story is being retold, always with an eye on how to best serve clients.