Nelson Schmidt Inc. Team Members

Just about everyone calls him Nelie, but no one calls him lethargic. Always on the go, both professionally and personally, Nelie’s long list of career achievements is only rivaled by his litany of hobbies and activities. A graduate of Stanford University and a Bay Area resident during the Internet’s infancy, Nelie has always had a knowledge and passion for digital communications and technologies. But his professional interests and experience run the entire marketing gamut. From commercial photography, creative direction and account management to planning, strategy development and brand consulting, Nelie has immersed himself in just about every industry pool you can think of. After more than 20 years in the business, Nelie purchased Nelson Schmidt Inc. from his father, Dan Nelson Sr. (or just “Senior” if you see him in the hallway) in 2012, and has continued to propel our agency on an upward trajectory ever since. After wearing all those hats, you’d think Nelie might spend his rare free time catching up on a little rest. But when he’s not burning the business end of the candle, he’s living life to the fullest, hunting, fishing, boating, diving, skiing, golfing or volunteering as a rescue diver for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Nelie is also an active leader in the community, serving as chairman of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee’s Maritime Committee, which produces the free LIVE @ the Lakefront summer concert series in the Rotary Amphitheater at Discovery World. 

Cody takes a sensible, almost poetic approach when it comes to ensuring quality and profitability within the agency. Let’s put it this way, if Nelson Schmidt were a winery, Cody would be both the grapes and the vintner. His favorite thing about NS, you ask? The people – “Gotta love the people you work with or it’s not worth working.” Cody is also a big advocate of getting everyone on board when it comes to the creative process by exploring multiple insights that go deep below the surface–to get the big idea, not just the first idea. When the working hours come to a close, Cody likes to get out on the water or into the woods. Whether he’s fishing, hunting or enjoying a little soft rock from back in the day (Insert Ambrosia song here) he’s always keeping his eyes open to welcome new, diverse principles. Basically, He’s “never holdin’ on to yesterday.” (Okay, you really have to look up Ambrosia now). 

As a creative, results-driven advertising and marketing executive with 15+ years agency and global corporate experience spanning multiple industries, Angie’s capabilities are practically endless. She focuses on generating positive outcomes and has a track record for building lasting client relationships and high-performance teams. When asked how she does it, Angie had this to say:

“I generate successes through my belief in the power of collaboration, a desire to always be learning new things and having an entrepreneurial spirit.”

When not working, she also likes to explore the unknown and expand on her experiences. Five-star hotel or a camper in the woods? Yes. A concert with a thousand fans or a hole-in-the-wall music joint? What the heck. Angie’s comfortable stepping outside comfort zones.

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.”

In life and on the job, keep pushing those boundaries and moving forward, Angie. 

Mike often says, “Creativity is the most powerful weapon in business today.” So he uses his role as Chief Creative Officer to spread the love and importance of creativity across the entire agency and with its clients. He’s also a self-described advertising industry geek, always on the lookout for the newest thinking, latest technology, and any other differential advantage he can bring to the agency’s work. Mike’s a bit obsessed with his work (you’ll usually see him in the office by 6:30 a.m.), but he does try to get away from it all and clear his mind with another obsession: bikes. He’s into gravel, mountain, and fat biking. But his all-time favorite way to unwind is to get in the woods camping with his wife and two dogs. Oh yeah, and if you get Mike talking about BBQ ribs, you won’t be able to shut him up. 

Shelly’s well-rounded experience across editorial, consulting, client-side marketing and agencies gives her a wonderfully fresh and inspired view of how to deliver world-class PR solutions for our clients. She’s passionate about helping businesses tell their stories and define their brands in unique ways. Asked how she does it, she had this to say:

“I strategize to find the next best step in a client’s journey, empower others to achieve their objectives and coach teams to be the best versions of themselves. I’m also a strong believer in creativity, and that collaboration is the key to quickly overcoming obstacles and making good ideas amazing.”

When not collaborating with colleagues on how to creatively craft communications for our clients, Shelly likes hanging out with her husband, hiking, running, reading and training her two Cairn Terriers (Finleigh and Ollie) to participate in agility competitions.

Seems like for Shelly, coaching others to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals is all in a day’s work.

Keep it up, Shelly. Keep it up. 

At Nelson Schmidt, John goes all out to expand current and new customer relationships, maximize strategic alliances nationally and internationally and build our agency’s brand equity. When asked about his theory on orchestrating success, he had this to say:

“I love collaborating with an inspired and dedicated team, helping clients define, develop, implement and measure effective solutions that exceed expectations.”

John’s nearly three decades of industry experience has involved a blend of agency and brand marketing leadership roles. As a musician himself, one of the more interesting chapters of his life was as CMO at Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., aka Summerfest.

“I love music and outside of the office I still like to write and record,” said John. “I do seem to have developed a bit of a problem collecting guitars though. But I am working on it.”

Hey, in business or music, as long as you keep turning things up to 11, we don’t mind. 

Mrs. Lynne Chamberlain is Nelson Schmidt elite. She’s been walking through these agency doors for over 30 years (she was hired when she was 8). Lynne is a fan of the many different personalities here at NS, and that’s a good thing–seeing she’s head of HR and all. She is responsible for planning, directing and coordinating the administration functions within the organization. Lynne is always upbeat and in good spirits. Her life philosophy speaks to her magnetic spirit: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, do more and become more–you are a leader.” When Lynne switches off ‘work-mode’ and turns on ‘fun-mode’, she and her husband like to hop on their Harley and take off up north to hang out at their cottage with beloved family members. And if Lynne is having quiet time (aka if no one else is around), she’ll enjoy her favorite dish (Pasta Bolognese) while watching her favorite reality show. Now, she won’t tell us which show, so we’ll just have to assume it includes dogs, roses, challenges and boozy drama. Wait. Isn’t that every reality show? 

Cristy has probably the most noted job here at Nelson Schmidt. She’s in charge of everything financial within the agency. Expenses. Profits. Wait. That means our paychecks, too. Did I mention Cristy is very charming? She appreciates the many different personalities that make up Nelson Schmidt, which can speak to her creative philosophy: “Keep it balanced.” When Cristy is not taking care of the agency numbers, she enjoys eating a lot of food and spending time with her family.