Havas Helia Levels Up with Talented One-Two Punch

Two new players have joined the game in Charm City.

5 min readMar 25, 2020

At Havas Helia, growth is in our DNA. But when we level up, we play smart.

We grow with purpose. We grow strategically. And we grow with the best, which is why we’re eager to announce the arrival of two brilliant additions to our team: Senior Digital Strategist Jess Lewis and Assistant Account Executive Jacy Eisel.

We sat down with the new kids on the block to pick their brains about life, love, advertising, and more. So, go ahead, have a read, and say hello to the newest members of the squad!

Jess Lewis, Senior Digital Strategist

Looking back, the life of Baltimore native Jess Lewis looks eerily like the stuff of destiny. How many high school kids have the creative chops for art, but also the analytical skills for debate club? This natural duality has existed within Jess all her life. But now, it’s serendipitously coalescing for her role as Senior Digital Strategist… destiny, man.

Over the last several years, Jess has been owning the customer relationship management game for companies and institutions across Baltimore. She’s a self-proclaimed mid-funnel phenom who’s passionate about everything in life, including CRM, and it plays clearly across her face when she speaks about it.

“There’s a story in everything, the consumer journey is no different,” she explains enthusiastically. “Stories are the one thing every human has in common; they’ve connected us for millennia and will continue to until we’re extinct.”

Spoken more like an English major than an economics major, Jess embodies the strategic mind we strive to attract here at Havas Helia. She’s part analytical genius, part creative sponge, part passionate artist, and to us, that’s the whole package.

After her first month with Havas Helia, Jess is already feeling good vibes at the office.

“I love the people and the culture we have here,” she says, adding, “Also, there’s a sufficient number of meeting rooms for everyone, so that’s cool.”

The quote says it all: A little empathetic. A little analytic. The best of both worlds for a strategist… destiny, man.

Q&A w/ Jess Lewis

We needed to dive a bit deeper. So our friends at NASA formulated the following list of questions for Jess.

What’s in your coffee cup?

Blonde roast with what was once referred to as an adorably small amount of cream.

What’s your favorite color?

Turquoise.

Is cereal soup? Why or why not?

Only if tacos are sandwiches.

What songs have you completely memorized?

“Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” by The Avett Brothers and “Maps” by The Front Bottoms.

What job would you be terrible at?

Anything with a night shift, in isolation, or heavily math-focused.

Who do you transform into when you’re hangry?

Gordon Ramsay.

What takes up too much of your time?

Running, grad school, & meal prep.

Favorite ad campaign (ever)?

Budweiser’s “Wassup” campaign.

Do you have any hidden talents?

I played Spades in college (it is considered Leisure Studies) and went to a national competition.

Which TV/film character would make the worst creative director?

Councilman Jeremy “Jamm” from “Parks and Recreation.”

Jacy Eisel, Assistant Account Executive

Jacy is from a small town in Maryland called Frostburg. And as you may have guessed, she has a slight accent. But that’s precisely where all of the small town cliches end, and the impossibly driven and hard-working woman she is begins.

Inspired by her mother, an entrepreneur and restaurant owner in her hometown, Jacy entered college like a hangry bullet, devouring everything she could as quickly as possible. By sophomore year, she was pursuing a triple major in marketing, English, and management with a minor in creative writing.

Go ahead and take a moment to process that… we’ll wait.

Driven to do, see, learn, fail, succeed, travel, and experience it all, she took an internship halfway around the world in Sydney, Australia. The experience was challenging but monumental. The best moment came at the peak of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which she climbed with a group of fellow interns.

“It was an incredible feeling,” she says. “I was proud that I traveled so far in the face of everything. I felt like I could do anything.”

Go ahead and air five for woman power… we’ll wait.

She arrived back in the states with a load of confidence, crushed her remaining classes, graduated, moved home, and… got extremely bored. She needed a change.

That change came in the form of a new job, a gig in Baltimore where she was able to flex her skills. But more importantly, it’s where she was introduced to Havas Helia, prompting her to apply.

Spoiler alert, she landed the job.

We officially know how it feels to have a hangry bullet on the team. Luckily, with all of the wildly talented humans whizzing around every hour of every day, she fits in quite well.

Q&A w/ Jacy Eisel

We put Jacy in the hot seat. Well, it’s more of a mild seat, we aren’t exactly saving babies here.

What’s your favorite website?

Some (myself included) would say I have a shopping problem, so probably any online clothing store. Lately, I’ve been hooked on a site called Shein.

What’s in your coffee cup?

Not coffee. For me, caffeine goes only so far as chai lattes and green tea.

Is cereal soup? Why or why not?

The only time cereal comes even close to soup is when it’s soggy… and nobody wants that.

What takes up too much of your time?

Thinking about how I should be spending my time.

What’s your favorite thing to listen to when you’re working?

Anything that’s upbeat or has a fast tempo. I have a playlist on Spotify filled with Twenty One Pilots, Loote, and Bryce Vine. It’s a strange combination, but my go-to for when I need to focus.

What’s your favorite color?

Green.

What movie title best describes your life?

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” because most things in my life do NOT go according to plan.

Favorite ad campaign (ever)?

Ben & Jerry’s “Democracy Is In Your Hands.” Social impact has lived at the heart of this brand since its beginning, and I absolutely love that.