Zone of Genius

Jena Pruitt was honored on the Forbes ’30 Under 30’ Marketing and Advertising list for 2023.

Postcard photographer. Tour guide. Podcast creator and host. Installation designer. Spin instructor. Olympic Games volunteer. International DJ.

All these things comprise Jena Pruitt’s post-graduation portfolio. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. “

I double majored in political science and anthropology,” says Pruitt, cofounder of marketing and creative agency Made in Color, “and now I lead an agency. The degree you choose does not define the path that you end up taking.”

Add that to her CV, along with this accolade: a place on Forbes Magazine’s prestigious “30 Under 30” list for 2023.

“Being on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” Marketing and Advertising list was a dream that I manifested and brought to reality. It was strategic. In this instance, I was the mastermind of my own success, which I think is what we all must be,” Pruitt says. “Even into your 30s, it takes time to know yourself, to have self-awareness. Try a few things, try a lot of things. Travel if you can. Finding out what you don’t like is the ultimate way to start identifying what you do like, and to find what I call your ‘zone of genius.’ Where do you operate well? You’ve got to figure out the boundaries to find your sweet spot.”

Pruitt is clearly in her sweet spot with Made in Color (MIC). Conceived with business partner Selena Davant, the creative agency prioritizes increasing representation and access to opportunities for creatives of color. With their fully remote and national team of talent, MIC does everything from content strategy and social media management to digital campaigns, blog writing and design. Their client list includes global consulting firm McKinsey & Co, ADCOLOR, Greystar, P/Y/T Beauty, the Sum of Us Festival, Clubhouse and Visit Oakland.

Finding out what you don't like is the ultimate way to find what I like to call your "zone of genius." You've got to figure out the boundaries to find your sweet spot.

“Selena and I are both unconventional talent who have not always been selected by the industry or fit easily in traditional categories,” Pruitt says. “So we said, ok, ‘Let’s create our own category.’ Let’s create a space for other talent to call home and create with folks that look like them. Let’s create space for the people we are and naturally attract our tribe. Made in Color attracts creatives from all over the world, and I think we can be a trailblazer in the global creative industry as a safe space for underrepresented creative talent, and for underserved audiences.”

Pruitt has been creating those spaces all along. Starting college at UC Merced, she transferred to UCSB in 2012 and immediately moved to Washington D.C. with the UCDC program, interning for the National Organization for Women. Back on campus in 2013, she involved herself in everything: A.S. Program Board, the Women’s Center, the Black Student Union, an internship with Vice Chancellor Michael D. Young, ballet classes — plus summer study in Argentina — all before graduating in the summer of 2014.

“When I first got to Santa Barbara, it was a hard pivot,” Pruitt says. “I didn’t know anyone, and not a lot of people looked like me. But I grew so much. It was a catalyst for a lot of things because I was so involved. Being in college, there is still a safety net and a rich environment to plant all kinds of seeds and see which ones grow. I would strongly advise that, and to really relish in the discomfort. I’m uncomfortable and I believe anything is possible. Both can be true.”