Jeanette Smith grew up in Salem and attended the University of Oregon, where she earned her degree in Journalism…and had a cameo as an extra in the movie “Animal House.” After graduating with honors, Jeanette stayed in the Northwest where she fine-tuned her marketing and advertising talents.
In 1986, with a desire to grow and take on greater challenges, Jeanette was inspired to head east to the fast-paced business landscape of New York. Jeanette took on a series of monumental opportunities that did much to shape who she is today. Large organizations, including Official Airline Guides, MacMillan Publishing, Paramount Communications, and VIACOM International put Jeanette in charge of opening new divisions, and with each assignment came success for Jeanette and profits for these companies and their clients.
In 1994, Jeanette landed at United Media, the site of arguably her greatest and most notable achievement. In only six years, Jeanette turned Dilbert from a relatively unknown, syndicated-based comic strip into a global brand, earning two-hundred million dollars a year in retail sales. (To see how she did this, visit the Doing Dilbert page.)
After this extraordinary success, Jeanette returned to the west coast with the same eagerness, optimism, and enthusiasm. However, she came back with much greater experience, and a bountiful collection of fruitful relationships that she nurtured over the years.
In 2001, J’net Smith Marketing and Licensing was born, allowing Jeanette to share her vast amount of knowledge, experience, energy, creativity…and most importantly, her gift for making companies and individuals the best they can be.
Currently J'net is the marketing strategist for a wide range of clients, including an exclusive relationship with Tom Wilson, Internationally Syndicated Ziggy™ Cartoonist for his new business venture Character Matters, LLC. In addition, J'net has launched All Art Licensing, where artists will find unique services, products and resources to start and build an art licensing business - all from a single source!
Today Jeanette lives in Seattle with her husband and beautiful 6-year-old son. If there’s more you want to know about Jeanette or what she can do for you or your organization, call her at 206.533.1490 or e-mail her today.