Jud Mackrill

Like a great song that combines poetic lyrics with music’s mathematical precision, successful adviser marketing is now a combination of creative messaging riding atop the power of digital technology. Given his tech credentials and experience, Jud Mackrill, 38, may be today’s top “composer” in the field of adviser marketing. The son of a North Dakota beekeeper, Mackrill attended a now-defunct small college in Omaha, Nebraska, and took a job in 2004 as an analyst at nearby Orion Advisor Services, where he learned about the advice industry. Over his 11 years with the firm, he helped create new applications and tech solutions, getting to know many advisory firms and their leaders.

When TA Associates bought Orion in 2015, Mackrill and his wife went out on their own, creating Mineral Interactive, a digital strategy and design firm that created solutions for advisory and fintech businesses. In 2018, he wound down the business after the Carson Group approached him to take over the firm’s marketing and reshape its client experience. He views his role as helping “advisers add the most value for their clients by giving them the clarity and competence to live their best lives.”

– Evan Cooper