By Kellie Britch, College of Arts and Sciences
Mark Clennon behind the scenes on his photoshoot with LeBron James for the cover of “Time” magazine. (Photo courtesy of Mark Clennon)
USF alumni Mark Clennon changed his major five times before finding a home in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications.
“I knew I was creative and I liked advertising and writing,” said Clennon, whose recent work can be found on the cover of “Time” magazine. “Public relations felt very general because you take classes that focus on business, advertising and journalism. So, I chose a major where I could do a little bit of all those things.
Since moving to a new agency in 2022, Clennon has worked on many notable campaigns, including Nike, Bose and Coca-Cola. (Photo courtesy of Mark Clennon)
“It felt like I could go in a lot of directions with it without having to commit to one specific thing.”
After graduating in 2010, Clennon moved to New York, where he worked as an account manager for AOL and, later, as an account executive for Yahoo! It wasn’t until 2016 that he decided to pick up a camera — a decision that altered his path forever.
“The Huffington Post was located on the floor below the AOL offices,” said Clennon. “I got my first bylines by offering my photos to my friends there. A year later, I quit my job to pursue photography full time.”
Clennon spent the next two years photographing events, people and personal branding . He found his breakthrough in 2018 when he got his first campaign with Foot Locker.
Two years later, his photos of the protests in New York following the murder of George Floyd went viral, leading to a featured spread in “Time” magazine.
Clennon soon partnered with a new agent, and in 2022 he moved to Los Angeles, where he has worked on some of the largest and most recognizable campaigns in recent years, including Nike, Bose and Coca-Cola. He has extended his reach into commercial directing, campaign work and editorial projects while remaining faithful to his experience as a journalist and documentarian.
This past spring, he was able to work with ‘Time’ again — this time on the cover.
“I shot the cover of ‘Time’ magazine with LeBron James,” said Clennon. “It was probably the highlight of my career so far in the editorial space.”
Clennon says that hooting LeBron James for the cover of “Time” magazine was one of his proudest professional achievements to date. (Photo courtesy of Mark Clennon)
Ten years into his career, Clennon is still surprised by how much he’s been able to accomplish as a self-taught photographer. A self-motivated and tactile learner, he credits a lot of his success to his time at USF.
“Pretty much everything can be attributed to something I learned for the first time, both in and out of the classroom, at USF,” said Clennon, who received the d in 2022. “I was an orientation team leader while at USF, and I tap into those same mannerisms when I’m running a set. You might have 40 or 50 people on set, and you have to keep spirits high— you're kind of playing the role of an orientation team leader on a weekly basis.”
Clennon’s background in mass communications is also an advantage when navigating the world of photography.
“Coming from advertising, I had a different perspective and I was able to network and maneuver into the right circles much quicker because I understood the landscape better than a kid who had just started photography and didn’t know how to get into the advertising business,” said Clennon. “I had studied it.
“That’s why I think the most important thing for a current student is to try as many things as possible, and stay curious and humble enough to realize that what you’re learning now, you might not think you’re going to use it, but you will.”
For Clennon’s latest work, check out the June issue of “Time,” or .