Kelsey Klim and Kollin Chupa of K Squared marketing know something about the entertainment and event industry.

If you don’t know their names, you know their work. Before K Squared, they were the one-two entertainment marketing punch for JAC Management, and worked with just about every act that came to Youngstown in the last 10 years.

From the Covelli Centre to Packard Music Hall, Klim and Chupa worked with global and local companies, world-class entertainers like Elton John and Rod Stewart, and well-known shows such as Disney On Ice and Cirque du Soleil. JAC Management operates both venues.

On a personal note, Klim and Chupa were part of my first class at Youngstown State University.

As most teachers will tell you, watching the growth of former students after graduation is like watching your own kids grow up.

I interviewed the dynamic duo about K Squared and their recent partnership with DOYO Live, Youngstown’s digital marketing and interactive design conference.

DOYO will return for its third year Aug. 1-2, in its new location, the DeYor Performing Arts Center.

As graduates of our communication studies program, it’s clear that the twins learned how to leverage their skills and experiences with Eric Ryan Productions, the concert promotion company that was the forerunner — and is now a subsidiary — of JAC, into face-paced, versatile careers.

It’s also clear they’re determined to fix a problem they see in their industry: marketing jargon and “big business” practices have replaced personal attention, which ultimately leaves some clients feeling unsatisfied.

Q. You didn’t take the typical path through college to learn about marketing. How did a communication degree prepare you for this career?

A. We truly believe that the best approach to anything is to approach it from a holistic view. It’s a concept we’ve carried into our own business model. It wasn’t enough for us to sit in a classroom and learn about theories. We wanted a tangible way to put those theories into practice.

We discovered that we had the resources accessible to us within our community and campus. We just had to look. At YSU, Campus Recreation and Student Programming had merged into a new department, and it was there that we discovered a passion for live events, event marketing, sponsorships and corporate sales.

We also met our former boss Eric Ryan during this time frame, which led to our eventual careers at the JAC Management Group. Suddenly all of the communication classroom lessons started to make sense in a much deeper way.

Go to vindy.com to read the rest of my interview with Klim and Chupa. Visit ksquared.marketing to learn more about K Squared.

For more on DOYO Live, go to doyolive.com and DOYO’s Facebook page.

Adam Earnheardt is chairman of the department of communication at Youngstown State University. Follow him on Twitter at @adamearn and on his blog at adamearn.com.