# John January

> John January is the Kansas City-based co-CEO of Signal Theory, a longtime creative leader whose path runs from an isolated western Kansas childhood and Wichita State University to three decades at the agency formerly known as Sullivan Higdon & Sink. His work joins creative craft, behavioral science and a specialty in the food system, while his side projects and civic roles reveal a consistent preference for making, mentoring and acting on ideas.

- **Role:** Co-Chief Executive Officer at Signal Theory
- **Organizations:** Signal Theory, Sullivan Higdon & Sink, The BrandLab Kansas City, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, American Copywriter, Volcanic
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Wichita State University
- **Known for:** Co-leads Signal Theory with Ali Mahaffy., Named Kansas City Advertising Professional of the Year by AAF-Kansas City., Helped develop Signal Theory's national food-system specialty across agriculture, animal health, processing, retail and restaurants.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Began the tenure at the agency now known as Signal Theory; the company marked his 30th anniversary in 2026.
- **2010** — Named Kansas City Advertising Professional of the Year by the local American Advertising Federation chapter.
- **2011** — Served as senior vice president and executive creative director at Sullivan Higdon & Sink.
- **2014** — Helped launch Volcanic, a service and experience design venture connected to Sullivan Higdon & Sink.
- **2018** — Began service on the board of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, as listed on his public profile.
- **2020** — Was publicly profiled as co-CEO of Signal Theory and described the firm's farm-to-table food-system practice.
- **2026** — Published the Comfort, Joy & Meaning framework article and reached 30 years with Signal Theory.

## Achievements

- Co-leads Signal Theory with Ali Mahaffy.
- Named Kansas City Advertising Professional of the Year by AAF-Kansas City.
- Helped develop Signal Theory's national food-system specialty across agriculture, animal health, processing, retail and restaurants.
- Founding board member of The BrandLab's Kansas City presence, focused on access to marketing and advertising careers.
- Created the American Copywriter blog and podcast as an independent creative outlet.
- Guided work for brands including SONIC, Merck Animal Health, Elanco, Bose and John Deere.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Signal Theory celebrated January's 30th anniversary with the agency alongside Ali Mahaffy's 25th.
- **2026-05** — Signal Theory expanded its executive committee; January and co-CEO Ali Mahaffy remained part of the leadership group.
- **2026-02** — Published an essay connecting childhood Spider-Man comics with Signal Theory's Comfort, Joy & Meaning research framework.

## Links

- Website: https://www.signaltheory.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjanuary
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/wehatesheep
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/wehatesheep

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-january
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-22