One Day, One Job » entertainment

Common Sense Media

Willy Franzen — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:18:47 +0000

On Tuesday I mentioned that I saw Mrs. Doubtfire for the first time in many years. One of the fun things about watching movies and tv shows from your childhood is picking up on all of the things that went over your head when you were a kid. I love it when writers are able to please both the young and the old at the same time. However, it feels like entertainment is getting less and less subtle, which means that it keeps getting harder for parents to monitor what kids are watching. That’s why Common Sense Media, which is based in San Francisco, CA, exists. They’re a non-profit organization that “is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology.”

Show Some Common Sense

I generally think that kids’ enhanced access to media is a good thing. Exploring the Internet as a pre-teen gave me the education that I needed to be a web entrepreneur later in life. But the Internet is a much scarier place than it was back then. Keeping your kids away from media sources isn’t the answer, but how can parents know what’s ok to show to what age children? Common Sense Media’s ratings and reviews are a good start. They are based on 10 Beliefs that start with a focus on “media sanity, not censorship.” These aren’t the essentially useless ratings that you see on tv now–these are in depth ratings that really dig into all of the issues covered by a given show, movie, game, website, or other media source. Common Sense Media is all about providing information that helps parents do their jobs better. If you’d like to be a part of that, check out Common Sense Media’s Jobs page. Right now the best fit for a new grad is probably the Office Assistant position, but you may also want to take a look at the Business Development Associate position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’d you watch as a kid that you probably shouldn’t have?

Super Sprowtz

Willy Franzen — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:01:09 +0000

Earlier this week I was catching up with Jason Seiden. We covered a ton of topics, but one thing that we kept coming back to is how frustrating it can be to work in the careers space. Why? Because, as Jason said, “Truly valuable career advice is like vegetables–you can’t give it away.” This is so true. You can try to force things on people, but you won’t get anywhere unless they want what you’re selling. Super Sprowtz is a company that is trying to change the way people–namely children–think about vegetables. They’re based in New York, NY, and they’ve seen how powerful cartoon characters can be in affecting children’s food choices, so they’ve developed a cast of “vegetable super heroes” to “entertain and educate children about healthy eating habits.” I started out thinking this was pretty weird, but I’m kind of warming to the idea.

How Super Are You?

When I first discovered Super Sprowtz, I assumed that they were a non-profit. Who would build a business on trying to get kids to eat vegetables? Even agricultural lobbies realize that they’re better off focusing on selling veggies to adults. But then you realize that Super Sprowtz’s customers aren’t children, but people who have children’s best interest at heart. Super Sprowtz develops DVDs, books, plush toys, apparel, and an interactive platform to sell to parents, teachers, nutritionists, and other concerned adults. Parents aren’t ever going to stop trying to get their kids to eat vegetables, so why not make an investment in products that are going to make their attempts more successful? There’s certainly a market for Super Sprowtz’s products, and it will be interesting to see how big it is. If you’d like to work directly with super heroes, check out Super Sprowtz’s jobs on Startuply. Right now they have mostly internships, but there is one Administrative Assistant position that looks interesting. Check it out, and don’t forget to bring along a bag of carrots if you get the interview.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your take on Super Sprowtz?

Bluefin Labs

Willy Franzen — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:58:16 +0000

When I first learned about Google Trends, I was shocked to see how much Internet search traffic is driven by television. It’s pretty clear that browsing the web and watching the tube go hand in hand, which is great news for both marketers and tv content producers. Since its inception tv’s biggest problem has been that it is a one way medium with no real feedback loop. That’s changed, and Bluefin Labs “has accomplished a breakthrough in this field by applying cognitive science research combined with large scale computing techniques to successfully and automatically link TV to social media.” If all goes as planned, the Cambridge, MA will make traditional tv ratings obsolete. Who cares how many people are watching when you can know who’s watching and what they’re saying?

Hook a Bluefin

While there’s no doubt about what Bluefin Labs does, they don’t really emphasize their business on the website. You have to scroll down on their home page to learn that their “clients span TV networks, advertising agencies, and brand advertisers” and include AMC Networks, CBS, MTV Networks, Mars, PepsiCo, MediaCom, and lots more. The solution that they sell to these clients is called Bluefin Signals, and you can read about the science behind it here. If you want to get a very basic sense of the kind of data that Bluefin Labs offers, you can check out their sample dashboard. Last night’s hottest show was the Heat vs. Hawks game, which was closely followed up by Jersey Shore (I know which one I would have preferred to watch). I found out about Bluefin Labs from a reader who landed a job there recently. They don’t post specific positions on their Jobs page, but it mentions that they’re looking for people in the following areas:

Machine learning
Natural language processing
Computer vision
Social network analysis
Data analysis
Information visualization
Interaction design
Large scale data storage and analytics
Sales
Account management
Marketing
Product development

That covers a wide range of interests, so don’t be afraid to reach out to careers@bluefinlabs.com and apply for a position in one of those areas.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Bluefin Labs?

Spartz Media

Willy Franzen — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:28:29 +0000

Life isn’t nearly as exciting with no new Harry Potter books or movies coming out. I’m pretty bummed about it, but probably not nearly as bummed as the people who hang out on MuggleNet. In case you’ve never heard of it, MuggleNet is “the world’s #1 Harry Potter site.” It was started by Emerson Spartz when he was 12 years old, and it quickly started generating a ton of traffic. And with that traffic came some serious revenue opportunities. As MuggleNet turned into a real business, Emerson rolled it into a company called Spartz Media and started launching new entertainment focused sites. Some of the bigger names include OMG Facts, Gives Me Hope, and SmartphOWNED. Spartz Media is located in Chicago, IL (about 3 blocks from me), and they’re reaching more than 8.5 million people every month through their web properties. They’ve been at it since 2009, though MuggleNet has actually been around since 1999.

OMG Jobs

I actually learned about Spartz Media from a guy I occasionally play volleyball with who works there (though I’d heard of MuggleNet before that). He made it sound like a pretty cool place to work, and how can it not be when your business is all about making websites that entertain people? You can check out all of Spartz Media’s brand here, just make sure that you don’t end up wasting a few hours. What’s cool about Spartz Media is that it’s not all fun and games–there’s a science to what they do. Whether you want to be part of the fun, the science, or both, you should take a look at Spartz Media’s jobs. Right now they’re looking for a Business Analyst and a PHP Developer, and if you look at their Team page you’ll see that there may be other potential opportunities in Design, Web Development, Project Management, Editorial, Community Management, Business Intelligence, Analytics, and more. If you do end up applying, be sure to let them know that we sent you (and if you want an intro to my fried, just e-mail me at willy@onedayonejob.com). It’s a really young company, so I bet it’s a great place for new grads.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which of Spartz Media’s sites is your favorite?

Intergi

Willy Franzen — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 16:12:16 +0000

A few years ago during the beginning of the recession, I featured a bunch of jobs in the video games industry. All those people who lost their jobs were buying video games, and business was booming. Things have slowed since. I’m not sure if it has to do with the economy, but I do know that gaming on phones and tablets is really biting into video game industry sales. One video game related company that is continuing to grow is Intergi. They’re a Deerfield Beach, FL based company that “partners with the foremost gaming web publishers to provide advertisers with targeted ad placements.” They’re another Inc. 5000 company, and they’ve seen 2,383% three-year growth from $253,818 in revenue to $6.3 million in revenue.

Game On

Intergi is in the business of “site representation,” but a better explanation might be that they monetize gaming related traffic. They’ve built out a significant network of publishers and advertisers that enables them to offer a ton of value to both sides. You can read about their offerings for publishers here and their offering for advertisers here. Integri not only works with publishers, but they also are a publisher. GameZone.com is their major property, but I suspect that there might be a few more sites. I couldn’t find a list of Intergi’s publishers, but they do have a Client List. If you’re interested in the video game media business, then Intergi would be a great place to work. They’ve bee growing their headcount, and they have a bunch of entry level jobs posted on their Careers page. These include Online Editor, Web Designer, Book Keeper, Junior Account Executive, and Account Coordinator. The weird thing is that I can’t figure out how you’re supposed to apply for these positions. There’s no link, button, or e-mail address. WHOOPS! I guess you should use their Contact page to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a gamer?

Sixthman

Willy Franzen — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:19:01 +0000

As much as I love the Inc. 5000, there is one thing that bugs me. It seems that the large majority of companies on the list don’t even have Jobs pages. These are companies that are growing rapidly in terms of revenue and number of employees, yet they often lack even a single recruiting message on their own websites. If you follow these companies, you’ll see that they eventually get the picture and put up a Jobs page, but why wait? Sometimes you just need to find cool companies and pitch them on why you’d be a great addition to their team. Speaking of great additions to teams, let’s take a look at at a company called Sixthman. They’re an Atlanta, GA based company that “creates theme cruises with an emphasis on celebrating music and fan communities.” Neither cruises nor concerts are my thing, but if you like both, Sixthman is your dream come true.

Can You Be a Sixthman?

Sixthman was founded in 2001, so they are certainly a pioneer in the “music theme cruise movement.” Being a first mover is great, but what really makes Sixthman stand out is that they have worked “with entertainers such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer, Kid Rock, KISS, Jillian Michaels, Barenaked Ladies, Sister Hazel, Lyle Lovett, Sarah McLachlan, Patty Griffin, Zac Brown Band, and 311, and brands such as VH1, TCM and Graceland.” Those are huge names–the kind that people might actually want to be trapped on a boat with. So far Sixthman has done more than 30 full-ship charters, and 60% of their guests return for another cruise. That’s unbelievable considering that a cruise is typically a high-ticket item. Who would have thought that combining to seemingly unrelated leisure industries would be so successful? If you like what Sixthman is doing, then you should think about a job with them. Despite their lack of a Jobs page (maybe it has something to do with outsourcing HR), they were “named one of Atlanta’s Best Places to Work in 2008 by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.” There is no guarantee that they’re hiring right now, but if you’re passionate about what they’re doing, you should definitely reach out to them and tell them why you think you should be part of their team.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Would you go on a Sixthman cruise?

C3 Presents

Willy Franzen — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 15:54:32 +0000

Today marks the beginning of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. Musical festivals definitely aren’t my thing, but it seems that everyone in the city is talking about Lolla. If you don’t know what Lollapalooza is, you can get the full story at Lollapalooza.com or on the Lollapalooza Wikipedia page. I was most interested in figuring out what company puts on the festival, because there’s a good chance that they might have some interesting job opportunities. It turns out that Lollapalooza is “presented” by C3 Presents, an Austin, TX based (I hear they also have locations in Los Angeles, CA and Chicago, IL) company that “creates, books, markets, and produces live experiences, concerts, events, and just about anything that makes people stand up and cheer.” They were formerly known as Capital Sports Entertainment, and in addition all of the live events that they do, they also offer artist/talent management services.

What Will You Present?

Beyond Lollapalooza C3 Presents puts on The Austin City Limits Music Festival and Wanderlust, has a publicity and marketing firm called Fresh and Clean Media, and manages a bunch of venues. You can check out all of their concerts at C3Concerts.com. Unfortunately, C3 Presents doesn’t offer much information about themselves on their website. They don’t even mention which artists they manage. You can get a few additional tidbits from their Wikipedia page, which mentions that they’re the third largest concert promoter in the United States behind Live Nation and AEG. C3 Presents does have a Careers page, but all it says is that “C3 Presents is not currently hiring.” So why am I writing about them? Companies in this industry are notoriously hard to get jobs with. If you think that waiting until they post a job on their Careers page is a good strategy, then you have a lot to learn. You’re going to have to find a way to contact them, and pitch yourself. LinkedIn tells me that their recent hires include a Festival Marketing Coordinator, a Talent Assistant, and a couple of interns. I also imagine that C3 Presents does a lot of event staff hiring, but I’m not sure how they do it (they probably contract it out).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you been to any concerts put on by C3 Presents?

Redbox

Willy Franzen — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:40:58 +0000

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There aren’t many companies that have as many loyal fans as Netflix. I swear that everybody loves them (check out jobs at Netflix). At least they did until yesterday when Netflix announced a change to their plans. They touted it as a good thing with their “lowest prices ever for unlimited DVDs,” but it really was a price increase for streaming subscribers. I guess yesterday was a good day for Redbox, which is based in Oakbrook Terrace, IL (with a major presence in Bellevue, WA). They operate more than 27,000 DVD and Blu-ray rental kiosks, or redboxes. Believe it or not, rentals aren’t dead, and Redbox has found a sweetspot between Blockbuster and Netflix. There’s definitely something I miss about the old school video rental shops–especially the pre-Blockbuster independent ones. But it’s mind blowing that Redbox is able to fit an entire video rental store in 12 square feet.

Think Inside the Redbox

Redbox has rented out more than 1 billion movies. Back in 2007 the kiosks were averaging nearly 50 rentals a day and almost $40,000 in annual revenue each. That’s pretty amazing considering Redbox kiosksi are typically just filling in empty space in high traffic buildings. Obviously a 12 square foot kiosk can’t offer much variety in terms of movies, but by stocking mostly new releases Redbox is able to stay relevant and serve a significant portion of the demand for in-home movie viewing. Now, we all know that streaming is the future, but there’s still a huge portion of the population that relies on hard media like DVDs and Blu-rays. It’ll be interesting to see how Redbox adapts moving forward, but for now I think they can still find opportunities for growth. If you like what Redbox is doing, you’ll want to take a look at their Jobs page. Unfortunately, it’s just a list of jobs, and there are a lot of them to browse through. Most are Field positions all across the country, but there are a few that seem better suited for recent grads. These include Service Representative – New Ventures (Hayward, CA), Sales & Use Tax Accountant (Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Machine Support Coordinator (Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Web Analyst/ eCommerce Analyst (Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Software Engineer (Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Service Representative – New Ventures (Fairfax, VA), Quality Engineer I (Kent, WA), and Business Analyst (Oakbrook Terrace, IL). There are a lot more mid-level options, so if you have some prior experience, be sure to check those out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use Redbox?

Avail-TVN

Willy Franzen — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 16:07:26 +0000

We’ve put together some information on how you can prepare yourself for the 500,000 teaching jobs that will be added in the U.S. over the next decade. You can find it here.

There’s no question that the way in which we consume video content is changing. It wasn’t that long ago that watching something meant sitting down in front of the television at a specific time. Now we have DVRs, On Demand, sites like Hulu, and a variety of other ways to consume content on our own schedules. This isn’t just a cultural shift; it comes as a result of (while also being a cause of) significant technological advances. One of the major companies behind this shift is Avail-TVN. They’re based in Reston, VA and they work “with every major studio and television network” to offer “a full content line up of MPEG-4 encoded live programming as well as video on demand content in MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 to multichannel video providers throughout the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico.” I know this might be a little confusing for the non-techies out there, but the basic gist of it is that they make it possible for you to watch video over IP (internet protocol).

To Your Avail

Avail-TVN’s business is obviously complicated from a technical standpoint, but it’s also pretty complicated from a relationships standpoint. They work with over 200 content providers to secure the rights to delivering a wide range of video content, and then they have to work with a number of parties in between (ending with the cable/satellite/telco provider) to ensure that the content you want can be delivered to you in your home when you want it. I’m sure that I’m missing a lot, but that’s what I’m able to piece together from the Avail-TVN website. It seems like a fascinating business, and it appears to offer opportunities in a range of areas. Avail-TVN doesn’t have many jobs that seem like perfect fits for new or recent grads, but their Jobs page does show a couple of positions that are worth checking out like Jr. Systems Engineer (Kalispell, MT), Project Manager (Sherman Oaks, CA), and Customer Onboarding Program Manager (Sherman Oaks, CA). I also saw on LinkedIn that they recently hired a Marketing Coordinator (which is an entry level position), so you may want to reach out to them and see if there are any other positions that don’t require the type of experience that the positions I mentioned do.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you watch a lot of video on demand?

Octagon

Willy Franzen — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 16:19:11 +0000

Usually when readers recommend companies, I put them on my list and cover them soon after if they look interesting and have relevant opportunities. Lately I’ve had two readers mention that they applied to Octagon, but I somehow overlooked the company. My only excuse is that I’m often skeptical of sports and entertainment marketing companies because there are so many sports marketing hiring scams. But that’s very clearly not the case with Octagon, they’ve been around since 1983 and they have offices all across the world. As they put it, they’re “the recognized, global thought leader in passion-based, sports & entertainment marketing.” Some of people they represent are Chris Paul, Michael Phelps, Randy Johnson, John Elway, Elena Dementieva, Landry Fields, Michael Johnson, Anna Kournikova, Apolo Anton Ohno, and many more huge names.

Can You Compete Inside the Octagon?

From what I can tell, Octagon separates their business into four divisions. On their Octagon’s What We Do page, you’ll see links to: Marketing, Marketing North America, Athletes & Personalities, and Events. Within the Athletes & Personalities section you’ll find links to specific verticals like OctagoOly.com, OctagonHockey.com, OctagonBasketball.com. Additionally, there are separate sites for Octagon’s international businesses like OctagonBrazil.com, and Octagon-UK.com. It’s all a bit overwhelming, but it’s indicative of how big Octagon’s presence is in the field of sports and entertainment marketing. In fact, the best overview of what Octagon’s businesses actually do is on their Careers page. Once you read through that, then you can take a look at their current job postings. Right now they have a few positions that seem right for a new or recent grad including Account Executive – Telecom (Kansas City, KS), Non-Profit & Media Relations Coordinator (Portland, ME), Account Executive – Sales Assistant (Norwalk, CT), Associate Producer – Digital (Norwalk, CT), and Account Executive – Multicultural – Home Improvement (Atlanta, GA).

Octagon has offices in the following locations, so you may want to watch out for new postings in any of these places:

Atlanta, GA
Cary, NC
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Los Angels, CA
McLean, VA
Minneapolis, MN
Naples, FL
New York, NY
Norwalk, CT
Ormond Beach, FL
Portland, ME
Richmond, VA
Rogers, AR
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Ottawa, Ontario
Waterlool, Ontario
Adelaide, South Australia
Hobart, Tasmania
Melbourne, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Beijing, China
Mumbai, India
Tokyo Japan
Singapore, Malaysia
Paris, France
Frankfurt, Germany
Doha, Qatar
Moscow, Russia
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa
Barcelona, Spain
Sevilla, Spain
Stockholm, Sweden
Istanbul, Turkey
London, United Kingdom

That’s a lot of locations, so keep an eye on Octagon’s job postings for opportunities closer to home (or further away if that’s what you’re looking for).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about Octagon?

Funny or Die

Willy Franzen — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:43:05 +0000

I love the idea of April Fool’s Day, but I’m almost never impressed with the pranks that people come up with. It’s really become a day where people show off how lame their sense of humor is. Since this is my fourth April Fool’s Day doing this and I still don’t have the heart to play a trick on hopeful job seekers, we’re going to do what we’ve done for the past three years–look at companies with good senses of humor. Last year we covered Second City (and at least one reader landed a job there). The year before it was CollegeHumor. And the year before that we took a look at Motley Fool (check out this job that their recruiter sent me this morning). We’ve also covered jobs at The Onion, but that wasn’t for April Fool’s Day. This year it’s all about Funny or Die, the “rapidly growing celebrity-anchored video website” based in San Mateo, CA. I guess this is what you get when you combine “a bunch of Silicon Valley dudes and ladies” with funny guys Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, Adam McKay, and Chris Henchy.

Don’t Die

Funny or Die has a pretty decent April Fool going on right now: Rebecca Black has taken over the entire site. I’m just glad to see that she’s finally getting the recognition that she deserves. I remember the first Funny or Die video that I ever saw. It’s “The Landlord” with Will Ferrell. I have to admit that I didn’t love it, but maybe you will (e-mail readers click through to see the video).

If this video has you in hysterics, then Funny or Die might be the right place for you to start your career. Their Jobs page is kind of a semi-permanent April Fool’s Day gag since they don’t provide any listings or a contact e-mail address, but that shouldn’t discourage you. They mention 50 employees and offices in Hollywood, Palo Alto, and New York, so there have to be some options–maybe in areas like video, production, editorial, advertising, sales, and marketing. You can browse LinkedIn to get a better feel for how their ad-supported business works.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you visit Funny or Die?

FanBridge

Willy Franzen — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 16:56:37 +0000

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My first online business was a music fan site. It wasn’t a huge success, but it was nice to get the occasional $100-$200 check for advertising as a high schooler. Back then the Internet was still kind of new. Most artists had websites, but they were usually static and rarely updated. The best fans sites were better than the official sites. Most fan sites died off as musicians, sports teams, comedians, and other fan-worthy acts started to get more serious about interacting with fans online. However, fans aren’t just for mega stars who have huge budgets to pay agencies to take care of managing fan relationships. Anyone can have fans, but it’s hard to be fan-worthy if you spend all of your time managing fan relationships. FanBridge is a New York, NY based company that has built a platform for managing and leveraging fan lists. FanBridge makes keeping fans engaged easy so that their customers can keep doing what they do best–whether it’s playing music, making jokes, or baking cupcakes.

Cross This Bridge

You’re nothing without your fans. If you can’t get people to consume what you’re creating, you’re not going to eat. Artists of all kinds need to be more serious about mobilizing their fan bases so that producing art (whatever it is) can continue to be a viable business. FanBridge makes this easy by offering an affordable way to collect fans’ information, excite fans, and keep fans engaged. The FanBridge platform focuses on three mediums: e-mail, SMS, and social networks. They’re already managing over 100,000,000 fan relationships, and they’re constantly working on new ways to make managing these relationships easier. One of the key focuses of FanBridge is increasing “Fan Lifetime Value.” This may sound really transactional, but it’s really all about increasing the opportunity for mutually beneficial exchanges. If you dig the idea of FanBridge, then you should check out their Jobs page. Right now they have a few opportunities that seem perfect for new grads including Music Industry Relationship Builder (New York, NY), Client Service Representative (New York, NY or San Francisco, CA), UI/UX Designer (San Francisco, CA), and Web Developer (Buenos Aires or New York, NY or San Francisco, CA). If you’re a fan of fans, then FanBridge is the place to be.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Whom are you a fan of?

American Greetings

Willy Franzen — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:36:40 +0000

I can’t remember the last time that I bought a greeting card, but I can remember the last time that I was part of the purchasing process. A good friend of mine was getting married, and he needed a card for his soon to be wife. Because of the dearth of cards for brides from their grooms, I made it my job to suggest alternatives. Trying to convince a stressed out groom to give his new wife a condolences card probably isn’t the nicest thing to do, but it’s certainly entertaining. Yes, greeting cards can be funny, but there’s more to them than that. That’s why American Greetings calls themselves the “leading manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships.” The Cleveland, OH based company is the largest publicly-traded greeting card company in the world, and their brands include American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings, and Papyrus along with a number of other paper products and online brands.

A Job for Every Occasion

Greeting cards may seem like a niche business, but American Greetings is a very large company with near $1.7 billion in annual revenue and 18,000 employees according to Wikipedia. The company was started in 1906 by a Polish immigrant named Jacob Sapirstein, and it’s been able to stick around through constant innovation. They’ve developed toy brands like Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears and digital properties like Webshots and Blue Mountain. If it can somehow be worked into “social expressions products,” then they’re on it. American Greetings seems to keep on growing, and that means lots of hiring. Their Careers page takes a little bit of navigating, but half a dozen clicks later you’ll find their job listings. There are a ton of jobs posted, but you should look out for the following opportunities: Artist Coordinator (Chicago, IL), Assistant Product Development Manager – Papyrus/Recycled Greetings (Fairfield, CA), Assistant Art Director (Cleveland, OH), Brand Analyst – Papyrus, Graphic Designer (Cleveland, OH), Graphic Line Designer – Derivative Planning (Cleveland, OH), Graphic Coordinator (Cleveland, OH), Marketing Product Assistant (Cleveland, OH), Merchandiser (Nationwide), Order Filler (Cleveland, OH), Programmer Analyst (Bardstown, KY), Receptionist – Papyrus/Recycled Greetings (Chicago, IL), Sourcing Coordinator (Cleveland, OH), and Supply Chain Leadership Rotation Program Associate (Cleveland, OH). That Leadership Rotation Program is the most intriguing, and makes me wonder if they have any other similar programs in different areas.

American Greetings’ Careers page also mentions the following business departments: Accounting, Business Intelligence, Creative, Communications, Engineering, Entertainment, Finance, Human Resources, Interactive, Information Technology, International Operations, Legal, Management, Manufacturing and Distribution, Marketing, Retail Merchandising, Sales, Supply Chain Management, Transportation/Logistics, and Writer/Editor. So if you are interested in any of those areas but don’t see a job that fits you, you might want to keep checking in (or apply for an unlisted position).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s the last greeting card that you sent?

United Talent Agency

Willy Franzen — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 17:02:27 +0000

When I chose to pursue a degree in Labor Relations, a big part of my decision was based on the fact that I wanted to be a sports agent (me and every other 18 year old sports loving guy). I eventually realized that I wasn’t interested in that kind of lifestyle, but I’m still fascinated by the profession (I’d kill to read an in-depth biography of Scott Boras). If you’re like me, but haven’t given up the dream–and you’re more interested in Hollywood than professional sports, then you’ll want to check out United Talent Agency. They’re a Beverly Hills, CA based talent and literary agency. They were founded in 1991, and they have “more than 100 agents representing actors, writers, directors, producers, recording artists, below the line talent, IP rights holders, emerging technology companies and corporate brands in a variety of practice areas including film, television, music, digital media, intellectual property, computer and video games, commercials, voiceovers, endorsements, branding & licensing, corporate consulting and entertainment marketing” according to Wikipedia. Their clients include Johnny Depp, Harrison Ford, Owen Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, Patrick Dempsey, Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, and plenty of other huge names, so you know they’re for real.

Do You Have the Talent?

United Talent Agency doesn’t provide much information about anything on their site, but their About page does give a brief rundown of what each of their divisions do. The company’s Wikipedia page is a much better source of information. The most in-depth section on UTA’s website is actually focused on their Agent Training Program. It’s an entry level rotation program that can put you on the path to a career as a Talent Agent at one of the world’s top talent agencies. The idea of getting your start in the mailroom seems a little outdated, but apparently that’s how it still works at United Talent Agency and quite a few others in the industry. If you do a good job there, then you’ll get assigned to be the Assistant for one of UTA’s agents. If you keep excelling, there’s a good chance that you’ll get promoted to agent status. UTA accepts applications on an ongoing basis, so take a look at all of the details here.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you want to be a talent agent?

Wieden + Kennedy

Willy Franzen — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:31:58 +0000

I don’t know when people started to think that other people care what they think of Super Bowl commercials, but it seems that everyone with a Twitter account is now an advertising expert. Considering the fact that I have a Twitter account, I guess I should give you all my opinion on some of last night’s ads (at least I’m kinda sorta in the advertising/media industry). First, I really liked the Groupon spots—I thought they were hilarious and did a great job of poking fun at consumerism. Still, they didn’t explain the joke as well as they could have, and it backfired (but all that press is great for brand recognition). However, my favorite ad was Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit.” Maybe it’s just because my family ties give me a soft spot for the Motor City, but I think that Portland, OR based Wieden + Kennedy knocked it out of Comerica Park with this one. It was two minutes long (which costs $8+ million) and featured Eminem. Even better, it told a story and made me want to buy an American car—maybe even a Chrysler.

“Imported from Detroit” Made in Portland

In case you didn’t see the ad, I’ve embedded it below (e-mail readers need to click through).

Awesome, huh? Obviously, the best way to get a feel for Wieden + Kennedy is to take a look at more of their work. Their website is organized by office location, so you can check out the work from each office: Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Delhi, Shanghai, and Tokyo. They also do this with their Company Blogs and Client List. The Client List includes names like Chrysler (duh!), Old Spice, Nike, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Levi’s. It truly doesn’t get any bigger than those brands. But it’s not all about the big names at Wieden + Kennedy—they also have an Incubator that is aimed at creating “environments for entrepreneurial partnership and mentorship that drive culture and innovation.” You can also get a feel for the people who are behind all of the cool stuff that Wieden + Kennedy does here. Wieden + Kennedy sounds like an amazingly cool place to work, so if you’re up for the challenge (they’re obviously only looking for the best), then start thinking about a job with them. They don’t have a Jobs page, but each of their offices’ Contact pages includes an HR contact. Additionally, they have a Media Planner job in NYC and a Financial Analyst/Risk Management Coordinator position in Portland posted on LinkedIn. You can apply for one of these, or you can just reach out to them and tell them where you think that you’ll fit in.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Which Super Bowl ad was your favorite?

Wikia

Willy Franzen — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:49:35 +0000

Yesterday our e-mail provider failed to send out our daily e-mail about Organic Motion. You can find that post here. We’re working on changing providers to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

If you’re not spending at least 15 minutes a week reading Wikipedia articles, you’re selling yourself short. As a job seeker you need to be constantly learning about new stuff. Wikipedia is an amazing, free resource for learning about general concepts, but what if you are seeking more specific knowledge? The Wiki format is great, but that’s not what Wikipedia is about. Luckily, there are all kinds of Wiki-powered communities that cover niche topics “ranging from video games, TV shows and movies to food, fashion, and environmental sustainability.” Wikia is a San Francisco, CA based company that provides the platform for many of these Wiki-based communities. The company was founded by Jimmy Wales, who also founded Wikipedia (he’s the creepy guy who stares at you and asks for donations on all of their pages). Both sites use very similar technology, but Wikia is a place for more focused communities that may or may not have a commercial purpose.

Wiki Wiki

There are a ton of cool communities built on Wikia, many of them are officially sanctioned. For instance in TV shows there are Mad Men and NCIS, in movies there are Harry Potter and Avatar, and in games there are Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. To get a feel for it, you should browse around Wikia—they do a great job of spotlighting their top wikis. The video below will give you a quick overview of how Wikia works (e-mail readers should click through).

Now, you’re probably wondering how Wikia makes money. It’s a combination of advertising and “partner programs.” You can get a look behind the curtains by looking at Wikia’s Media Kit. The network of Wikia sites gets a ton of traffic, and they must be monetizing it well. Wikia doesn’t appear to have received any new funding in over 4 years, yet their Jobs page shows quite a few openings. The ones that seem most suitable for new or recent grads include UI Designer, Junior Designer, Sales/Sponsored Links Coordinator, Online Advertising Account Executive, Community Manager, German Gaming Helper, German Entertainment Helper, and Italian Speaking Helpers. There’s a good mix of opportunities, so check them out.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you a member of any Wikia communities?

Golin Harris

Willy Franzen — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:51:38 +0000

It’s been a while since we took a look at a full-fledge PR firm (we’ve covered a ton in the past, check our public relations and communications tags). It’s not that they don’t offer great entry level opportunities, it’s just that they’re kind of boring to write about. As an outsider it’s hard for me to tell what makes one PR firm better than the other—I usually focus on clients lists, but even that’s not enough. You really need to dig deep and do some serious research to get a read on a PR firm. You’re probably wondering what about Chicago, IL (with offices across the world) based Golin Harris made them stand out to me. Well, someone I follow tweeted about the company’s jobs, and then I saw that they were named 2010 “Large PR Agency of the Year” by PRWeek. They were also a 2009 Holmes Report “Best Agency to Work For,” and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to honors and awards.

Golin or Go Home

Oddly enough, Golin Harris doesn’t seem to list their clients on their website; however, the company’s Wikipedia page mentions that they do work for Bristol-Myers Squibb, McDonald’s, Nintendo of America, Dow Chemical, Orange, Texas Instruments, and Toyota. Those are monster names, which makes sense for a company that was recently named Large PR Agency of the Year. The Golin Harris website is a bit lacking when it comes to providing information that can really give you a feel for a company, but their Capabilities section does give some insight into the kind of work they do and how they go about it. If you’re impressed with what you see at Golin Harris, then you’ll want to check out their Careers page. They have a number of entry level opportunities including Assistant Account Executive – Interactive Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA), Staff Writer – Interactive Entertainment (Los Angeles, CA), Assistant Account Executive – Healthcare (Chicago, IL), and Assistant Account Executive (Dallas, TX). Golin Harris’ locations U.S offices in Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Miami, FL; New York, NY; Orange County, CA; Richmond, VA; San Francisco, CA; San Juan, PR; and Washington, DC; along with plenty of international offices. So you may want to look out for opportunities in those offices too.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Golin Harris?

Alloy Media + Marketing

Willy Franzen — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:47:05 +0000

Marketing is all about targeting. Marketers want to reach specific audiences, and media companies try to develop audiences that marketers want to reach. Typically, the more specific an audience is, the more valuable it is—at least as long as there’s something that you can sell to that audience. Alloy Media + Marketing, which is headquartered in New York City is a company that operates on both the marketing and media sides. They specialize in targeted youth media and promotional programs, and they operate a number of businesses in those areas. Youth marketing is a big deal—not only do young people spend a large portion of their income (even if it’s relatively small) on discretionary purchases, but they also are impressionable. If you can gain an 18 year old’s loyalty, you’ll have a long time to extract value from them as a customer. Alloy leverages “a diverse array of assets and services in interactive, display, direct mail, content production and educational programming” to build relationships with and market to teens and college students.

Be Part of an Alloy

Alloy Media + Marketing’s businesses include Alloy Media, Alloy Access, AMP Agency, Alloy Education, and Alloy Entertainment. Alloy’s businesses really cover a lot of ground, so it’s worth looking at each individually to get a feel for what they do. If you want to take a look at one of the major media properties that they run, you can check out Alloy.com. Once you get a feel for all of the stuff that Alloy Media + Marketing does, you should check out their job listings. There are a wide range of opportunities available including quite a few that seem suitable for new or recent grads. Some of the job postings are a bit outdated and some require a few years of prior experience, but the following jobs are worth checking out: Web Designer – Alloy Education (Chicago, IL), Marketing Coordinator – Media Services (New York, NY), Integrated PR Account Executive – AMP Agency (Boston, MA), Media Negotiator – Media Newspaper Services (New York, NY), Social Media Assistant (Los Angeles, CA), Media Planner – AMP Agency (Boston, MA), Account Coordinator – AMP Agency (Boston, MA), Editor (New York, NY), Sales Representative (Cedar Rapids, IA; Coralville, IA; Minneapolis, MN; Des Moine, IA), Desktop Specialist (Boston, MA), Sponsored Content Producer – Alloy Digital (Los Angeles, CA), Entertainment Sales Account Executive – AMP Agency (New York, NY), Digital Sales Account Executive – AMP Agency (Boston, MA), Web Developer (New York, NY), and Associate Project Manager – Alloy Digital (New York, NY).

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Alloy Media + Marketing?

JustSpotted

Willy Franzen — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 13:58:43 +0000

Yesterday I was playing beach volleyball when my girlfriend ran up to me as excited as could be. She had taken a walk and spotted a celebrity on the way. Ok, celebrity may be a bit of an overstatement, but Jill Zarin of Real Housewives of New York City is certainly famous. So, we grabbed our camera and tried and failed to get a good paparazzi shot. Back when I lived in Connecticut, a celebrity sighting beyond Paul Newman or Don Imus was pretty unusual for me; however, now that I live in downtown Chicago, I’m seeing famous people left and right. I see Oprah and Jesse Jackson at the gym. I’ve had breakfast next to Charles Oakley, seen Greg Olson out on the town, and dined at the same restaurant as Johnny Damon. Celebrity chefs like Rick Bayless and Graham Elliott have restaurants a few blocks from my apartment, and I’ve even seen the entire Chicago Blackhawks team with the Stanley Cup. If I wanted to share all of those sightings with you in real-time, I could do it on JustSpotted. It’s a celebrity-spotting site run by a San Francisco, CA startup called Scoopler.

Whom Have You Spotted?

Scoopler was originally a real-time search engine. Apparently, that idea didn’t pan out, but they pivoted and used their technology to develop JustSpotted. On the home page you can see where your favorite celebrities have been or who’s in your neighborhood. It’s a really cool idea, and it truly takes advantage of the power of mobile. I’m not sure what their business model is, but celebrity gossip sites are doing well monetizing their traffic, so I have to think that JustSpotted should do well if they can build a critical mass. Right now they’re looking for a Javascript / HTML / CSS Front-End Superstar and a Rock Star Software Developer, but they also have a Celebrity News Analyst Internship posted, so there is the potential for non-technical jobs too. You can find everything that you need to know about the positions on JustSpotted’s Jobs page.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Whom have you spotted?

New York Philharmonic

Willy Franzen — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:24:27 +0000

I’ve never been one to listen to classical music. I know it’s supposed to make you smarter, but for me, the more mindless the music, the better. Then again, I’ve never really given classical music a try. I’ll be going to a good friend’s piano recital in a few weeks, so maybe that will change me forever. If that does happen, I’m sure that I’ll aspire to visit the New York Philharmonic (also known as the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York) at some point. It’s been around since 1842, which makes it the “oldest symphony orchestra in the United States.” The New York Philharmonic performs at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City’s Lincoln Center, and the current music director is Alan Gilbert.

Start Your Career on a High Note

Interestingly enough, most of the information on the New York Philharmonic’s website is about the music, which means that I’m probably not the best person to parse it for you. You can learn all about the orchestra, and you can even meet the members on the About page. There are also opportunities to watch and listen online. Unfortunately, the New York Philharmonic doesn’t actually tell you much about the organization. Your best bet to learn more is to read the New York Philharmonic’s Wikipedia entry and then take a look at their Annual Report and Fact Book. Once you learn a little bit more, you can check out jobs at New York Philharmonic. Right now they have a few opportunities posted that might be suitable for a new or recent grad. These include Communications Assistant and Marketing Manager. And if you’re looking for an opportunity on the music side of things, then you may want to consider an audition.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever seen the New York Philharmonic?

Pandora

Willy Franzen — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:27:33 +0000

I used to listen to a lot more music. In fact, my first website was music related (I won’t go into any more detail because it’s embarrassing). I guess I got a bad taste in my mouth from the shutdown of all of the file sharing websites. As new services have popped up that make it easy to listen to music for free, I’ve started to listen again. One of those services is Pandora, which uses The Music Genome Project to deliver users a radio station that is tailored to their individual tastes. It’s a simple idea, but a huge technical challenge. Not only does Oakland, CA based Pandora have to deliver different music to every user—and all at the same time—but they also have to be able to predict what kind of music you’re going to like based on songs that you tell them that you like. They do the hard part, and all you have to do is click a thumbs up or a thumbs down when they start playing a song for you.

Pandora Is All Gifted

If you were wondering where Pandora got its name, you can read all about it here. And if you’re wondering what Pandora is like, just try it. You can even get an iPhone app and play music in the background, which is awesome. There’s not a lot more to the Pandora product than being able to listen to great music whenever and wherever you want for free. The business is built on both an advertising supported and a freemium model. For $36 a year you can get Pandora One, and if you don’t want to pay you can listen to targeted ads occasionally—just like normal radio. If you’re interested working at a place where music, media, and technology intersect, then you should check out jobs at Pandora. They have a ton of positions posted right now, and plenty seem suitable for new or recent grads. These include positions in Advertising Sales, Software/Web Development, Accounting, Design, and more. You can apply online, and if you have any questions you can reach out to them at pandora-jobs@pandora.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you use Pandora?

AEG

Willy Franzen — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:54:32 +0000

I swear that half of all college grads want to work in sports and entertainment. Unfortunately most of the job postings you’ll find in those industries are actually scam jobs. Getting a position at a legitimate sports and entertainment company is not easy, but with AEG you have a shot. They call themselves “one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world,” and although that sounds broad, it’s a good description. AEG operates in a number of business areas including Facilities, Sports (Teams and Events), Music (Events), and Merchandising. They own/control arenas like the STAPLES Center, Conseco Fieldhouse, and the Prudential Center, while also owning professional sports teams like the LA Kings and Los Angeles Galaxy (can you tell that AEG is based in Los Angeles?). They’ve also “promoted tours by artists including Britney Spears, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Christina Aguilera & Justin Timberlake, The Dixie Chicks, Yanni, Paul McCartney, Usher, Kanye West, Prince, Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi, Nickelback, and PopTarts Presents American Idol.” And that’s not even half of it. AEG is a major player in sports and entertainment, and a great place to start a career.

Join AEG’s Team

Describing AEG’s business in a few paragraphs isn’t easy, so I guess that the best way to put it is that if it has to do with sports or entertainment, they’re probably involved in some way. That means that AEG offers job opportunities in a wide variety of areas. They actually have a halfway decent job search function on their site, so you can narrow things down by AEG Company, Area of Interest, Location, or Facility. They have nearly 100 jobs posted (a lot of them are internships though), and they’re in locations all across the country. I’m not going to list entry level opportunities for you, so you’ll have to do the searching yourself, but you should note that AEG’s job offerings are typically in areas like Accounting & Finance, Administrative & Clerical, Box Office, Creative Services, Event Services, Facilities Operations, Guest Services, Merchandising & Retail, Player Operations, Real Estate, and Sales & Marketing. You can apply for any of the positions that you find through their online application process.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about AEG?

The Wrap

Willy Franzen — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:19 +0000

I’m going to be brutally honest with this one. When I landed on the The Wrap’s Home page, I immediately clicked the back button. I thought that I had landed on one of those Google Money Maker scam pages (it’s all because of the font choice). After processing what I had seen, I decided to take a second look. Despite their poor design choices, The Wrap is a legitimate site—if a site that covers entertainment industry analysis and breaking hollywood news can be considered legitimate (I kid). Now, The Wrap shouldn’t be confused with gossip sites like TMZ or Perez Hilton, this is actually an industry focused site that does primary source reporting. They’re venture funded and quite obviously located in Los Angeles. I don’t know a lot about the entertainment industry and how it’s covered by the press, but it looks like The Wrap is growing a solid audience with their web-based content.

Get Wrapped Up In It

Whether or not a job in entertainment journalism sounds interesting to you, you need to be reading The Wrap if you have any interest in the entertainment industry whatsoever. On the other hand, if you’re looking for an entry level journalism job covering Hollywood news, you’re in serious luck. The only job posted on The Wrap’s Jobs page is Entry-Level Reporter. They want someone with writing/reporting experience and a good business sense. The position starts as a contract job with the opportunity to join the staff full-time. It’s the perfect opportunity for a new journalism grad to prove his or her worth by diving into some real work. If you’re interested, send a résumé and clips to info@thewrap.com.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Do you read The Wrap?