One Day, One Job » online media

Lunchbox

Willy Franzen — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 15:46:14 +0000

If you haven’t already checked out this week’s sponsor, New York City Teaching Fellows, take a look now. They’re recruiting new grads with no prior experience or education in teaching to teach in NYC public schools.

Although Twitter’s search results are getting filled with more and more junk, I’m still finding that Twitter is a pretty easy way to find jobs and internships that wouldn’t typically be on your radar. That’s how I came across Lunchbox, a Culver City, CA based “full-service agency that specializes in creating complete-branded content packages.” Since I have no idea what that actually means, I took a look at Lunchbox’s portfolio to get a better idea of what their work entails. Basically Lunchbox helps build brands by developing new ways for their clients to introduce their brands to customers. It may be creating stuffed animals for Discovery Channel or designing a magazine for CMT. Whatever the challenge is, Lunchbox brings an amazing creative team that has worked in the past with some of the world’s biggest brands.

What’s in Your Lunchbox?

My take on interactive agencies like Lunchbox is that the best way to judge whether you want to work for them is to look at their portfolio. Not only should you consider the names that they work with—Lunchbox has worked with Pepsi, Nick at Nite, Walmart, Warner Bros., and plenty more—but you should also look closely at what kind of work they put out. I’m impressed with what I see from Lunchbox, but it’s up to you to determine if you’d fit in with them. If you think you will, you should check out Lunchbox’s Jobs page. They have 7 positions open right now, and the most likely fits for new grads are Back-End Software Engineer, Front-End Software Engineer, Interactive Developer, QA Analyst, and Video Production Assistant. Lunchbox seems much more focused on talent than experience, so get ready to impress if you’re going to apply.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think of Lunchbox’s portfolio?

Undertone Networks

Willy Franzen — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:56:14 +0000

The future of marketing and media is getting more results based, and that trend is going to continue as tracking technology progresses. Some people think that means that branding campaigns are a dying breed, but the folks at Undertone Networks would strongly disagree. They are a New York City based online advertising network that is helping Fortune 500 companies move their branding campaigns online. The trouble with doing this is that controlling your brand online is much more difficult than controlling it on tv, radio, or in print. That’s why Undertone Networks has developed an ad network that offers “Fortune 500 marketers an ad network where they [can] confidently and safely market their products and services without having to compromise their brand.”

Undertones of Your Career

Undertone Networks is bringing the sophistication of online advertising to branding campaigns. I’m not sure that I’d call it results oriented, but measurement is key to the success of campaigns. Instead of focusing on directly attributing sales or actions to specific campaigns, Undertone Networks is more concerned about driving brand awareness by obsessing over the quality of the audience that sees the ads that they serve. By only working with huge brands and trusted websites, Undertone Networks is able to maintain an intense focus on targeting. If they can’t deliver the audience that they think they can, they’ll happily refund the advertiser’s money. To get a better sense of how Undertone Networks works, you should check out their case studies or this interview with Alan Schanzer, their Chief Strategy Officer.

If you do that and like what you see, then you’ll probably want to take a look at jobs at Undertone Networks. They’re an Inc. 5000 company and one of Crain’s Best Places to Work in NYC, so you know they’re the kind of place that you want to be. Undertone Networks has a number of open positions, and a few seem suitable for new or recent grads. These include QA Engineer (San Francisco), Media Buyer, Finance Coordinator, Flash Designer/Creative Services Manager, and QA Engineer. You can apply for any of these positions through Undertone Networks’ applicant tracking system.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Undertone Networks?

Do Something

Willy Franzen — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:06:13 +0000

Whether you’re trying to land a job, start a business, get in shape, figure out your personal finances, or get a date, there’s one piece of advice that I’ve found to be the most appropriate. It’s really simple and a little disappointing, but it just works. Do something! Get off your butt and take action. It will get you 80% of the way to accomplishing your goal. I’m not the only one who thinks this. Do Something, a New York City based non-profit, has adopted this two word phrase as their name. They’re focused on encouraging teenagers to take positive ideas and turn them into action. Instead of focusing on a specific cause, Do Something is all about getting teens to do something about the issues that matter to them—whatever they may be.

Umm… Do Something!

What impresses me most about Do Something is how they’re harnessing the power of the Internet to reach teens with their message. In fact, Do Something has created an online platform that gives teens the tools and resources that they need to take action. Everything that Do Something does is based on 5 guidelines:

Believe in teenagers. Teenagers can lead today. We don’t require adults.
Trust teenagers. We provide reliable, easy to access information and activation strategies, but teens decide for themselves what to do.
Celebrate teenagers. We think all measurable contributions from teens are valuable.
Respect teenagers. We understand that teenagers have diverse abilities and constraints.
Value teenagers. Our programs and products are free. We’re not after teens’ money; we want their passion, time and creativity.

The result of following these guidelines is a website that encourages teenagers to Act Now by using a search engine to find a project that they can join. Or students can start their own club or apply for a grant. Teens are completely empowered to take action on their own. How can you take action? You can check out jobs at Do Something. They’re a young non-profit, and they have what look to be two awesome jobs. You won’t find the word “experience” in either of the job descriptions, so as a new grad you should definitely consider their Clubs Associate and Digital Media Associate positions. The application instructions vary, so pay attention… and DO SOMETHING!

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Want to get a job? Do something!

The FeedRoom

Willy Franzen — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:51:36 +0000

Having developed a product that relies on delivering video content, I know firsthand how difficult online video can be. Yes, any idiot can record something and upload it to YouTube for millions to watch, but it takes a significantly greater effort for a company to deliver an even slightly more professional video experience. New York City based The FeedRoom is a company that offers enterprise solutions for online streaming video and digital asset management. You may have seen their software at work on sites like PentagonChannel.mil and BestBuyTrueStories.com. It’s about 14 steps above publishing to YouTube, yet it’s nearly as easy to do for corporate clients who use The FeedRoom’s products, services, and solutions. If I had the budget for some serious enterprise software, I’d definitely The FeedRoom for Found Your Career.

Feed Your Career

Online video delivery is only going to continue to grow, and as expectations grow, YouTube isn’t going to cut it any more. The FeedRoom is primed for success as more companies decide that they need to get serious about video. The FeedRoom is already working with some serious names (The Pentagon!), and they seem to have the ease of use thing down. If you’re excited about the growth in the world of online video, then you might want to consider a job with The FeedRoom. Right now all of their opportunities require some pretty serious Software Development experience. They wouldn’t be defined as entry level, but if you’ve been hacking since you were a kid, you might have a shot. Those opportunities are in Westborough, MA; however, The FeedRoom also has offices in New York City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Additionally, The FeedRoom does have an internship program in Digital Media Technology, so they must have some interest in young talent. Take a look at what The FeedRoom is all about, and if you think that you’ll make a great addition, then send a cover letter and résumé to jobs@feedroom.com. They are always looking for people who “have a background in digital media, and are experienced in the areas of sales, software development, marketing, customer service or support, human resources or administration.”

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Are you impressed with The FeedRoom’s offerings?