Elaine Podulka

+1 617.970.2354 Sunnyvale, CA 94086
epodulka@gmail.com
skype: epodulka
twitter: epodz


SUMMARY:

A commitment to delivering a clear message to prospective clients and developing marketing campaigns (via direct marketing and social media) that directly involve clientele with the organization. Proven experience in project management, development of training programs, market research, and execution of superior special events.

Over five years in the music and higher education industries with a heavy focus on branding higher education, producing extraordinary results in the caliber of the current student body at Berklee College of Music and an immense enthusiasm for learning about the ever-evolving thing that is social media and social media marketing.


LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/epodulka
Twitter: twitter.com/epodz

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EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

July 2008 to December 2008

Product Manager, Inner8, Inc., Cupertino, CA

  • Designed and established social product features, including blog interaction, on-site email, person-to-person interaction, system-to-user alerts
  • Developed business plans for products, including all on-site social features, mobile, and external social media features
  • Delivered MRDs and PRDs with prioritized features and corresponding justification; creates and communicates PRD across organizational groups
  • Developed guerilla viral marketing tactics, including the use of Twitter, blogs, and other social media to acquire new users and maintain our user base
  • Set product strategy and direction with input from customers, internal groups, primary and secondary research
  • Defined the product strategy and roadmap in preparation using wire frames for UI/UE and graphic design
  • Maintained a steady pace of customer acquisition from 200 to 1500 between September and November 2008
  • Determined and communicated end of life and end of support for previous version of the features
  • Established processes for management of product requirements throughout their life-cycle
  • Worked with external third parties to assess partnerships and licensing opportunities
  • Developed the core positioning, copy and messaging for the product
  • Delivered ongoing comprehensive competitive evaluation

April 2008 to Present

Self-employed, Virtual Assistant and Social Media Consultant, Anywhere, USA


Part-time Research Assistant to Joel Postman, Principal at Socialized

  • Assembled briefing for PRSA Social Media Club Panel presentation, focusing primarily on case studies relating to how businesses utilize social media to generate positive, mainstream media coverage for companies and clients
  • Prepared research document comparing web-based and first generation (generally non-GPS-based) life-feed applications, including FriendFeed, SocialThing!, AlertThingy and Plazes, Brightkite, FireEagle and Meetro
  • Compiled a list of thought-provoking consumer IT-related facts relating to current and future trends that IT leaders should consider, including broadband penetration, cell phone vs. landline statistics, comparison of the release-week earnings of Grand Theft Auto 4 vs. Rock Band, and iPhone-for-business market penetration
  • Contributed to Postman’s book, SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate; chapter written on Corporate Communications: Inside and Out

September 2003 to February 2008                                                                                                  

Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA


Admissions
Application Processing and Communications Supervisor

  • Managed 5 full-time Applicant Advisors and a work study team of 24 full-time students, assessing strengths and weaknesses of each and producing conducive results by targeting their strengths
  • Assisted in the implementation of a series of automated follow-up communications, directed towards prospective students encouraging the completion of the application process
  • Conducted group and one-on-one training sessions with new full-time staff and work study; developed custom training manual and training sessions
  • Maintained meticulous database management and data integrity of corresponding SQL data to Citrix ICA Client Colleague and Filemaker Pro, including regular clean-ups of high volume data and communications
  • Developed strategic work-flow patterns for day-to-day operations of the Application Processing area
  • Developed a monthly calendar of individual and group goals for the Application Processing Team
  • Maintained a strict budget for staffing, supplies, internal events, etc.
  • Upheld a high level of confidentiality, in accordance with FERPA

Admissions Domestic Applicant Advisor

  • Advised students regarding Admissions policies and procedures, college programs, general financial aid information, housing and other pertinent topics related to the admission and matriculation process
  • Delivered analytic reports for off-campus events, including follow-up evaluation and analysis of event, expenses, and recommendations, resulting in a 25% increase in applicants each year
  • Implemented strategic marketing and recruitment initiatives towards young female musicians, resulting in 30% increase of female applicants to the college between 2006 and 2007
  • Represented Berklee at on- and off-campus marketing events, including music festivals, industry conferences, audition and interview events, etc.
  • Provided the Board of Admissions with a review and evaluation of applicants’ academic credentials and interview evaluation
  • Assisted prospective students in completing the application, audition and interview process

Admissions Office Assistant

  • Maintained calendar for 20 staff members, including scheduling appointments with students and parents, inter-office and college-wide meetings
  • Screened and prioritized phone calls and emails, directing a high volume of contacts to the appropriate individuals and departments
  • Conferred regularly with domestic and international students to optimize the admissions and enrollment procedures
  • Assisted in maintaining travel schedule for the Admissions Recruitment team during peak travel season
  • Assisted in the development of the Admissions Open House as a strategic marketing initiative


CORE COMPETENCIES:


  • Retaining wide-spread knowledge and information about an enterprise in its entirety
  • Conducting cross-functional management for initial and follow-up contact
  • Conducting extensive market research in highly defined markets
  • Coordinating marketing campaigns and special events
  • Developing clear messages in client communication
  • Managing high-volume data warehouse
  • Excels in project management role
  • Developing work-flow strategies
  • Understanding of client's needs
  • Business development
  • Public speaking

EDUCATION:


Suffolk University, Sawyer School of Management, Boston, MA

Master of Business Administration, Concentration: Marketing and Entrepreneurship


Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA

Bachelor of Music, Concentration: Music Business

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ADDITIONAL SKILLS:

  • Regular online blogger and user of social media [Wordpess, Blogger, Twitter, Plurk, Facebook, Brightkite, MySpace, Hi5, Bebo, Technorati, FriendFeed, del.icio.us, Scribd, last.fm]
  • Adobe applications [Adobe Acrobat 8, Illustrator CS3, InDesign CS3, Lightroom, Photoshop CS3]
  • Microsoft Office [Access, Excel, FrontPage, Outlook, Powerpoint and Word]
  • Citrix ICA Client Colleague
  • HTML/CSS (Basic editing)
  • Windows platforms
  • Internet research
  • Oracle Calendar
  • Filemaker Pro
  • Mac OSX
  • Mac Mail
  • Audacity
  • iTunes
  • Fluent in English. Elementary proficiency in French, Italian, Spanish