Sunup is a Chicago-based branding and creative studio powered by award-winning talent. Whether you work in B2B tech, cleantech or biotech, we’ll help you distinguish your brand with clear positioning and compelling creative. Discover why startups, Fortune 500s and more trust us to bring light to their brand.

MARK 569: Social Media & Content Marketing• This course highlights the connection between social media and content marketing for branding, acquisitions, customer retention, employee recruitment and other organizational initiatives.MARK 464: Integrated Marketing Communication• This course develops an understanding of how advertising, sales, public relations, design, social media and more can work together to solve key business challenges.MGMT 425: Business Communication• This course focuses on the importance of business communication, writing principles, persuasive storytelling, effective presentations, content creation and professional branding.COMM 425: Digital Marketing & Analytics• This course explores online audience behavior and measurement. Students use analytics to understand user activities and to drive improvements in distribution performance. In the course of their development, students come to understand intellectual property protection, self-publication, bandwidth issues, usability, file formats, social sharing, security, syndication and mobile delivery.COMM 413: Writing for Strategic Communication• This advanced writing intensive course engages students in the strategic process of professional-level writing by focusing on communication objectives, cultural differences among audiences, techniques, style and mechanics. Students learn the importance of planning, research, pre-writing, editing and rewriting in the writing process.COMM 201/317: Media Planning• This course examines the advertising and marketing processes required to research, develop and implement an effective media plan. Students also explore the process of budgeting appropriate advertising time and space.MARK 201: Introduction to Marketing• This course develops an understanding of the marketing systems by which organizations plan, price, promote and distribute products and services to selected target markets.

• Led the content and research team.• Oversaw the following offerings for 20+ B2B tech and energy clients: creative campaigns, content marketing programs, content audits, content strategies, SEO plans, editorial calendars, bylines, blogs, white papers, case studies, infographics, tip sheets, research reports, executive social media management, websites, microsites and more.• Served as a member of the Growth Leadership Team to help with overall agency optimization.• Developed and grew offerings related to content strategy, research, brand/product messaging and buyer personas.• Pitched and won major content accounts, including Mitsubishi Power and TechLink.• Grew the content department's share of overall agency revenue by 5% in one year.

• Grew department to 40+ team members, with three divisions (Research + Content, Campaigns + Social Media, Branding + Web), totaling $7.5M+ in annual revenue.• Supported acquisition of new firms, expanding into new geographies across the U.S.• Developed branding work for clients such as eMarketer/Insider Intelligence, Social Solutions, Adlucent, LogicGate, Clarus Commerce/PrizeLogic and Autosoft.• Developed global campaign work for clients such as AWS, commercetools, Jellyvision, Semrush and SingleStore.• Fostered a team culture that was dedicated to continuous learning and innovation — which led to a slew of profitable new service lines, including web-based research reports, premium micro-content for social media, campaign concepting/activation, multi-channel media buying, web/microsite packages and more.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Established Walker Sands' creative department.• Led a team of 30+ marketers in the areas of content, social media, campaigns, branding and web.• Crafted marketing strategies to help clients meet their business objectives.• Concepted and executed campaigns that integrate PR, content, social, video, demand gen and more.• Developed and oversaw processes to ensure quality work that drives results.• Collaborated with account, sales and marketing leaders on new business proposals — consistently exceeding revenue targets.• Oversaw and productized new lines of business, including social media and motion design.• Mentored and coached staff members, identifying individualized learning and development opportunities.RESULTS• Grew creative revenue to $5M+.• Built and grew social media offering into $500K+ per year in recurring revenue.• Implemented agency-wide project management systems and tools to scale the workload of 100+ clients.• Established pricing model, timelines and more for all creative deliverables to increase efficiencies and profitability.• Restructured department and optimized teams for performance.• Established career tracks to retain top talent.• Rebranded agency with a revamped verbal and visual identity system.

• Established Walker Sands' content department.• Led a team of 20+ marketers in the areas of content, social media and video production.• Oversaw all editorial operations (blogs, bylines, data reports, tip sheets, webpages, white papers, etc.).• Established new editorial processes and implemented project management tools to improve the quality of creative outputs.• Developed pricing model for all content offerings.• Built and grew social media and video offerings, exceeding revenue targets.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Developed and oversaw brand, acquisitions and product marketing for the No. 17 fastest-growing private company in America and the No. 1 fastest-growing private company in Illinois (2017 Inc. 500).• Managed ~10 team members in the areas of content, SEO, social media, design, media relations, demand gen, marketing automation and inside sales.RESULTS• Management: Recruited and built in-house marketing team to elevate brand and drive qualified sales leads.• Branding and positioning: Refined positioning, messaging and visual identity.• Website: Oversaw two website redesigns, doubling traffic and increasing domain authority.• Client/employee engagement: Implemented quarterly Net Promoter Score survey (eNPS/NPS) to gauge employee/client satisfaction and ensure continuous operational improvements; built out comprehensive internal communications program across three global offices.• Social media: Grew audiences and engagement across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.• Media relations: Secured 100+ media placements through awards, data reports, bylines and executive commentary; top-tier placements included Adweek, Inc., HuffPost, International Business Times, VentureBeat and Forbes.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Planned and developed holistic content strategy and led idea generation for content marketing across the entire organization.• Oversaw all content through writing, editing and distribution.• Developed, directed and maintained an effective brand voice across all content marketing efforts, adapting for different channels, segments and platforms.• Enacted strategies and campaigns that integrated lifestyle, product, industry and other content across multiple channels (social, email, PR, partners, website, etc.) to increase traffic and audience engagement.• Oversaw Sprout Insights blog and resource center, including the editorial calendar, contributors, cadence and delivery/promotion.• Wrote, reviewed and polished copy for original editorial, guides, emails, site promotions, campaign messaging and other needs as they arose.• Managed the development of creative assets to support content campaigns, working closely with in-house creative team to ensure visuals and interactive messaging aligned with campaigns.• Mentored marketing team and others on content creation, editorial development and necessary processes for cohesive content campaigns.• Set goals, measured and reported on content performance through various metrics, including brand awareness, digital traffic, trial conversion and sales.RESULTS• Developed verbal identity system for Sprout Social's rebrand.• Produced research reports to earn top-tier media coverage in Harvard Business Review, VentureBeat, Adweek, the Financial Times, Entrepreneur and more.• Ghostwrote articles on behalf of company leadership, securing frequent placements in Mashable, Digiday and more.• Formed educational partnership with Harvard Business School.• Won the Chicago American Marketing Association's 2016 Marketing Slam competition with a presentation focused on social listening and content creation.• Secured Sprout's spot in the Top 10 Social Media Blogs for 2016 (Social Media Examiner).

RESPONSIBILITIES• Created and executed integrated marketing communications plan.• Oversaw public relations, social media, web, brand marketing, media buying and advertising.• Targeted influencers to enhance school's reputation.• Wrote speeches and letters on behalf of the dean.• Secured speaking engagements for faculty thought leaders.• Oversaw media training.• Managed brand budget and advised on ancillary budgets in excess of $1 million.• Developed brand guidelines.• Produced multimedia to attract students, corporate partners and donors.• Supported events for prospective students, alumni and donors.RESULTS• Rebranded school following a $40 million naming gift from Michael R. Quinlan.• Ensured widespread attention for $10 million gift for new school building.• Developed communications plan that helped increase national rankings, both for MBA and specific focus areas (international business, supply chain management).• Helped increase membership of Supply and Value Chain Center by 50 percent.• Oversaw marketing efforts that helped increase enrollments.• Accelerated recruitment cycle through LinkedIn by as much as 16 months.• Oversaw major website redesign, consolidating nine sites into one replete with SEO.• Increased website traffic by 40 percent in less than a year.• Grew number of Facebook likes (x5) and Twitter followers (x4).• Earned Quinlan a spot among the Top 100 Most Social Media Friendly MBA Schools for 2013 (onlinembapage.com).• Created 21-page brand guideline to unify school community.• Developed and launched critically acclaimed advertising campaign with university brand team.• Landed placements in major media outlets, including ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, NPR, PBS, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Thomson Reuters, Financial Times, U.S. News & World Report, Crain's, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, First Business News and Market News International as well as leading industry publications.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Led integrated marketing communications in print, web, TV, radio and outdoor advertising.• Oversaw all copywriting, editing and proofing for university's marketing department.• Shaped university's voice through viewbooks, letters from the president, speeches and more.• Wrote TV commercials.• Developed tactical, sub-brand advertising campaign.RESULTS• Increased inquiries for Executive Education and other university programs.• Implemented proofreading system, drastically reducing errors in print.• Supported communications around successful $500 million capital campaign.• Work reviewed by Sun-Times ad critic Lewis Lazare as "creative" and "powerful."

RESPONSIBILITIES• Edited print and digital material for global advertising agency.• Examined content for factual errors and potential legal issues.• Worked closely with Arc Worldwide, the agency's marketing services arm.• Collaborated with art directors, account executives, media planners, strategists and others.• Clients included Coca-Cola, Kellogg's, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble, Nintendo and others.RESULTS• Improved workflow efficiencies.• Drastically reduced copy errors.• Helped secure ISO certification though high quality-assurance standards.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Researched, fact checked and wrote features stories.• Assisted with events.• Pitched story ideas to editorial board.RESULTS• Maintained 100 percent accuracy rate in fact checking.• Published piece on whether Barack Obama should run for president.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Selected for competitive newspaper fellowship (awarded to top 20 percent of applicants).• Trained in editing by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.• Edited and reported for daily newspaper in Connecticut.RESULTS• Drastically reduced copy errors and factual inaccuracies in print.• Secured interviews with members of the community by assisting reporters with Spanish translation.

RESPONSIBILITIES• Covered public life beat for daily newspaper.• Edited news reports and wrote headlines.• Managed website and community blog.RESULTS• Drastically reduced copy errors and factual inaccuracies in print.• Secured access to key members of John Kerry's presidential campaign.