Roger Keys Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

President/New Business Development Manager/Strategic Media Planner/Buyer* Built company from the ground up, bringing in seven figures of revenue annually and taking the client list from two (2010) to seventeen (2020) annual billing clients through engaging and strategizing with senior-level executives on the client side and pro-actively recommending/presenting opportunities to solve their business challenges.* Successfully facilitated seven figures of billing in the first full year of business during the 2008 recession by attending trade shows and industry events to establish key relationships that flourished via high-volume face-to-face calls.* Supported the American Lung Association (ALA) Illinois Tobacco Quitline statewide initiative, raising call volume from 10K per year to 90K year, through individually taking on both the strategic media planning/placement as well as the creative management.* Partnered with multiple high-profile companies including the ALA, Chicago Wolves, Lincoln Park Zoo, Hooters and more.

*Recognized as the top producing Account Executive within the station out of fourteen (2000-2006) for busting through sales budgets and annually generating the most new business revenue*Garnered $22m in advertising sold over 12 years due to dedication and consistently exceeding expectations.*Facilitated station presence within the local community through facilitating major revenue, creating station events, including the Annual Roe & Garry Golf Outing and quarterly Live Remote on-site broadcasts in front of thousands of listeners.*Achieved the Walt Disney Company Circle of Excellence Award (2001), one of twenty nationwide, on account of being honored as the lone executive on the station sales staff that surpassed budgets through the generation of new business while leading the sales team during a challenging year in media (9/11).

At WVAZ, Roger developed such creative proposals that he was looked at as a little off-kilter by his bosses. And the management at WVAZ loved that. He specialized in creating programs for advertisers interested in reaching the African American consumer. He wasn't given a big agency list. He had to dig for business on his own. His focus and specialty at VAZ was in maintaining, prospecting and developing direct new business dollars to build advertising revenues for the station through non-traditional methods. He generated sales in new, unchartered revenue streams for the station.

Anyone heard of Chicago Sports Profiles or L.A. Sports Profiles magazines? No? Yeh, I thought so. That is what made selling advertising in these publications so fun and oh so challenging. At Sports Profiles, Roger created Sports Marketing opportunites for Chicagoland and L.A. area businesses through partnerships with the local sports teams. He did so well there that one year his boss gave him a free Cruise for 2 to the Caribbean. It was a lasting memory. He ended up having blisters on his forehead from the sun. Roger was a category specialist specifically for QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) and Automotive Aftermarket. The Sports Marketing programs may have included Sweepstakes and Value with Purchase programs that were advertised in the (2) Sports Publications along with schedules on local radio stations.

Who wouldn't want to work for the hottest Top 40 station that covered a huge area of South Florida while he/she was in their early to mid 20s?! Outside of running my own business, it may stand as the most fun I have had professionally. Our on-air personalities hosted talent contests for the area nightclubs. Oh - and did I mention that I got to judge many of these contests? Roger worked for a CHR station that served both the Fort Pierce and Palm Beach County Florida radio markets. At WOVV, Roger had specialized in putting together advertising programs for the Adult 18-34 year old market. During the late '80s, Palm Beach County was rapidly growing and businesses were opening up left and right. Yes, these businesses included many new nightclubs and car dealerships. Roger was instrumental in securing the greatest amount of new business for the station and in 1990 left the station as the top producing Account Executive. It was a period in his life that he will never forget.

B.S., Journalism

Education record