Will Africano

Will Africano Email and Phone Number

Founder, creative producer, problem solver and business leader. @ Forta
Will Africano's Location
Portland, Oregon, United States, United States
Will Africano's Contact Details

Will Africano work email

Will Africano personal email

About Will Africano

I am a passionate problem solver with a focus on product development, brand building, creative storytelling and market analytics. As the Co-Founder & CMO of GNARBOX, I oversaw the product development, marketing launch and sales growth of multiple product lines grossing over $5m through crowdfunding, eCommerce and wholesale business. Detailed planning toward measurable goals, transparent work processes, creativity and building toward company missions drive my strategic initiatives. As a founder, I have a clear understanding of the many levers that make a business work and the importance of diligent and detailed planning. As a manager and founding member of our company's culture coalition we worked together to develop a multidisciplinary, cross-functional team and a culture of transparency and empathy built into our daily work. I am proficient in eCommerce, Channel Marketing, Product Marketing, Creative Direction, Data Modeling and guide my decisions on measured ROI opportunity for the business. Previously holding positions calling on major retailers Wal-Mart, Sam's Club and Kroger, I bring a unique understanding of big box retail and big data analytics to every consumer facing project I encounter. In my free time I am an avid skier, photographer, filmer and pianist.

Will Africano's Current Company Details
Forta

Forta

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Founder, creative producer, problem solver and business leader.
Will Africano Work Experience Details
  • Forta
    Marketing Director
    Forta Jan 2023 - Present
    San Francisco, California, Us
    Scaling our customer experience through engaging content and a concierge sales funnel from first touchpoint through lead conversion. - Aligning customer experience with our product content and messaging.- System architecture for the flow of customer data from advertisement through conversion to accelerate learning from bottom of funnel to top. - Focus on customer experiences and journey mapping start to finish to increase NPS.- Increasing conversion rates at each step of the sales funnel with great customer support processes and experiences. - Ownership of website experience and development process.
  • Forta
    Creative Producer
    Forta Apr 2022 - Jan 2023
    San Francisco, California, Us
    Leading marketing strategy implementation with all video content- Managing all production team from concept to post production & delivery- Creating impactful stories to achieve marketing and conversion goals - Video pre-production planning and on-site production activities- High quality product delivered on time and within budget - Ensuring all staff is well supervised and oriented during production
  • Third Pillar Marketing Group, Llc
    Founder
    Third Pillar Marketing Group, Llc Jan 2022 - Present
    Connecting brands with diverse local production teams to create meaningful marketing content for your omni-channel business.
  • Gnarbox
    Board Member
    Gnarbox Dec 2021 - Present
    Santa Monica, California, Us
  • Gnarbox
    Co-Founder
    Gnarbox Jan 2015 - Nov 2021
    Santa Monica, California, Us
    As the Co-Founder of GNARBOX I held many positions and responsibilities across Marketing, Sales, Product and Operations giving me a cross-disciplinary understanding of what makes a business function. As a business owner and employer, I also learned how to navigate and lead through growth and crisis. As CMO, I was primarily responsible for brand development, overall brand voice, growth strategy, customer acquisition, advertising and marketing operations. Additionally, I oversaw Product, Sales, Customer Support and supported Finance and Operations.As a Board Member I worked with the investors to determine financial forecasts, budget planning, succession and hiring strategy and long term company strategy. Marketing: Lead a small team through two crowdfunding campaigns to gain $1.5mm in initial funding, grew the email database to over 100k, Instagram over 153k and launched multiple product lines to market. I oversaw creative direction and ensured continuity across website, mobile application, social media, advertisements, product packaging, trade shows and email. Sales/eCommerce: Developed multi- and omni-channel sales and logistics models for both D2C (Shopify), Amazon and brick and mortar retail sales pipelines generating over $5mm in revenue. Grew the D2C Shopify business to over 25% of total revenue and added over 70 points of distribution in brick & mortar spanning US, CA, EU and ASEAN. Product (Software): Oversaw product management and roadmapping for Content Creation and released 4 major updates in my time as Product Manager, including our first for purchase add-on that expanded GNARBOX into the UAV market. That expansion introduced recurring revenue and new B2B opportunities in Telecom, Public Safety and Oil & Gas. Last, I closed major partnerships with RED Camera, Axon and Pix4D to develop co-branded solutions. Managed feature backlog, bug backlog, product roadmap and requirements writing.
  • Constellation Brands
    Category Manager
    Constellation Brands Aug 2013 - Jan 2015
    Rochester, New York, Us
    Oversaw the expansion of Constellation Brands' Channel Management at Kroger chain Ralph's. Worked directly with Senior Channel and Sales Management to execute on sales growth objectives and new product introductions to the channel. Duties included daily interactions with buyers in the wine category. Managed 228 Ralph’s stores with the principle duties of:o Developing a comprehensive category strategy using Kroger wine data and dunnhumbyconsumer insight tools to decide the optimal wine assortment across all storeso Execute planogram generation using JDA ProSpaceo Plan and execute chain wide “blitz” with multiple teams executing plan in stores (two in twelve months)
  • Constellation Brands
    Category Analyst - Sam'S Club
    Constellation Brands Mar 2013 - Aug 2013
    Rochester, New York, Us
    Category Analyst position to Sam's Club as an adviser to the Sam's Club buyer for the Northern region of the U.S. - Provide recommendations to Sam's Club based on market analysis and key consumer insights, to better manage the category and grow their wine business.- Analyze Club, Market and demographic Data to provide an optimum assortment for each Club in the North region.
  • Constellation Brands
    Category Analyst - Walmart
    Constellation Brands Mar 2012 - Mar 2013
    Rochester, New York, Us
    Category Analyst for the Wal-Mart account in the Channel Management sector of CBI.Built numerous analytic tools in Excel and Access to provide strategic insight for the Wal-Mart buyer team. These tools meld Wal-Mart data, Market (Nielson IRI Data) and Spectra demographic data to bring a comprehensive look on the Wal-Mart wine consumer across all stores.Analyzed and validated Planograms using JDA ProSpace program for Wal-Mart stores.Reported daily execution levels of display activity for our Wine Merchandise to all distributors and field managers representing CBI across the country for all Wal-Marts. Our team held the highest execution percentage in 2012.
  • Northtown Automotive
    Auditor / Intern
    Northtown Automotive May 2010 - Aug 2010
    Us
    Executed valuable soft marketing campaigns through Social Media to open new avenues of communication with employees and customers to boost company loyalty and drive repeat and conquest customersCreated Discounted Cash Flow spreadsheets to evaluate a project plan from an outside vendor which resulted in a recommendation and decision to maintain existing strategiesAssisted in the daily decision making of CFO Harold Erbacher by providing personal solutions to financial and workforce dilemmas as well as obstacles regarding the company's general strategy

Will Africano Skills

Management Social Media Microsoft Excel Customer Insight Retail Spectra Nielsen Access Iri Strategy Marketing Wine And Spirits Industry Merchandising Jda Ac Nielsen Alcoholic Beverages Beverage Industry Project Management Data Analysis Marketing Strategy Analytics Brand Management Sales Microsoft Office Distributors Quickbooks Operations Management Web Design Channel Sales Channel Strategy Channel Strategy Development Distribution Strategies Contract Manufacturing Logistics Social Media Marketing Crowdfunding Wal Mart Instagram Social Media Measurement Planograms Asana Trello Supply Chain Operations Assortment Optimization Product Development Product Launch Analysis Powerpoint

Will Africano Education Details

  • University Of Notre Dame
    University Of Notre Dame
    Finance
  • The Mendoza College, University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame
    The Mendoza College, University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame
    Business Administrations; Finance
  • Universität Innsbruck
    Universität Innsbruck
    German

Frequently Asked Questions about Will Africano

What company does Will Africano work for?

Will Africano works for Forta

What is Will Africano's role at the current company?

Will Africano's current role is Founder, creative producer, problem solver and business leader..

What is Will Africano's email address?

Will Africano's email address is wi****@****box.com

What is Will Africano's direct phone number?

Will Africano's direct phone number is +171683*****

What schools did Will Africano attend?

Will Africano attended University Of Notre Dame, The Mendoza College, University Of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Universität Innsbruck.

What are some of Will Africano's interests?

Will Africano has interest in Skiing, Environment, Poverty Alleviation, Hiking, Science And Technology, Jazz/blues Piano, Human Rights, Arts And Culture, Fishing.

What skills is Will Africano known for?

Will Africano has skills like Management, Social Media, Microsoft Excel, Customer Insight, Retail, Spectra, Nielsen, Access, Iri, Strategy, Marketing, Wine And Spirits Industry.

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