James Gross Media Artist Biography

Social Media Marketing Guru/ Creative Designer

Award-winning marketing/communications professional with over twenty five years experience in advertising, marketing, communications, e-media arts, and technical publishing. An accomplished developer of web, technology and marketing resources to further brand, sales and lead generation in highly-competitive as well as emerging markets. Record of achievement in conceptualizing ideas and managing through designing and executing award-winning strategies that contributed to bottom-line results.

Seeking to align to an organization in a creative role where abilities to conceptualize and design products utilizing various media will be used to maximize effectiveness of customers’ message while simultaneously increasing company market share, client/customer loyalty and profitability.

Professional Experience Review

GlobalSpec.com East Greenbush, NY 2005–2011
Creative Designer
Social media marketing and creative design lead for GlobalSpec.com, online media company and specialized search engine. During tenure, involved in numerous initiatives to improve marketing communications, lead generation, revenue generation and branding through design, email marketing campaigns, Web 2.0 enhancements and other projects. Selected accomplishments included:

Social Media Marketing: Launched social media marketing initiatives utilizing LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other resources including the launch of Marketing Maven, a highly-successful lead generating blog coupled with a monthly e-newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook representation and an exclusive professional group on LinkedIn which continues to grow in membership.
Virtual Trade Shows and Conferences: Created a very unique and innovative sub-brand, GlobalSpec eEvents, which has grown to be a significant profit source and has redefined industrial product marketing and trade show methodology. Created all web design, marketing materials, communication tools, sales resources and managed project to launch. GlobalSpec Events have generated over one million dollars in revenue to date.
Online Community Design: Conceived, designed and developed “ CR4 – The Engineer’s Place for News and Discussion” a community site for engineers, scientists and researchers to track industry trends, seek technical help, and get answers to burning questions. Features include integrating content and discussion from GlobalSpec’s suite of product-centric newsletters, a WYSIWYG text editor for posting in forums, blogs and advertising space for revenue generation. Average monthly unique visitors: 217,000. CR4 was awarded “ 10 Great Media Sites” by BtoB Business Magazine.
ClientServices Web Dashboard: Lead the project to overhaul ClientServices (Client Lead Reporting Interface) involving determining needs of users, sales & customer service, developing recommendations, improving design and functionality and providing tutorials on the effective and proper use to generate tangible results. Incorporated free resources including white papers, research reports, marketing articles, tip sheets and other tools for tracking and downloading sales leads generated by clients’ advertising programs.

James Gross Media Arts & Communication, Albany, NY 2003–2005
Principal Designer
Provided consultation and design expertise to clients in the areas of: Corporate identity, integrated marketing campaigns, e-media and communication services.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 1995–2003
Graphic Designer/Production Manager
Managed design and production for all Lighting Research Center (LRC) publications. Provided art direction for print and web-based publications including technical publications, research reports, online professional education site, books and presentations. Supervised one full time production assistant and several part-time work-study students, providing mentoring and feedback to help students achieve expertise in several areas. Responsible for quality control of publications and data. Managed LRC Web site redesign project, achieving deadlines and involving all stakeholders in a leadership capacity. Selected accomplishments included:

Technical Publishing Excellence: Managed the design and production of the award-winning The Outdoor Lighting Pattern Book, one of many LRC publications which received local and international technical communications awards. Produced the first online publications for National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP). Converted existing publications to portable document format (PDF) for online distribution. Converted NLPIP Lighting Answers newsletter from print to web publication. As a result, contributed a cost savings of 50%, while improving accessibility to information for subscribers.

Education

Electronic Media Arts & Communication 1995–2003
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
Selected Studies included: Cyberculture, Art Making for the World Wide Web, History of Information Technology, Communication Theory

Associates in Applied Science. (cum laude) Graphic Design 1981
Sage College of Albany, Albany, NY

Selected Honors and Awards

E-Newsletter GlobalSpec: Specs & Techs Winner of the In-Box Awards for 2010 for B2B Eletter Excellence
GlobalSpec Leadership Awards: 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006.
Online Community Web site for engineers “ CR4” awarded “10 Great Media Sites” by BtoB Business Magazine.

Society for Technical Communications (STC):

Award of Excellence for Specifier Reports: Electronic Ballasts. 2001
Award of Excellence for Master of Science in Lighting Brochure. 2001

STC International Publications Competition:

Award of Merit for Field Test DELTA: Integrated Skylight Luminaire. 2004
Award of Merit for Specifier Reports: Residential Luminaires. 2000
Award of Excellence for Lighting Answers: Building Automation Systems. 1998
Award of Distinguished Technical Communication (Top Honors) for Specifier Reports: HID Lighting Systems. 1996

James Gross - Biography
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Social Media Marketing Guru/ Creative Designer Award-winning marketing/communications professional with over twenty five years experience in advertising, marketing, communications, e-media arts, and technical publishing. An accomplished developer of web, technology and marketing resources to further brand, sales and lead generation in highly-competitive as well as emerging markets. Record of achievement in conceptualizing ideas and managing through designing and executing award-winning strategies that contributed to bottom-line results. Seeking to align to an organization in a creative role where abilities to conceptualize and design products utilizing various media will be used to maximize effectiveness of customers’ message while simultaneously increasing company market share, client/customer loyalty and profitability. Professional Experience Review GlobalSpec.com East Greenbush, NY 2005–2011 Creative Designer Social media marketing and creative design lead for GlobalSpec.com, online media company and specialized search engine. During tenure, involved in numerous initiatives to improve marketing communications, lead generation, revenue generation and branding through design, email marketing campaigns, Web 2.0 enhancements and other projects. Selected accomplishments included: Social Media Marketing: Launched social media marketing initiatives utilizing LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other resources including the launch of Marketing Maven, a highly-successful lead generating blog coupled with a monthly e-newsletter, Twitter, and Facebook representation and an exclusive professional group on LinkedIn which continues to grow in membership. Virtual Trade Shows and Conferences: Created a very unique and innovative sub-brand, GlobalSpec eEvents, which has grown to be a significant profit source and has redefined industrial product marketing and trade show methodology. Created all web design, marketing materials, communication tools, sales resources and managed project to launch. GlobalSpec Events have generated over one million dollars in revenue to date. Online Community Design: Conceived, designed and developed “ CR4 – The Engineer’s Place for News and Discussion” a community site for engineers, scientists and researchers to track industry trends, seek technical help, and get answers to burning questions. Features include integrating content and discussion from GlobalSpec’s suite of product-centric newsletters, a WYSIWYG text editor for posting in forums, blogs and advertising space for revenue generation. Average monthly unique visitors: 217,000. CR4 was awarded “ 10 Great Media Sites” by BtoB Business Magazine. ClientServices Web Dashboard: Lead the project to overhaul ClientServices (Client Lead Reporting Interface) involving determining needs of users, sales & customer service, developing recommendations, improving design and functionality and providing tutorials on the effective and proper use to generate tangible results. Incorporated free resources including white papers, research reports, marketing articles, tip sheets and other tools for tracking and downloading sales leads generated by clients’ advertising programs. James Gross Media Arts & Communication, Albany, NY 2003–2005 Principal Designer Provided consultation and design expertise to clients in the areas of: Corporate identity, integrated marketing campaigns, e-media and communication services. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 1995–2003 Graphic Designer/Production Manager Managed design and production for all Lighting Research Center (LRC) publications. Provided art direction for print and web-based publications including technical publications, research reports, online professional education site, books and presentations. Supervised one full time production assistant and several part-time work-study students, providing mentoring and feedback to help students achieve expertise in several areas. Responsible for quality control of publications and data. Managed LRC Web site redesign project, achieving deadlines and involving all stakeholders in a leadership capacity. Selected accomplishments included: Technical Publishing Excellence: Managed the design and production of the award-winning The Outdoor Lighting Pattern Book, one of many LRC publications which received local and international technical communications awards. Produced the first online publications for National Lighting Product Information Program (NLPIP). Converted existing publications to portable document format (PDF) for online distribution. Converted NLPIP Lighting Answers newsletter from print to web publication. As a result, contributed a cost savings of 50%, while improving accessibility to information for subscribers. Education Electronic Media Arts & Communication 1995–2003 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY Selected Studies included: Cyberculture, Art Making for the World Wide Web, History of Information Technology, Communication Theory Associates in Applied Science. (cum laude) Graphic Design 1981 Sage College of Albany, Albany, NY Selected Honors and Awards E-Newsletter GlobalSpec: Specs & Techs Winner of the In-Box Awards for 2010 for B2B Eletter Excellence GlobalSpec Leadership Awards: 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006. Online Community Web site for engineers “ CR4” awarded “10 Great Media Sites” by BtoB Business Magazine. Society for Technical Communications (STC): Award of Excellence for Specifier Reports: Electronic Ballasts. 2001 Award of Excellence for Master of Science in Lighting Brochure. 2001 STC International Publications Competition: Award of Merit for Field Test DELTA: Integrated Skylight Luminaire. 2004 Award of Merit for Specifier Reports: Residential Luminaires. 2000 Award of Excellence for Lighting Answers: Building Automation Systems. 1998 Award of Distinguished Technical Communication (Top Honors) for Specifier Reports: HID Lighting Systems. 1996