To whom it may concern,
I am writing to express my interest in the position of Design Director at Madeo.
As the Director of Creative & Production at The New York Historical, my experience makes me an ideal candidate. I have robust skills in project management, design, brand strategy, and marketing implementation that will allow me to excel and transition seamlessly. I have worn many hats and tackled many projects in my current and previous positions, with expertise in the non-profit world. I’ve helped develop and facilitate a new brand identity, launched dozens of campaigns for exhibitions, programs, events, fundraising, membership drives, subscriptions, and numerous other initiatives. I am an expert on digital media, brand identity, project management, and design.
My experience has allowed me to engage with many different subject matters and tones. History encompasses all topics, from art to social issues. I’ve developed multiple campaigns simultaneously and know how to organize and engage every project holistically—carefully evaluating each narrative for an approach that compliments the product and works within the institutional brand identity. I’ve driven and led projects from SEO audits and website redesign to creating high level visuals for special event Galas. I’ve worked on large scale and long term projects like improving wayfinding signage to building an e-newsletter from the ground up.
I’ve hired and supervised many skilled and diverse creative team members who work across disciplines and forms of media, from social to video to design. I champion my team to voice and listen to different perspectives and learn new things, while being sure to keep projects on budget. A highlight of creative work is to see colleagues succeed and formulate new concepts, or to meet with a diverse set of stakeholders and build consensus on a project. I also have experience working with agencies to work through media strategy or brainstorming sessions for developing new creative approaches, and I’ve managed vendor relationships for everything from printing and distribution to large-scale banner fabrication to securing licensing rights.
I would love to bring my skill set to Madeo and the work you do. Working at a storied institution like The New York Historical, I know how important the balance of respecting the depth of a brand can be and keeping a connection to history, while remaining in touch with the current climate to find contemporary touch points, and also looking toward the future. Finding out how radical or conservative an approach to take requires being sensitive and reading the reactions of the people you work with—it is as important as sitting down at a computer and bringing a new design concept or brand identity to life in the digital sphere.
I am a person who likes to help, who likes to innovate, and likes to work hard. I would love to have the chance to learn more about the role of Design Director and explain further how my experience and skills would be a great fit for Madeo. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email.
With best regards,
Seth Newcom
Seth Newcom
sethnewcom@gmail.com
404-808-8713
Summary
Creative leader and collaborator with over 10 years of experience creating marketing and content campaigns; driving brand growth; building, directing, and mentoring creative teams; and delivering impactful solutions across multiple channels. Adept at crafting innovative marketing strategies that resonate with diverse audiences while elevating brand awareness.
Experience
Director of Creative & Production
External Affairs | The New York Historical | Oct, 2021–Current
Lead a creative team to develop and execute innovative strategies to promote the institution, grow and enhance brand visibility, and build audience engagement.
Brainstorm an $800K advertising budget, optimizing media spend to maximize institutional exposure and impact.
Develop the marketing strategy for institutiuonal iniatives and maintain budget and schedule.
Execute and implement creative for marketing campaigns on all media channels: digital, print, email, social, web, video, broadcast, OOH.
Develop and steward brand identity across all channels.
Provide solutions and project manage creative for cross department initiatives, including fundraising events, membership, admissions, public programs, and engagement on digital platforms from email to social.
Spearhead new initiatives to revitalize and reconceptualize branding and marketing strategies and improve communications using data and analytical insights and creativity.
Research and stay up to date on industry trends; adopting new media and marketing tools.
Manage relationships with vendors and agencies on initiatives large and small, from institutional rebrand to marketing campaigns to production and distribution (AKA, Lippincott, ThoughtMatter, Manhattan Signs, Rose Press)
Create presentations, experiential graphics, and presentations for high profile projects, including special events, press briefings, and board presentations.
Implement reporting tools for marketing campaigns (KPIs, Google Analytics, email analytics) to optimize user experience and drive web traffic, as well as incorporate project and asset management tools for workflow optimization.
Consultant and Designer
Development & Marketing | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Dec, 2021–Current
Provide creative ideation and execution for high-profile events, including the annual Gala, aligning visual assets with Ailey’s mission to connect diverse audiences to contemporary dance.
Produce compelling digital content for engagement and fundraising campaigns, elevating brand presence across channels.
Manager of Digital Marketing
Communications Department | The New York Historical | Dec, 2013–Sept, 2021
— Most of the same creative duties as Director of Creative & Production. Over the years the Communications
department brought more creative work inhouse and in January, 2016 we created a Digital Marketing Coordinator
position that I supervised. The position turned into Web Manager in 2021, and I began managing 2 more new
positions, Designer and Digital Media Producer, and became director of the creative team.
Digital Marketer
Communications Department | The New York Historical | Apr, 2012–Dec, 2013
— A new position for the Communications Department, I defined the role and built it into something more. The main
focus was initially on the website, growing visits and impressions, SEO analysis, managing email communications, as
well as managing digital signage within the museum.
Database Administrator
Marketing Department | Atlanta Symphony Orchestra | Oct, 2007–Mar, 2012
— Managed email communications and the the website agency as well as being the primary user and manager of the
Customer Relationship Management system Tessitura, handling ticket sales, subscriptions, membership renewals,
institutional partnerships, and other various projects.
Membership Operations Manager & Customer Service Team Lead
Membership Department | High Museum of Art | 2002–Sept, 2007
— Supervised the Membership Services call center team and helped increase memberships to a record number of over
50K. Managed the institution’s database, overseeing a migration from Raiser’s Edge to Tessitura. Managed the
renewal process for both digital and print, including the relationship with the print house and design firm, and helped
bring in a record number of visitors when the museum’s new expansion opened in 2005.
Education
Bachelor of Arts | Art History major, Studio Arts minor | Emory University
Applications
Software & Systems
Adobe Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop); Final Cut Pro X; HTML; Canva; some Figma; Email Marketing Systems (Prospect2, Active Campaign, Mailchimp); Website Content Management Systems (Sitecore, Wordpress, Squarespace); Customer Relationship Management System (Tessitura); Asset Management Systems (Asana, Box, Dropbox); Microsoft Suite