- Name (First and Last)
John Forsyth
- Twitter
@12syth
- LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-forsyth-08624344?trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile
Employment Info
- Employer
Premier Partnerships
- Title/Occupation
Assistant, Business Development
Academic Info
- Graduation Year (list as "Month Year")
May 2015
- Major
Advertising
- Minor and/or Certificates
n/a
Other Stuff
- Hometown
Chicago, IL
Fantasy Football, Golf, Collage Art, Larry David comedy, Scott Van Pelt sports talk
Career Information & Advice
- What are your job responsibilities/duties?
My role aims to support all aspects of the relationship building within the company. This means brand research, updating our 'customer relationship management' database (Salesforce), and developing pipeline reports that summarize our interactions with elite brands as it relates to the sports properties we represent.
- What does a typical day look like?
Most of my days are focused on piecing together trends in the sports advertising world and aligning them with our sponsorship efforts. This means research about decision-makers from brands of all industries and coordinating introductions about the opportunities we have to offer. I am also challenged with some administrative tasks.
- What do you most enjoy about your job?
Our team has some characters. The overall "culture" at Premier has been a thrill, but I also enjoy how sports is at the core of what we do, as well as being in the heart of downtown CHI.
- What is the most difficult aspect of the job?
Positioning these sponsorship opportunities so that there is tangible value for brand executives as a long-term and rather non-traditional advertising commitment. It is imperative to establish trust with people you've barely met before.
- What on-campus activities were you involved with? Where did you gain relevant experience?
Most of my work experience throughout college was related to the 'activation' component of sponsorships (as opposed to the 'negotiation' component), which enabled me to learn the purpose of strategic branding. I did work with the Illini Athletics marketing team and was also a campus representative for a West-coast apparel brand called johnnie-O.
- How did your experience at ILLINOIS and in the College of Media prepare you for your professional life? For this specific position?
The College of Media was influential in teaching the importance of networking and remaining ethical in the "gray areas" of the advertising world. This directly relates to what I do now.
- What advice do you have for students interested in this field?
Never turn down an introduction with someone regardless of their status or experience. You never know where it can lead. Additionally, as good as it is to be in the "sports" realm, don't get involved just because you think it's glamorous. Yes, this is a social job but there is a 'give-and-take' to it.
- What is one thing that you know now that you wish you had known when you started in the field? When you graduated from the College?
It is a requirement to be able to learn "on-the-fly" as effectively as you do over time. Also, 'everyone knows everyone' in the media world, so to speak. Understand this upon graduation...
