Project Manager Customer Service

Gerald A. Nista *** Bay Rd., Mill Valley, CA *****

abno5n@r.postjobfree.com

Creative Project Manager 415-***-****

Project Manager & Product Designer well-versed in the creative and organizational demands inherent to the

creative services field due to a 10-year career in the print production industry. Effective collaborator with

designers, editors, marketers, PR specialists, clients, and vendors, both in terms of design capability and

penchant for keeping projects on schedule, on budget, and on spec. Value offerings include the following:

On-Boarding & Buy-in Master Scheduling Client Management

Project Kick-Offs Product Design & Builds Vendor Management

Budget & Costing Workflow Management Contract Negotiation

WORK EXPERIENCE

Custom Design Projects

SMITH & HAWKEN, NOVATO, CA 08/2007 – 12/2008

at Smith & Hawken and

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER

Williams-Sonoma

Brought on board to optimize package production from within Creative

Services department, taking up additional role as product designer on behalf

Retail Product Packaging

of Marketing, Public Relations, and Merchandising directors.

Devised new package

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF 300+ structure for relaunch of

CREATIVE PROJECTS

Essential Oils product line

• Served as liaison between creative team, branding agency, vendors,

generating $30 million.

and (in some cases) Ohio-based parent company.

• Established parallel production processing by ordering 3-4 samples from Replaced bulky plastic

vendor, enabling multi-department tasks to run concurrently. packaging of high-end

• Instituted one-source vendor management for retail packaging, linens with simple cross

eliminating need to negotiate with 25-30 vendors for each project. ribbon and promo card,

enabling consumers to

• Expedited packaging production time by 3-4 weeks per project by

feel product prior to sale.

requesting photo requirements earlier in the cycle and bringing Art

Director into direct communication with buyers.

Designed cylindrical

casing for tea/spice ball,

WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC., SAN FRANCISCO, CA 01/2007 – 08/2007

better showcasing product

PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER, BRAND PACKAGING and allowing for unique

displays in half the space.

Took ownership of development of all packaging products and related

materials across Tabletop, Food Prep, and Kitchen Tools categories,

Converted hat box into

overseeing production efforts ranging from 1-4 months in scope.

decorative drum with

satin cord handle to hold

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF 200+ CONCURRENT PROJECTS

12-plate dinner set for

• Brought cohesion to cross-functional team of designers, artists, project “12 Days of Christmas”

managers, vendors, and business executives. holiday theme.

• Communicated regularly with worldwide vendors in Asia, Europe, and

Co-created and designed

the Middle East, scheduling projects and negotiating contracts in line

canvas wrap packaging

with buyer’s budget and vision.

with stitched pockets that

• Contributed directly to design process by co-conspirating packaging

doubles as a utility bag

ideas, building 3D prototypes, and managing designers in executing

for limited edition bulb

layout, photo requirements, and color retouching.

collection.

AMBROSINO, MUIR, & HANSEN, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 09/2006 – 12/2006

PR & Marketing Collateral

CONSULTANT / PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER (3-MONTH CONTRACT)

Devised showcasing tools,

Hired to execute mission-critical campaign mailers on extremely short notice,

including viewfinder with

preparing printers in every state and negotiating deals up front.

product reel, CD with

branded book, and metal

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF 400+ CAMPAIGN MAILERS

clip ring with flash cards.

• Coordinated design and printing of up to 500,000 multi-state direct mail

Produced postcard mailers

pieces on sub-24-hour deadlines, achieving 99.9% success rate.

and fold-out-panel

• Dropped printing rates as much as 20% by staging bidding wars.

marketing brochure.

Gerald A. Nista 708 Bay Rd, Mill Valley, CA 94941

abno5n@r.postjobfree.com

Creative Project Manager 415-***-****

WORK EXPERIENCE

Page Two

FRUITRIDGE PRINTING, SACRAMENTO, CA 03/2006 – 09/2006

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE, PRINT PRODUCTION

Shifted into sales role to expand business acumen beyond in-house production, exercising talents in relationship

building, marketing, and business development. Served as 1 of 2 sales reps for the ultra-competitive Bay Area.

CLIENT MANAGEMENT OF 150 SELF-GENERATED ACCOUNTS

• Built pipeline from scratch through personal network, direct mailers, email newsletter, and trade

shows, generating $25,000 in revenue within 3 months.

• Surpassed management’s expectations, creating $50,000 in pending deals out of 150 warm

leads by month six just prior to major budget cuts.

PARIS PRINTING, POINT RICHMOND, CA 03/2001 – 03/2006

PROJECT MANAGER & PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Headed high-volume production efforts for 5 years, including engineering press layouts, leading press checks,

managing external vendors, and supervising post-press departments and traffic departments.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF 150+ PRODUCTION PROJECTS PER YEAR

• Maintained near 100% success rate in meeting aggressive deadlines under budget, perfecting

ability to resolve unforeseen challenges and bottlenecks quickly.

• Ensured productivity among offsite vendors by communicating project specs in detail,

continually negotiating fees, setting strict schedule, and checking in frequently.

• Established open communication between client and production team, remaining transparent

and accessible to clients to foster long-term relationships.

ANDERSON LITHOGRAPH, SAN FRANCISCO, CA & LOS ANGELES, CA 09/1998 – 02/2001

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Led pre-press, press, and post-press activities for this producer of award-winning brochures, catalogs,

annual reports, and magazine inserts, serving as first-point-of-contact to local and national sales reps.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OF 100+ DESIGN & PRINT PROJECTS PER YEAR

• Lauded as primary production manager on award-winning campaigns with industry leaders Gap,

Honda, IBM, and Microsoft.

• Launched Anderson’s San Francisco operations in Sep. 1999, seamlessly transitioning existing

clientele and building platform to capture new Bay Area market.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Project Manager: Graphic Arts Center, Pasadena, CA 10/1995 – 09/1998

Estimator: Continental Graphics (Rush Press), San Diego, CA 07/1994 – 09/1995

Customer Service Rep: Eastern Color Printing, Avon, CT 11/1989 – 06/1994

TECHNOLOGIES

Adobe Creative Suite (Acrobat, Illustrator, Photoshop), Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook,

Entourage), Filemaker Pro; Windows (PC) and Macintosh operating systems.

EDUCATION

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, College of Imaging Arts & Sciences, New York, NY

Bachelor of Science in Print Media Sciences

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