Sales Manager

Thomas J. McCluskey

***** ****** ****. #*** ******* Palisades, CA 310-***-**** E-Mail: ************@***.***

Game changing and entrepreneurial executive who develops strategies that make companies succeed. A visionary leader who drives organizations resulting in increased revenue and profitability. Positively motivates employees and enhances client relations with vision, passion, strategic thinking, leadership and action.

KEY ACHEIVEMENTS

Business Management and Development

• Built 551 Productions from a start-up venture to a growing television production company with multiple projects in development. Forged several creative partnerships, developed new programming and increased investor interest.

• Through turnaround efforts guided Conceive Media to profitability, which lead to the Bonier Corporation acquisition of Conceive.

• Substantially increased advertising revenue at Biography Magazine multiple years, significantly out-pacing the magazine and media industries in revenue growth.

Team Building and Training

• Formed sales, finance and creative partnerships with 551 Productions that have developed six new television programs, gained interest in cable and broadcast networks for purchase and created investor interest in the company.

• Hired, trained and managed sales staff at Conceive Media. Staff increased advertising revenue by 195 %.

• Hired and trained sales staff in four cities at Biography Magazine. Interfaced with broadcast management at A&E Television Networks and built multi-media platforms and partnerships within the company. Magazine increased revenue and outpaced industry.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

551 PRODUCTIONS – Pacific Palisades, California 2009-Present

Principal: Responsible for launching company, creating new television properties, forging creative, sales and financial partnerships.

Challenge: Grow company stable of products and sell the programs to television networks in a hyper competitive marketplace.

Action: Forged contractual agreements with creative, financial, accounting, legal and sales professionals in entertainment industry. Built company website.

Results: Established creative and business partnerships that resulted in product development and substantial interest from networks looking to air the properties and interest from investors desiring to invest in or purchase the company. Developed a television docu-drama, cooking show, music reality program, adapted a novel for a cable television and created an animated series for television or film.

CONCEIVE MEDIA – South Norwalk, Connecticut 2007-2009

Publisher: Responsible for growing advertising revenue, developing product line extensions and new revenue streams, hiring, training and managing sales staff nationwide and improving advertiser relations.

Challenge: Bring a company that published four magazine issues a year into the electronic age. Increase revenue and develop new revenue streams when advertising budgets were in decline. Motivate and train an underperforming sales staff. Make a money losing company profitable.

Action: Developed web and internet radio properties to compliment magazine. Managed and sold multi-media packages to advertisers involving all platforms. Increased company visibility in the marketplace by reaching out to industry media. Developed general and ad category specific presentations that broke new business and better positioned Conceive to advertisers. Improved advertiser relationships. Trained and motivated sales staff, trained support staff to be sales reps. Streamlined internal sales monitoring and reporting infrastructure for more accurate and less time consuming results.

Results: Increased ad revenue by 98% in 2007, 49% in 2008. Managed company to profitability in 2008.

FICTION WRITER – Darien, Connecticut 2004-2007

Wrote and published novel that has been adapted for cable television.

A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS – New York, New York 1999-2004

Vice President / Publisher, Biography Magazine: Responsible for increasing ad revenue, developing new products and revenue streams, managing P&L for business side of the magazine, directing and managing magazine advertising sales, marketing and PR activity.

Challenge: Grow advertising revenue for a magazine that was substantially outspent by its competitors at a time when advertising revenue in the industry was in serious decline.

Action: Developed, created, managed, executed and closed multimedia sales packages using all A&E properties. Increased relationships with A&E network executives to make the magazine a central part of multi-media advertiser packages. Motivated the sales and marketing teams with inspiring, positive, visionary leadership. Improved magazine’s visibility in the marketplace by increasing media industry relations and directing a trade ad campaign. Directed creation of a multi-media general sales presentation and category specific presentations that targeted automotive, consumer electronics, travel and pharmaceutical categories.

Results: Increased advertising revenue by 15.8 % in 2001, 7.1% in 2002 and 4.2% in 2003. Outpaced industry as ad spending decreased by 4.9%, 7.1% and 0.7% in those years. Trade ad campaign raised Biography’s marketplace awareness.

Advertising Director, Biography Magazine: Responsible for growing advertising revenue, managing national advertising sales efforts, hiring and training advertising sales staff, working with Publisher and Marketing Director on efforts to better position Biography Magazine in the marketplace.

Challenge: Continue to grow advertising revenue. Serve as acting Publisher during network upfront selling season while magazine’s Publisher was on maternity leave. Replace outside sales rep firms with in house sales staff in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Action: Worked with A&E sales staff nationwide to develop and close multi-media advertiser packages. Hired and trained sales staff in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. Managed advertising sales staff in four regional offices. Helped Publisher and Marketing Director to develop presentations, marketing efforts and sales material that better established Biography Magazine in the marketplace.

Results: Increased ad revenue by 45.6% in 2000. Outpaced industry as ad spending increased by 14%. Magazine ad revenue sold in network upfront increased by 33%. Biography named to Adweek Magazine’s “Hot List” during this period.

Eastern Advertising Director, Biography Magazine: Responsible for advertising sales revenue in Eastern Region, hiring and training New York sales staff, selling to clients in the Southeast and New York City, partnering with A & E Television Network New York sales managers to craft multi-media advertising packages.

Challenge: Sell and position Biography Magazine as a stand-alone property in the marketplace where it had previously been a merchandising tool in broadcast upfront selling. Hire and train effective sales people who could sell an unconventional, start-up media property.

Action: Quickly forged relations with A&E broadcast staff to build multi-media packages. Hired and trained three effective sales reps in New York office. Raised Biography Magazine’s awareness in the advertising industry with constant client sales activity.

Results: Increased regional ad revenue by 123% in 1999. Increased magazine business in Southeast and New York territory on personal list. Developed and closed integrated advertiser packages with New York A&E network sales team.

Early Career History: USA Weekend Magazine, New York Manger 1996-1998; Health Magazine, Food Category Manager and Account Manager 1993-1996; Prevention Magazine, Western Region Sales Manager and Sales Representative 1988-1992.

EDUCATION

• Master of Science; Management and Leadership Program, Graziadio School of Business and Management, Pepperdine University (expected completion; April 2013)

• Bachelor of Arts; Broadcast Journalism and English, University of Southern California

Contact this candidate