Brehnen Knight
Escondido,CA
Summary
EXECUTIVE – MARKETING, SALES, OPERATIONS - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - CHANGE AGENT 20 + years of executive marketing, operations, consulting, business development, and management. Extensive startup and change agent experience. Traditional and digital advertising, product marketing and development, and extensive sales experience. Mobile and Social channel expert, with extensive youth advertising experience, focused on reach, consumer engagement, brand, and wellness. Full path to purchase experience, from insights to branding, design, sales strategy, implementation, leadership, and salesforce development.
Passionate CEO with excellent presentation, research and communication skills. Organized and driven with impressive list of achievements and history of excelling in high-pressure environments. Skilled at applying various learning methods and tools to optimize student experience and academic journey. Highly-qualified Adjunct Professor specializes in Human-Centered Design and Advertising. Excellent public speaker and class administrator. Background includes 15 years of experience in postsecondary education.
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Professor of Marketing
John Paul The Great University
, California
12.2022 - Current
- With a focus on the relationship between human nature and brand design elements within the advertising industry
- Key Achievements:
- Teach 35+ students per quarter in marketing, branding, and human design theory
- Provide mentorship and internships for advertising and business-focused students
- Collaborate on real-world project-based marketing initiatives for existing clients
- Connect students with international teams to broader their educational experiences
- Built life-long learning skills and strong study habits in students to help each prepare for higher-level education.
- Consulted with administrative committees to discuss institutional policies, departmental matters and academic issues.
- Collaborated with other subject and grade-level teachers to build complementary educational frameworks for students.
- Maintained school-wide culture of respect and actively used positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) disciplinary methods.
- Demonstrated leadership by making improvements to work processes and helping to train others.
CEO
dba Engage Youth Co
, California
08.2018 - Current
- Primary Focus: Fund and launch a GenZ, youth-focused advertising agency
- Create a unique culture that understands and is focused entirely on youth and their parents
- The problem we solve is making sure brands communicate in a relevant way now and over time
- We are guided by data but driven by culture
- Key Achievements:
- Established a curated collaboration platform for like businesses to work together
- Established a consortium of 8 digital agencies in the EU (Engage, in the US)
- Built a team of 20+ highly skilled experts in the tween/teen/young adult space
- Created a new marketing campaign for Disney
- Demonstrating your ability to develop effective strategies for clients
- Highlighting your expertise in analyzing data, market trends, and business performance.
- Problem-solving: Emphasizing your skills in identifying and solving complex problems
- Ability to manage and lead projects from inception to completion
- Highlighting your strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams and stakeholders
- Deep understanding of marketing and operational management
Knight Management
Acting CEO/CFO/COO Multiple Companies
San Diego, California
07.2005 - 10.2018
- Primary Focus: Sales and marketing, product development, social media digital consultant ting, finance, sales, and social engagement
- Work with CXOs, Board, and VCs as a fix-agent
- Key Achievements:
- DonorNation (Acting CEO –, ), Revenue +45%, New Product /
- Website / strategic alliances with San Diego Padres and SDSU Aztecs
- Developed paid digital and social marketing strategies.
- Led organization by establishing business direction and actualizing operational plans to meet goals
- Built strategic business partnerships by cultivating relationships with employees and experts
- Negotiated and approved contracts between company and distributors, suppliers and other external entities
- Established and oversaw strategic business actions and streamlined operations
- Drove company vision with collaborative employee engagement techniques and strategic leadership
- Oversaw budgetary and financial activities and implemented strategies to grow business and profits
- Increased productivity by creating new policies, objectives and procedures to streamline operations
- Monitored business trend forecasts and adjusted budgets and operational plans to maximize growth and opportunities
- Monitored company performance by measuring and analyzing results and minimizing impact of variances
- Determined revenue and profit impacts of market strategies and led business direction toward profitable channels
- Delivered speeches and attended industry conferences to promote company image and engage with buyers
- Checked financial reports to confirm financial soundness and good operating margin
- Eliminated company bottlenecks, reduced financial obstacles and addressed work constraints to promote overall growth
- Conducted presentations to outside groups to drive programs, policies and company objectives
- Generated large-scale operations, budget or expense reports to organize and analyze data
- Reviewed employee reports before submission to recommend changes or give approval.
- Conducted thorough interview processes to appoint new department heads
- Spearheaded overhaul of underperforming departments to reduce stagnation and increase productivity.
- Provided organizational leadership and collaborated with executive partners to establish long-term goals, strategies and company policies
- Implemented strategic offerings to enhance company's suite of products and services
- Exceeded sales goals through upselling and cross-selling within existing client base as well as strategically attracting new business
- Oversaw technological improvements, successfully reducing waste and eliminating business bottlenecks
- Improved profitability by accurately maintaining P&L to meet prime fiscal responsibility
- Leveraged trends in customer industries and marketplaces to shape solutions and approaches
- Signed and approved budgets for new funding and program initiatives
- Executed on-time, under-budget project management to adhere to project road map
- Optimized supply chain to reduce materials costs and improve distribution
- Resolved client issues by delivering excellent customer service and maintaining positive attitude.
- Enhanced leadership abilities through training and hands-on task completion.
- Acquired business and management skills through various resources to update proficiency.
- Supported staff training, development and evaluation.
CEO/Founder
Orca Bridge
San Diego, California
10.2016 - 07.2018
- Primary Focus: Buy and sell corporate debt
- Consult and manage the legal transition to a publicly traded company
- Operational and financial consulting, merger, and acquisition development
- Marketing, advertising, and product development strategies
- Key Achievements:
- Secured $135M in funding for key investment groups
- Successfully managed the transition of 7 companies to publicly trading entities
- Helped launch 5 startups to fully funded and operational entities
- Built a large international consortium of inventors across 7 countries.
- Led organization by establishing business direction and actualizing operational plans to meet goals.
- Built strategic business partnerships by cultivating relationships with employees and experts.
- Negotiated and approved contracts between company and distributors, suppliers and other external entities.
- Established and oversaw strategic business actions and streamlined operations.
- Drove company vision with collaborative employee engagement techniques and strategic leadership.
- Oversaw budgetary and financial activities and implemented strategies to grow business and profits.
- Increased productivity by creating new policies, objectives and procedures to streamline operations.
- Monitored business trend forecasts and adjusted budgets and operational plans to maximize growth and opportunities.
- Monitored company performance by measuring and analyzing results and minimizing impact of variances.
- Determined revenue and profit impacts of market strategies and led business direction toward profitable channels.
- Delivered speeches and attended industry conferences to promote company image and engage with buyers.
- Checked financial reports to confirm financial soundness and good operating margin.
- Eliminated company bottlenecks, reduced financial obstacles and addressed work constraints to promote overall growth.
- Conducted presentations to outside groups to drive programs, policies and company objectives.
- Generated large-scale operations, budget or expense reports to organize and analyze data.
- Provided organizational leadership and collaborated with executive partners to establish long-term goals, strategies and company policies.
- Exceeded sales goals through upselling and cross-selling within existing client base as well as strategically attracting new business.
President/Founder
Incubate Marketing
San Diego, California
07.2014 - 09.2016
- Primary Focus: Daily operations for a traditional marketing agency, sales, marketing, consulting, strategic campaign development, social marketing, SEO, web dev, insights, audits, and reporting
- Consultative change agent for startups and capital investment procurement
- Key Achievements:
- Secured, and developed a large pharmaceutical campaign for Heal Together ($8M)
- Created a comprehensive marketing campaign for Donjoy ($4M)
- Built a 75-person, industry-leading marketing agency
- Secured $60M in startup capital for clients
- Developed a sister agency in Mexico City (Interactivos)
- Coordinated work across departments to keep teams on track with company goals.
- Cultivated and maintained positive working relationships with employees, executives and other stakeholders.
- Determined performance goals and offered tactics for achieving milestones.
- Integrated marketing and sales strategies with business development and operational leadership plans.
- Analyzed financial statements and forecasts to improve programs, performance and policies.
- Developed and executed strategic business plan to attain assigned metrics.
- Managed and oversaw leadership team to meet established KPIs and achieve objectives and key results.
- Built talent pipeline to support business growth and enduring success.
- Oversaw new market exploration, product development and overseas production possibilities for business expansion objectives.
- Delivered speeches and attended industry conferences to promote company image and engage with buyers.
- Researched underlying issues, regulatory compliance status and processes to resolve complex business issues and recommend strategic corrective actions.
- Roadmapped plans to outline benefits and address potential constraints prior to resource commitment.
- Completed quarterly reports to include findings via conducting site visits and subsequent report generation.
- Devised utilities needed to streamline and strengthen operations, driving substantial improvement to KPIs.
- Provided organizational leadership and collaborated with executive partners to establish long-term goals, strategies and company policies.
President Sales and Marketing
VMIX
10.2007 - 05.2014
- Manage sales, marketing, and product development for VMIX Media Inc
- Primary Focus: Sales, Marketing, and Product development for a content ingestion and distribution platform designed to create, edit and share large amounts of data
- Manage the sales and product development for a new mobile editing tool called, “Givit”
- Key Achievements:
- Created dynamic web and 2.0 marketing and sales strategies for the Cisco Flip camera
- AT&T SDK, device trial for $8M, establishing the mobile vertical platform, with development of SDKs and white label peer-to-peer video sharing platform,
- GREAT win with ESPN Rise Magazine with a value of $3.5M/3-year contract, led partnership negotiations with leading advertising agency Digitaria establishing VMIX as a preferred vendor for Disney through ESPN
- Acquired VMIX’s first international client, Atoll, based out of Greece, with a 486K/3-year contract, establishing the VMIX platform to work internationally, which created a launch pad for the new VMIX UK branch focused on team development and growth.
National Sales Manager
Sprint
Portland, Oregon
10.1997 - 10.2007
- Primary Focus: Sales, Marketing, Business Development in CPE, OEM, Wireless/Wireline,
- Leadership Development
- Key Achievements:
- Led the nation (Best of The Best Winner 3X) -$248M in contract wins
- Chaired Executive VP advisory council and created “Best Practices Guidelines”
- Eight-time “Presidents Club” winner 10-year average over quota 153%
- 200K contract increased to $10M in 8 months
- Structured phase win of 3700 sites, with a sales growth to 10,000 sites for $2.56M
- 35M LAN/WAN Cisco product sale with MNS training and $3M installation
- Researched and identified potential customers and new market opportunities on continuous basis to maintain sustained revenue growth.
- Gave sales presentations, negotiated contracts and promoted services to customers.
- Prepared monthly, quarterly and annual sales forecasts to determine short and long-term performance objectives.
- Promoted brand awareness to targeted demographic by contributing to marketing campaign development.
- Maintained sales volume and selling price by keeping current with supply and demand, changing trends, economic indicators and competitors.
- Stayed up to date with new product launches and kept sales team members on board with changing plans.
- Participated in events, attended training seminars and traveled manufacturer product showcases and off-site locations.
- Motivated staff to become top sales closers and exceed benchmarks.
- Prepared monthly, quarterly and annual sales forecasts to effectively plan sales strategies.
- Acknowledged nationally for generating revenue, acquiring high-profile clients and maintaining high customer retention record.
- Conveyed customer needs and preferences to design and production departments.
- Arranged and implemented sales department improvements, including updates to company marketing, cost analysis and presentations.
- Determined annual unit and gross-profit plans by implementing marketing strategies and analyzing trends and results.
- Set up and oversaw territory assignments, performance quotas and budgets.
- Conducted performance reviews using key performance indicators to track efficiency and discover opportunities for additional training.
- Maintained productive national sales staff by strategically recruiting, orienting and training top-notch employees.
- Delivered sales presentations at national conferences to highlight industry trends, provide additional training, clarify new business goals and award top sellers.210
- Recruited, interviewed, hired and trained talented sales staff of 210 employees to outperform competition.
- Directed worldwide distribution for Sprimt brand, resulting in $34M in sales annually.
Education
MBA - International Marketing
Marylhurst University
Portland, OR08.2008
MBA - Operations Management
Marylhurst University
Portland, OR08.2008
Bachelor of Science - Anthropology and Psychological Biology, Physics and Philosophy
University of California
Skills
- Leadership Social Promotion
- Executive Team Development Global / National Sales
- Market Intelligence Team Development
- Contract Negotiations & Legal Execution Compliance / Regulatory
- Product, Marketing, Sales Coordination Coaching
- Competitive Analysis Consumer Relations
- Policy Administration Sales Management
- Lecturer Team Leader
- Social Marketing Social Channel Management
- Digital Sales Mobile Applications
- Remote Team Management Youth-based marketing
- Lesson Planning
- Cultural Awareness
- Grading and Reporting
- Relationship Building
- Discussion Planning
- Performance Evaluations
- Tutoring
- Learning Outcome Alignment
- Time Management
- Team Leadership
- Student Performance Evaluation
- Academic Advisory
- Problem-Solving
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Peer Collaboration
- Academic Counseling
- Public Speaking
- Course Planning
- Curriculum Creation
- Workshops and Seminars
- Test Proctoring
- Classroom Management
- Group Discussions
- Syllabus Development
- Active Listening
- Learning Outcomes Reporting
- Student-Centered Learning
- Digital Marketing
- PR/Traditional Marketing
- Human-Centered Design
- Creative Questioning
- Attention to Detail
- Staff Development
- Technology Integration
- AI Proficiency
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Microsoft Office
- Personable and Approachable
- Group Learning Mechanics
- Goal Setting
- Organization and Prioritization
- Faculty Communication
- Experiential Learning Methods
- Inspiring Lectures
- Community Outreach
- Networking
- Project Management
- Empirical Research
- Critical Thinking
- Conflict Resolution
- Career Counseling
- Group and Individual Instruction
References
References available upon request
Timeline
Professor of Marketing
John Paul The Great University
12.2022 - Current
CEO
dba Engage Youth Co
08.2018 - Current
CEO/Founder
Orca Bridge
10.2016 - 07.2018
President/Founder
Incubate Marketing
07.2014 - 09.2016
President Sales and Marketing
VMIX
10.2007 - 05.2014
Knight Management
Acting CEO/CFO/COO Multiple Companies
07.2005 - 10.2018
National Sales Manager
Sprint
10.1997 - 10.2007
MBA - International Marketing
Marylhurst University
MBA - Operations Management
Marylhurst University
Bachelor of Science - Anthropology and Psychological Biology, Physics and Philosophy
University of California
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