Brandon Thonen.
Some call me a Jack of all Trades, but really I’m a graphic designer, marketer and web designer building both strategy and design for brands of all sizes. Learn more about me and let’s connect.
About Me.
Growing up I always had a passion for learning what made the things around me work – from simple items like remote controls to advanced components such as car transmissions. I would take them apart, dissect them, learn what each piece does, and try my best to put them back together. At times this got me in trouble, but it’s because of this that I now excel in my career and I’m thankful for every piece that I couldn’t repair that now lives in a drawer at my childhood home.
After high school, I decided not to continue in my education and went straight into figuring out what I wanted to be and where I wanted to work. In 2011, I completed an internship with Disney and used that as a catalyst to advance myself within the company. I quickly started networking with different departments, learning about what it takes and the roles involved. Instead of going to school to advance myself, I researched the role I wanted and the responsibilities I would need to understand, and immediately started doing what I could to add these skills to my repertoire.
My career with Disney launched me into the awesome person that I am today. I’ve been an accredited rocket launch photographer with NASA and SpaceX, flown with an aerobatic pilot in order to learn about control surfaces and their roles, and partied with astronauts and the like celebrating the achievements of humankind and beyond. I’m now certified in HubSpot and enjoy being introduced to problems in order to find solutions/automation that advance the needs of organizations and increase their ROI.
Resume.
Marketing Director - volunteer
The SpaceKind Foundation (Yuri's Night), January 2017 - Present
Increase awareness of our organization by developing effective inbound marketing strategies. Engage with influencers and followers via social media with digital content and copywriting that follows our brand guidelines. Connect the data channels of our organization to HubSpot in order to further increase our marketing efforts. Use tools such as Zapier to develop automation so that our ambassador and sponsorship teams process leads faster, opening them up to larger pipelines than could be achieved previously.
Implementations Analyst
Gale Healthcare, June 2022 - February 2023
Responsible for assessing the technological needs of Gale and determining the relevant hardware and software. Through regular meetings with members of our company, create data that helps me to ensure the company has the appropriate equipment to meet operational needs and assess the intentions for use. Verify new systems and software are implemented effectively and test to ensure everything is working properly and train staff in order to ensure they are meeting their needs effectively.
Marketing Operations Manager
Gale Healthcare, March 2020 - June 2022
On-boarded entire organization into an enterprise CRM/CMS solution (HubSpot) while developing new pipelines and data funnels for our growing sales teams. Worked with graphic designers to build a full brand kit including company newsletter, corporate email templates, landing pages, and social media pages. Increased brand awareness resulting in a 20% growth across all channels and inbound leads to 1,000+ per week.
Social Media Manager, Sr
Paradise Advertising & Marketing INC, January 2018 - June 2018
Managed digital and social media presence of client profiles on all social media platforms for county tourism bureaus across the state of Florida. Developed and implemented social calendars with rotating quarterly themes using analytical data to improve strategy and stay ahead of my client’s audiences. Increased engagement and followers organically by using a constantly operating approach, responding to social media users discussing keywords relevant to clients. Through the use of user-generated content (UGC) and tools such as Tweetdeck and Hootsuite, expanded the audience for one client by 5% and average daily engagement by 2%, which was reflected by an 8% growth in bed tax revenue.
Digital Media Coordinator
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, August 2015 - January 2018
Analyzed the needs of our company content creators and guest outreach teams in order to optimize performance and output for Disney’s ever-growing list of blogs and social media accounts. Worked alongside senior leadership to plan and implement ideas designed to increase engagement with both B2B and B2C. Used proprietary CRM tools to acquire analytics, track developments, and stay ahead of online trends. Conducted monthly creative brainstorming sessions to discuss marketing strategies for both our domestic parks and resorts and international properties. Worked with sister entities such as ABC, Marvel, Disney Interactive, Pixar, and Lucas Arts on ways to cross-promote our communities. Supported our Public Relations teams during company-sponsored events and productions.
Projects.
Yuri's Night & Mova Globes
Email Campaign - Fall 2022
