Gene Zlotnikov
- Sr. Manager, Consumer Marketing
- Amgen
School Information
School: University of Illinois at Chicago
College Major: Other
Years at College Works: 2009 to 2010
Career Information
Working For: Amgen
Title: Sr. Manager, Consumer Marketing
Industry: Research
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
• Moderate live and virtual patient programs to drive awareness, education and engagement • Oversee marketing activation across website, CRM, paid media, print tactics and patient events, optimizing performance and implementing new strategies • Lead and collaborate with internal teams on development of annual consumer strategy & tactical brand plans • Manage budget responsibilities, including SOW development, vendor invoicing, forecasting, and budget reconciliation • Develop messaging strategy and assess competitive opportunities • Collaborate across teams to launch market research studies • Manage relationships with multiple agency partners, building strong partnerships
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?I’ve built a lot of great relationships and friendships at my current job. I’ve been very dependable and have been praised and rewarded for my work ethic. I’m proud of being able to translate my success from College Works Painting to the success I’ve had in my current role.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
I wouldn’t be as confident, as dependable, as committed, as smart and as fortunate without my experience at College Works Painting.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
College Works Painting impacted my career in several ways. First, it helped me realize what I wanted to do. After my experience at College Works Painting, I immediately did a few internships and realized that I wanted to work for a marketing agency. Second, I learned all aspects of business. Whether it was managing people, working with clients, setting the right expectations, building rapport with people and sales techniques, these were all very valuable skills that I use today. Lastly, I learned what I was capable of accomplishing. Most importantly, this experience gave me a lot of confidence and this confidence has gotten me where I am today.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I wouldn’t say this was my “favorite” client, but it was definitely the most valuable client experience I had. I painted the Randolph’s house in Lake Forest in 2009. It was a difficult house to paint, but looked beautiful when it was done. We ran into many issues — delays because of weather, poor initial work from my team and communication issues. While at the time that experience was frustrating and hard, looking back on this job, I learned a lot and it helped set the tone for the rest of my CWP experience.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
When you fail, stay positive, stay confident and keep going. When I was a manager, I started my year off well and was poised to finish the year strong. In the middle of the summer I hit a cold streak and my business came to a halt. Not only were sales not going well, but several clients weren’t happy with how production was going. This stretch of time was the hardest part of College Works Painting for me. But what I realized was that listening to the advice of others, maintaining confidence and a positive attitude and not giving up just because things got hard would help me get through those tough times. I finished the year strong and was one of the top managers in the state.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
I’ve worked with several College Works Painting teammates at other jobs. I’ve been to my DM’s wedding. I’ve connected with College Works Painting alumni I didn’t know to build my network. The friendships and College Works Painting network are extremely valuable to me.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
Work hard. Play Hard.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
Potential College Works Painting participants: Don’t think twice about passing this up. It’ll be the hardest and most rewarding experience of your life. There is no way to describe what you will be in for, but CWP will give you lasting friendships and valuable skills for the future. Current College Works Painting participants: Think big picture. It’s hard right now. It’ll continue being hard. But in the end, you will look back and say, “I can’t believe I did all of that”.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
Do both. I did College Works Painting for 2 years (sophomore and junior year) and my senior year I did two internships that were more specific to the field I was interested in. College Works Painting helped give me confidence and experience to be able to not only get those internships, but succeed in those positions.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Find a company where you can grow as a leader and are exposed to many parts of the business. Many positions don’t allow for much flexibility besides the day-to-day duties that are requirements of the job. Find a company where you can lead a variety of projects and have work where you are constantly doing something new.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
There were far too many to count. We had a lot of great times playing “Mafia” during my DM year.
Last words of wisdom?
There are two quotes that I will always remember that I believe describe why College Works Painting is a great choice for young people: “Work hard. Play hard.” “Do what you have to do now, so you can do what you want to do later.”