MICHAEL
A. COPELAND, MBA
1627 Pennsylvania Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
619/501-3303 (Main)
818/605-9283 (Mobile) |
CAREER
SUMMARY
With over two decades of experience as a professional writer and brand strategist, I help companies and organizations achieve their goals through compelling communications that differentiate. Before starting my consulting practice, I held progressively responsible management positions in the public
and private sectors; gaining significant experience in marketing and investor communications, PR and media relations. |
EXPERIENCE
COPECOM
/
San Diego, CA (Since 2005)
Brand Communications Consultant
Helps clients bring their most important stories to light. Provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to brand strategy and message development. Expert at taking complex information and finding the core story elements. Partners with creative agencies and works directly with clients on: brand research, creative concepting, message development and copywriting. Creates corporate, marketing and investor communications that increase awareness and stimulate response. Recent clients include: Qualcomm, Sony, Microsoft and Four Seasons. |
QUALCOMM /
San Diego, CA (Since 2008)
Senior Manager (Corporate Communications)
Collaborates with corporate communications teams and other communicators companywide to increase awareness and understanding of the company's unique business model and value proposition. Significant accomplishments include spearheading development of the company's corporate message platform and participating in the development of key speeches for the Chairman at high profile events, including keynote presentations for the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Qualcomm's annual Uplinq conference targeting application developers.
BAKER
| BRAND COMMUNICATIONS /
Santa Monica, CA (1998-2005)
Vice President (Strategic
Communications)
Responsible for helping reposition and grow this 20 person strategic design firm into a top-tier provider of branding and marketing communications services. Consulted with clients on content issues including brand positioning, strategic message development and copywriting. Served on new business development activities ranging from presentation and proposal development to public relations and process refinement. Applied marketing perspective to client projects including annual reports, marketing collateral, advertising and brand identity assignments in print and online media
| - |
Spearheaded
sale and development of a $300,000+
sales support program for Mentor
Corporation (a global manufacturer
of medical equipment and supplies
based in Santa Barbara, CA). |
| - |
Developed
positioning strategies for clients
including Guidance (a leading
Internet incubator), PIA (a 60-year-old
merchandising services company),
Tenet Healthcare (the 2nd largest
U.S. hospital network) and others. |
| - |
Developed advertising campaigns for Leica GeoSystems (an international provider of GPS/GIS mapping technology), SafeGuard (a national dental insurance company) and others. |
| - |
Developed
marketing collateral for Blue
Cross of California, Lakeshore
Entertainment, Cephalon (an international
biopharmaceutical company), Watson
Pharmaceuticals and others. |
| - |
Wrote
and produced Baker’s first
video project for the UCLA Department
of Development (External Affairs). |
| - |
Helped develop concepts and content for annual report clients including Adaptec, Allergan, Countrywide Bank, GUESS?, IndyMac Bank, Intersil, K2, Litton, Qualcomm, Watson Pharmaceuticals, WellPoint and others. |
|
AMERICAN
ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS /
Elk Grove Village, IL (1990-1997)
Director
(Division of Public Relations)
Responsible for directing a fast-paced, high volume in-house PR shop for a national medical association representing 53,000 pediatricians in 66 chapters. Supervised a staff of six. Helped position and promote the organizations as "the nation's foremost authority on child health."
| - |
Staged
successful media tours with Prime
Time Live, Wall Street Journal,
Time, Good Morning America, Today,
etc. |
| - |
Conducted
a national PR training conference
for 40 chapter leaders. |
| - |
Organized
a private pediatric briefing in
L.A. with the nation's Drug Czar. |
| - |
Press
events with the First Lady, Surgeon
General, FDA Commissioner, FCC
Commissioner, Mister Rogers, etc. |
| - |
Magazine
projects with Good Housekeeping,
Prevention, Reader's Digest, U.S.
News & World Report, Woman's
Day, etc. |
| - |
Letters-to-the-editor
published in USA Today, New York
Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsweek,
etc. |
- |
Spearheaded
a 3-year effort to engage entertainment
community in child health advocacy.
|
- |
Leveraged
the programs and policies of the
organization to impact on public
health. |
|
Project
Manager (Division of Public
Education)
Coordinated editorial review and marketing for cooperative venture media projects. Liaison to NY-based publisher of two parenting magazines: Healthy Kids (Birth-3) and Healthy Kids (4-10). Script writer/editor for The Healthy Kids Show, an award-winning series of 35 TV programs. Helped launch Healthlink-TV, a series of 97 video segments produced by Lifetime Medical Television and shown in pediatric offices. |
CORONET/MTI
FILM & VIDEO /
Deerfield, IL (1988-89)
Disney Promotion Manager
(Department of Advertising and Promotion)
Responsible for national
sales promo campaign that introduced
instructional multimedia acquired
from Disney to educational markets.
Worked closely with Disney staff in
Burbank.
|
ENCYCLOPAEDIA
BRITANNICA EDUCATIONAL CORP /
Chicago, IL (1985-88)
Director (Department
of Video Direct Marketing)
Responsible for the company's
first direct marketing campaigns targeting
the home video market. Created first
database of the film/video catalog for
this 60-year-old instructional publishing
company. |
Director
of Public Relations
Helped promote the national Teacher of the Year Award and School Library Media Program of the Year Award. Developed PR strategy to launch new software line resulting in extensive nationwide coverage. Active in strategic planning. Wrote proposal for the company's first home video effort. |
CHICAGO
PUBLIC LIBRARY/ Chicago, IL
(1981-85)
Manager (Office of
Public Information)
Coordinated publicity for 90 libraries
in nation's largest central library
system. Supervised staff of six. Reported
to Commissioner. Worked with the Mayor's
office on several high profile press
events. Produced and hosted 217 half-hour
radio shows for an author interview
program called In Good Company aired
in Chicago and syndicated on NPR affiliates
in KY, IA and NC. |
Program
Specialist (Broadcasting Department)
Wrote and produced literacy
PSAs with celebrities including Bill
Cosby, Barbara Bush, etc. Produced and
hosted 79 half hour radio shows for
a business, science and technology program
called Summing It Up. |
WGN
CONTINENTAL BROADCASTING /
Chicago, Il (1981)
Intern Newsriter (Newsroom)
Wrote scripts for all radio
and TV shifts and assisted producer
of Midday News. |
U.S.
ARMY SECURITY AGENCY / CA,
TX, MA, Germany (1975-79)
Russian Linguist /
Electronic Warfare Specialist
(MOS: 98G2LRU)
Performed signal intelligence
functions involving Russian language.
Selected for advanced cryptographic
course (San Angelo, TX). NCO Leadership
Training (Bad Toelz, Germany). Honor
graduate of French Commando Training
(Trier, Germany). Early promotion to
Sgt. (E5). |
EDUCATION
Northern Illinois
University, Dekalb, IL — MBA /
Summer 1997
University of Illinois at Chicago —
BA in Liberal Arts & Sciences /
Fall 1981
Defense Language Institute, Presidio
of Monterey, CA — Russian / Spring
1976 |
SKILLS
Award-winning
writer and experienced brand communications
consultant. |
| Client
lists, references and samples available
upon request. |
|
