Rolando Brown's Resume

Rolando H. Brown
New York, NY 10010 USA	www.rolandobrown.com

PROFILE

A diverse talent with proven experience, well-developed skills, and an eye for emerging trends, seeking opportunities to support capacity building programs that serve as pillars for the processes of community problem solving. In particular, seeking these community building programs in creative environments, self-starters, strategic thinking, strong research, innovation, hard work, and loyalty.

SKILLS & SOFTWARE

SKILLS:
Business Development, Branding & TechnOrganizing.

TOOLS & APPS:
Adobe Illustrator CS, Adobe InDesign CS, Adobe Photoshop CS, Database Construction and Management, Email Marketing Tools, File Maker Pro 6, FTP Clients, Macromedia Dreamweaver MX, Macromedia Flash, Microsoft Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook/Entourage/Access), PC/MAC, WordPress 2.0, HTML 4.0, Java Script, CSS, ASP, PHP/mySQL Programming, Quark Express, and Quick Books Pro 6, Google Apps Suite, SMS Marketing Technologies, Variety of Web Office 2.0, Collaboration and Social Networking Tools.

EXPERIENCE
-
01/01/2007 - Present Chief Cultivator	Parallel MVMT	New York, NY
Some of Parallel MVMT's clients include the Anchorage Urban League Young Professionals, Avon Products, Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA), Community Development Associates, Dewey Does, Driving School for Life, Downtown Staten Island Council, the Hip-Hop Association, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, New School University, The Peoples DP Inc. Specialties: Business/Non-Profit Development, Brand Development, Cloud Computing, Productivity Parallel MVMT combines the broad range of knowledge needed to help fast growing, young, creative businesses, organizers, and non-profit organizations realize their full potential. Our services are designed to improve capacity & communication, increase visibility and sales, and enhance overall organizational productivity. As the chief cultivator I am responsible for the overall growth of the agency and its' clients. -
1/2004 - 08/2007 interim Executive Director	Hip-Hop Association	New York, NY
Programs: H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival, Freshest Youth Program, Defuse News, Defuse Media Lab, H2Ed [Hip-Hop Education] Summit, Summer Teacher Institute, Hip-Hop Education Committee, Odyssey Awards, Hip-Hop Media Preservation Project, Hip-Hop Community Fellows Manage executive staff Create opportunities to grow their respective initiatives and programs Design and manage strategies to improve organizational efficiency Design and manage strategies to increase visibility of program and service offering Design, improve and manage marketing programs including online, radio, public relations, grassroots promotions and community events Design, layout and maintenance of sponsorship proposals, end of year reports, websites, print and banner ads, newsletters, and general promotional material Ensure a clear and compelling identity across all initiatives, programs, and properties Manage and develop relationships with corporate sponsors and strategic partners Manage and improve technical tools of the organization (desktop applications, websites, blog's, virtual office, server, emails, online members community, etc.) Manage the fund raising process and advise on monetary and in-kind resource allocation Present detailed research reports regarding brand accomplishments, market trends and developments, as well as assessments of community partnerships Recruit, supervise and work closely with interns, staff, consultants and vendors Track and analyze progress of all marketing, fund-raising and acquisition campaigns -
1/2003 - 12/2005 VP of Marketing & Business Development	August Bishop	New York, NY
Clients: Black Fives Clothing, Black Women In Beauty, Def Jam University, Gotta Get Up Greeting Cards & Stationary, iQualiti Brand Denim, L'Oreal, MedicusJuris, NY Knicks, Propaganda Clothing, Rufus Shirts, Sprite, TBS, Tennis Shoe Magic, The Legacy League, TNT, Turner Entertainment and Virgin Mobile Advise clients of new product development opportunities Coordinate company and client events, product seeding initiatives, interactive campaigns, and grassroots promotional programs Create and present research reports regarding present/potential clients, developing market trends, technologies and media, as well as primary/secondary competitors Design and implement proprietary research and marketing methods Design, implement, and develop major aspects of company and client programs in order to increase consumer affinity for brand products and/or services Design, layout and maintenance of company and client corporate I.D., websites, capabilities presentations and promotional materials Develop new business acquisition strategies and proposals Manage service and deliverable calendars for several accounts Manage relationships with key media outlets and industry resources Manage technical tools of company and clients (desktop applications, website, server, emails, etc.) Provide company and clients with training in use of relevant applications and platforms Review company and clients advertising creative, language, marketing and brand strategy Supervise and work closely with interns, staff, consultants and vendors -
11/2004 - 11/2005 Branding/Communications Consultant	*Hodge For Oakland 2006 Mayor**	Oakland, CA
Conceptualized the sitemap, information architecture, and visual direction of the campaigns online community Created a campaign branding communications strategy to communicate and reinforce major goals and principles Created strategic plan to enhance recognition and credibility with Oakland constituencies (Educators, Community Based Organizations, Media, Professionals and Students) Designed campaign promotional materials Facilitated campaign strategy and community development meetings with interns, staff and campaign consultants Managed the creation of campaign colors, iconography, message development, and outreach tools -
8/2002 - 3/2004 Sales and Production	UniQuest Designs	Staten Island, NY
Assisted Production Manager with the day-to-day operations of the company Designed and prepared proposals for meetings with new clients Implemented direct and indirect marketing strategies to aggressively seek new clientele Prepared and presented a marketing analysis report detailing the average pricing of Web/Logo/Graphic Design, top competitors, and general information about the design industry -

EDUCATION
-
Present	New York University	New York, NY
Bachelor of Science Leadership and Management Studies -

AWARDS & HONORS

2007 Union Square AwardsRecognizes the important and leadership role played by arts organizations in creating educational opportunities, building community and promoting progressive social change.

REFERENCES

"Rolando Brown is a person of solid character whom I have a tremendous amount of respect for. His knowledge of marketing, technology and of emerging trends is impressive. His passion for rich expressions of culture is infectious. Having worked closely with him for the past two years, I have seen Rolando grow, not only as a businessman, but also as a good man in general."

-Dexter Wimberly, CEO | August Bishop
dexter@augustbishop.com
917.698.3946

"Rolando Brown is one of the most talented, creative and politically astute communicators that I have ever had the good fortune to work with. He represents the leading edge thinkers of his generation as he merges keen business savvy; an uncommon understanding of 21st century information technology and an attunement to an ever-evolving hip hop culture. Rolando is in touch with the imperatives of a new social change agenda and approach which will democratize access to media, arts and activism."

-Greg Hodge, Youth Development Policy Consultant & Member, Oakland Board of Education
City of Oakland Mayoral Candidate
510.750.8479
greghodge@earthlink.net

"Rolando Brown is a bright new star. He is a true example on how to be a model citizen, a social entrepreneur, an activist and artist, all at the same time. He is the future... now. Through the years that I have worked with him, I have been fortunate to find a partner that cares about the community as much as I do. He is someone you can rely on to get the job done and then some. A unique individual to find."

-Martha Diaz, President | The Hip-Hop Association
212.500.5970 ext. 1
martha@hiphopassociation.org

"Rolando is a seriously cool dude with a hip eye for what's new and fresh on the interweb"

- Steven Bristol, Founder | Lesseverything.com

"Passion is the one thing I remember from my initial interview with Rolando going back 5 years ago. Since then, I've watched how he's carefully cultivated that passion to create his own path. Give him a problem and he'll give you three ways to solve it..."

-Barney Bishop | President, August Bishop

"Rolando Brown is a good friend of mine. I met him about 3 or 4 years ago. He is talented in many aspects... He is an entrepreneur, a poet, a brother, a friend as well as all of the things he stands to become throughout life... He has the drive that is rare and at times difficult to find amongst today's young entrepreneurs. I've had the opportunity to work with Rolando on several local projects. Suffice it to say that he is a great asset to anyone who is looking for accountability, productivity and results. Rolando is a good dude... I have a great deal of respect and love for him."

-Tariq Zaid, Principle | UniQuest Designs
718.448.8837
desk@uniquestdesigns.com

Rolando Brown's Resume (Last updated February 1st 2009)