Meet Kevin!

Title: Production & Logistics Manager

Education: University of Illinois, Bachelors in Advertising, Minor in Business Administration

Time with EIM: Started as an intern May 2009 and have been here ever since!

Hometown: Glenview, IL

Favorite Restaurant: Ron of Japan (egg sauce!)

Twitter: @KevinCass

Neighborhood: Bucktown/Wicker Park

Favorite TV shows: Too many to list! Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Dexter are at the top of my list…oh, well, now that I’m listing, I have to say Game of Thrones too!

What do you love most about working at EIM: That’s a tough question. The people, high quality and diverse work we produce, and the overall atmosphere. It may sound cheesy, but there is a sense of “we are all in this together,” here. Everyone is always working as hard as they can, while still trying to find ways to help teammates. I really enjoy working with everyone here; they are some of the smartest, most passionate, and unique people I have ever met.

What makes EIM the best digital agency? Well, most of my work here has been in operations and web dev/production-heavy projects. In terms of those types of things, I would say our process and creative is what sets us apart. All of our work is unique, and I love that about EIM. You won’t see a cookie cutter site come out of here.

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When Envisionit Media needed a new account director, we had two requirements:

1. Vast digital experience with worldwide brands
2. Encyclopedic knowledge of Saved by the Bell trivia

It wasn’t easy, but eventually we found Matt Elliott.

Having spent the last 12 years agency-side, Matt has seen the good, bad and ugly of digital projects. What’s the key?

“When a client realizes that you are more than just a vendor, but a strategic partner that they can trust – that is such a huge accomplishment.”

Past work with heavy hitter brands like Capital One, SC Johnson and CareerBuilder taught him the strategic thinking that truly brings out unique and memorable ideas.

We’re excited to have him on board! Trivia night will be ours!

A very short interview with Matt:

What’s the one thing everyone should know about you?

Even though I have been in Chicago for over 12 years, I will always stay loyal to my Detroit sports teams – across the board.  Consider yourself warned.

What are three things you can’t live without:

Family, friends, and good times (preferably with the first two).

Fill in the blank: I’m really good at…

Saved by the Bell trivia.

Don caught the agency bug while working on the client side of Robert Bosch Tool Company. Since then he has spent time at many of Chicago’s digital agencies – VSA Partners, Critical Mass, and most recently Manifest Digital. He’s worked with some of the world’s most iconic brands including Nike, Gillette, Nickelodeon, PetSmart, and Valvoline. But perhaps the most fun came from contributing to the online extension What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.

His resume might intimidate. But when we asked what work he’s most proud of, he beamed with pride and said, “Coaching and mentoring a number of Project Managers that I’ve worked with and seeing them succeed.”

Sounds like Envisionit Media’s type of guy.

A very short interview with Don:

What’s the one thing everyone should know about you?

I’ll probably tell you after about three Kettle and Tonics.

What’s your favorite mythical creature?

I really like Falcor from The Neverending Story, or Chunk from Goonies (think I am dating myself?)

Some people can talk to anybody about anything. That’s Nicole. As senior social strategist (say that three times fast), she’s starting conversations everywhere by creating awesome, innovative social media programs for brands. And she’s always keeping it interesting by researching what’s new in social media and technology, then applying it to clients’ programs.

Before joining Envisionit Media, Nicole ran her own small digital agency which focused on digital content creation.  She’s also the founder of MsCareerGirl.com, a savvy blog filled with smart career tips and advice on life after college.  Nicole loves doing speaking gigs about social media in her spare time which lead her to be a guest on Oprah & Friends XM radio, an adjunct professor at DePaul, and to be quoted in publications like the Chicago RedEye and US News & World Report.

Senior social strategist. Senior social strategist. Senior social strategist.

A very short interview with Nicole:

What’s the one thing everyone should know about you?
I love Twitter a little too much. Tweet me @MsCareerGirl.

If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be and why?
I’d like to trade places with Oprah because I’d love to see how she gets it all done running so many companies simultaneously. I’d also like to know what it feels like to be paid a fortune to inspire and empower women around the world every day — I think I’d love it!

Cynthia came to intern with us as a college student. She was ambitious, focused, and oozed raw talent. Working as a designer for an eBay luxury goods e-consignment store and styling company during college was the precursor to today: working as a full-blown production artist.

Now, she works with creative directors and art directors to make sure design projects are in tip-top shape. Her most recent projects include a few email campaigns and digital marketing efforts, working on logo concepts, print collateral, and generally being awesome.

We’re pretty lucky to have someone with Cynthia’s hard work, dedication, and drive on the team.

A very short interview with Cynthia:

What’s one thing everyone should know about you?
I can probably beat you in a game of pool or bowling.

Fill in the blank: I can cook …
Anything that can be thoroughly cooked via microwave or toaster oven.

What if you could snap your fingers and be living in your ideal future? Turns out, you can, and not by magic! We know of just the tools to help you visualize your ideal life and future and make it happen. MagicFuture (formerly MagicNumber) is a platform for education and inspiration to help happy people fulfill their potential through self improvement tools. And, we have the privilege of helping them bring their wisdom, insight, and inspiration to life online.

After having developed and then obtained some key learnings for the MagicNumber beta site, EIM started on a journey to evolve the site to create greater usability for members and a more cohesive experience, tying in all tools offered–including features for goal setting, habit forming, and a vision board to paint a picture of what they are trying to achieve.

Creating User Value

To engage new users and spur growth, we helped MagicFuture implement a “Try it, risk free 21 day trial!” Seeing the value of user insights and how important it is to hear from its members, the Magic team has always encouraged feedback.  Many of the things that we included in the latest MagicFuture release were spurred by comments from their community

Building The MagicTools to Build a MagicFuture

Achieving your desired future starts with knowing you want it, but it takes the right tools to stay determined and on track. And there was always so much more behind MagicNumber than just that tool alone–MagicFuture brings them all to the forefront in a more cohesive toolkit.

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• MagicGoals – Subscribers can set and track goals towards achievement.
• MagicHabits – Subscribers can set and form habits that will enhance their lives.

Rebecca’s not only a new account manager, she’s a brand spankin’ new Chicagoan! Coming to us via Austin, Texas, she’s got a ton of experience managing clients, developing social media strategies (including the social strategy for Texas.gov — yes, she tweeted for Texas), and founding businesses. (She founded a small business marketing consultancy serving clients like Austin Restaurant Week and Autism Trust USA; no big deal.*) Oh, and did we mention she was named a rising star finalist in the 2012 Austin Business Journal’s Profiles in Power: Women of Influence awards?

We couldn’t be happier Rebecca’s with us to help our clients bring their projects to life and help the EIM teams get it done while they’re designing, coding, writing, or SEOing. She’ll be working with brands in a variety of industries to help build and connect with their audience in a creative way — and hopefully, sharing some of her pro entertaining tips with us along the way.

A very short interview with Rebecca:

What’s the one thing everyone should know about you?
My blog, TheRebeccammendations, won Best Blog for Entertaining Tips in the 2010 Austin Blogger Awards. I’ve migrated it to Chicago to write about local restaurants, shopping, art, music, and entertainment and get to know the hidden gems in The Windy City. You can also follow me on Twitter @LocalizeChicago and @Rbcammendations for tidbits on local hotspots and info I find along the way.

Fill in the blank: I can cook or bake…
Oreo truffles that are quite the hit. Actually, there’s no cooking or baking involved (just refrigeration and some chocolate-dipping skills).

*Kidding, it’s a really big deal.

Are organic vegetables better for you than conventional vegetables? Debatable. Is organic search good for your business? Yes. Robert takes a holistic approach to SEO: treating the entire site, not just the symptoms or rankings.

But make no mistake — he’s no SEO hippie, even though he’s in charge of getting more organic traffic to our clients’ sites and turning that traffic into quality leads.

With five years experience as an independent consultant, at Ephricon in Baltimore, and as an in-house web marketer (“pretty much makes me a grizzled vet,” he says), he can do that sort of thing. It’s wholesome, organic SEO at its best.

A very short interview with Robert:

What’s the one thing we should know about you?
I’m also an actor, writer, and filmmaker. Most nights and weekends I’m performing improv or sketch, or working on a TV pilot that I’m going to produce next spring.

Tell us a story in six words.
Joined circus. Sorry ma. Will write.

It’s not easy being part of the EIM digital marketing team. Those guys go through the ringer! Not only do you have to optimize a page in less than 15 seconds, you have to speak only in keywords during work hours. Okay, none of that’s true, but it’s a big job.

But Jenny’s one to do it. After consulting Coupon Cabin’s mobile app project and helping out with email marketing and partnership marketing as an intern at SitterCity, she’s freshly graduated and on board as our newest media coordinator. A paid search guru, she focuses on launching, monitoring, and optimizing each campaign on a daily basis. But best of all, she’s a hard worker who’s always looking to learn more and give every job her all.

A very short interview with Jenny:

What are your three favorite movies?
Life is Beautiful, I am Sam, The Green Mile.

If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Definitely my mom’s cooking!

Once upon a time, we were a company with exactly one employee. Ten years — and 5 offices — later, we’ve made Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list for three consecutive years, built our dream workspace, and have a team who’s everything we could have ever hoped for. Yup, it’s a pretty big deal. So, naturally, we decided to have a party.

Putting the new Ideation Lounge to good use, the 10-year party was a huge hit. Our whiteboard wall featured a history of the company in timeline form, as recalled by EIM vets, and illustrated by artists-in-residence Mike L. and Hannah.

We enjoyed live music from the Resonators with Adam on keyboard; some singing from Rob, Amy, and Kevin; catering from our friends at Homestead; a strawberry-filled EIM cake from West Town Bakery; showing off the agency hamster to delighted onlookers; and toasting to 10 amazing years in business.

We’ve come a long way, and there’s no way we could have done it without our employees, clients, friends, family, and coffee. Cheers to 10 years, and here’s to 10 more!

See more photos at Facebook.com/EnvisionitMedia.