The Brandcenter Launches Latest Round of Professional Development Courses with New Associate Director of Extension Programs
The Brandcenter at VCU is excited to share the latest round of professional development courses—inviting advertising, branding, and marketing professionals of all levels to learn from the premier institution for creative problem solving.
Our individual, open enrollment courses—led by accomplished Brandcenter alumni, faculty, and distinguished industry leaders in our extended network—are developed to up-skill, re-skill, or cross-skill industry professionals in a convenient, virtual format. New courses are expected to launch every 60 to 90 days and cover a range of topics. Most courses will be between four and six modules, take place during the work day, and last approximately one hour.
In May 2023, the Brandcenter is offering the following courses:
- Degrowth Marketing: Building the Brands We All Want to Root For with Ivan Kayser, CEO / Redscout
- A Primer on How Production Works in Advertising with Temma Shoaf, Former Head of Production / Arts & Letters Creative Co.
- Brand & Culture, Bridging New Divides with Rian Chandler-Dovis, Partner, Chief Product Officer / Brand Federation
- The No BS Course On Media Planning with Todd Alchin, CSO & CMO / Noble People
- Modern Brands and the Importance of Motion Design with Rick Plautz, Sr. Associate Motion Designer / Capital One
Future courses for July and September to be announced.
Companies looking for custom programs can work with the Brandcenter to design a curriculum based on the specific needs of their organization, its departments, and its professional development goals.
Overseeing the professional development program is Rich Weinstein, who recently joined the Brandcenter staff as the Associate Director for Extension Programs. Prior to the Brandcenter, Weinstein worked across nearly every category at top advertising agencies such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden+Kennedy, The Martin Agency, and, most recently, Arts & Letters Creative Co., and on a range of blue-chip brands, including ESPN, Google, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola, and Netflix. He considers himself fortunate to have been a part of teams awarded Lions, Pencils, Effies, and a host of other awards, and at four different agencies when they received Agency of the Year designations. In addition to a wealth of experience and wisdom, Weinstein brings to the Brandcenter a theory he has ascribed to throughout his career: Every organization’s greatest asset is its people.
"We recognize that professional development is the currency used by talent to establish their value and companies to retain their talent, and we hope to play a key role in the industry's skilling ecosystem,” Weinstein says.
Executive Director of the Brandcenter Vann Graves shares, “Since the Brandcenter’s founding more than 25 years ago, we’ve been committed to educating and preparing students to enter into and succeed in the advertising and marketing industries. We’re excited to leverage our unique history and position and expand our offerings to support industry professionals throughout their careers. We are thrilled to have Rich join the team and lead us in these efforts.”
To learn more about the program and upcoming courses and to register, visit our website. Browse the course catalog for May 2023 here. Be sure to join our mailing list to receive updates about future programming.
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