From Agency to In-House: Snag a Job with Your Dream Brand

For many creative professionals, going from working agency side to in-house is a dream career move to build and foster a brand for the long haul. So how do you make this move in your career?

In this interactive panel you’ll hear from:

• Ana Andjelic, Chief Brand Officer and Forbes Top CMO
• Kiron Heriot-Darragh, Head of Special Projects at Apple
• Michael Fitzsimmons, VP of Brand & Product Marketing at WeTransfer
• Sina Port, Skillshare Teacher, Brand Strategist, and Speaker, working with Fortune 500 organizations including BMW, Google, and Adidas.

This Session Will Cover:

• What brands are currently looking for in candidates and how you can position yourself to open up exciting creative opportunities.
• What skills to highlight and how to share a compelling personal narrative to win over hiring managers and attract large brands.
• Translating agency and freelance experience to a brand-side context.
• Tips for building your network and getting your foot in the door with your ideal brands and clients.

This session is for anyone in the process of building their career, network and portfolio with interest in working directly with brands.

Panelist Bios

Ana Andjelic is a global brand executive, author of “The Business of Aspiration” and has been recognized two times by Forbes for her CMO work. Ana specializes in building brand-driven modern businesses. She uses both sides of her brain and her international sensibility to build brand value, set brand and growth vision, and advance companies’ strategic, creative and organizational capabilities. She earned her doctorate in sociology and is a widely read columnist, speaker and advisor. To follow her work, you can subscribe to her newsletter, “The Sociology of Business”.

Kiron Heriot-Darragh worked in journalism and music PR before moving to NY to chase her dream of building creative projects for cultural heroes. Joining a talent management agency, Kiron worked her way up from assisting an agent to leading creative strategy on 100+ projects for clients such as Mister Cartoon, Major League Soccer, Warner Bros, and New York Fashion Week before joining Nike to create the first editorial platform at Jordan Brand. She's now a senior creative leading Special Projects and Major Campaigns at Apple.

Michael Fitzsimmons is the VP of Brand & Product Marketing at WeTransfer, which empowers creativity around the world through beautiful and simple tools that make it easy to move big ideas (2 billion per month and counting!). Before WeTransfer, Michael spent 10 years at WeWork, where he joined as one of the first 50 employees and built one of the leading brands in commercial real estate while overseeing the global marketing strategy during the company's period of hypergrowth. He is passionate about helping companies build enduring brands that differentiate through unconventional storytelling and exceptional customer experiences.

Sina Port is a Fortune 500 brand consultant and entrepreneur who has successfully combined her passion for branding with her ability to make a real impact. At Adidas, she led initiatives like their modest wear line and the creation of multi-faith prayer rooms. Sina’s personal brand helped pave the way for her to work with dream brands like Adidas. Today, she has an audience of over 100,000 followers online, and teaches creatives how to build their personal brands and get paid to be who they are, empowering them to attract and succeed with their ideal brands.

Your Host

Alicia Morales is the SVP of Content, Community and Marketing at Skillshare. As a former journalist, TV producer, and creative director, Alicia champions personal and professional growth through creativity. At Skillshare, she’s focused on delivering revenue, cultivating a thriving creator community, building a world-class catalog, and positioning the brand at the epicenter of the creator economy. Prior to Skillshare Alicia held a number of creative leadership positions at content companies Worth, Upworthy, and FremantleMedia. She’s the recipient of a UN Media Peace Award, Walkley Journalism Award, and W3 Award. Her work has been featured at IDFA and the Sydney Writers’ Festival, and she’s been a juror for the International Emmys.

What is a Skillshare Live Session? Join a Skillshare Live Session to create alongside Skillshare’s most inspiring teachers in an interactive, hands-on environment. When you join a Skillshare Live Session, you deepen your creative practice, strengthen your skills, and step fully into your creative potential with the support of the Skillshare community. Skillshare Live Sessions give you the opportunity to engage with your favorite teachers and ask questions along the way. You’ll leave every Skillshare Live Session feeling accomplished, having created something new with the guidance of the best creative teachers out there.

Skillshare's Terms of Service for Live Sessions

Skillshare's General Terms of Service