Nick Potvin
Listen to the interview (approx. 58 min.) or download it.
Graduated in 2009, with a major in Film Scoring. Principal instrument: piano.
Position: Ad Technology Manager for the PGA Tour, the institution that coordinates various professional golfing tournaments. A combination of management, coordination and technical skills (coding, etc.), Nick implements third-party ads on the PGA’s website and mobile apps, as well as verifies that interactive ads comply with legal privacy standards. His job involves coding, supervision, and planning.
Overview: Gradating into the tough job market of 2009, Nick moved to Atlanta, hearing that there was a thriving music scene there and less competition. Work on a documentary film while still a student ultimately connected him with the producer of BET’s Soul Train Awards, where Nick started working on a freelance basis–composing a bit, helping with productions, coordinating the data during a production, and building websites and online marketing for bands at a time that they couldn’t just put videos on YOUTube. He wasn’t making much money, but very much appreciated the power and opportunities of digital marketing.
By 2012, the freelance work was starting to dry up, and Nick decided to get move back to the Boston area and get his Masters of Professional Studies in Digital Media Management at Northeastern University. He spend over 3 years getting the “two year” degree, as he was working full time during that time–first for a political blog in Rhode Island, then for a tech start-up, then for a marketing agency. Some months after graduation, CVS recruited him, at a substantial pay bump, to be their digital planning and operations manager. By the spring of 2016 Nick deciding he preferred the looser, more creative atmosphere of a smaller organization (and a milder winter), and recalling his love for golf, he reached out to the PGA to see about employment prospects. They hit it off, and, while they didn’t have an opening right away, everyone kept in constant touch until they had creating his current position for him, which he started in the fall of 2016.
You can see Nick’s LinkedIn profile here. Nick encourages anyone interested to reach out to him.
Choice Quotes: “”My coworkers are a fun group of young, vibrant, smart people who are fun to be around. I really enjoy how much the industry changes–I get bored quickly, but this space is booming and there are endless opportunities. There’s also good job security relative to when I was in the music industry.”
At the end of the day, there’s not much difference between a brand that has a message looking for creative ways to get in front of an audience is just like an artist coming up with a new chord progression or catchy lyric to get that song to click with an audience. Once you see the parallels, it’s cool to work in advertising.”
“If I knew what I know now, I’d still have gone to Berklee. I don’t think I’d be able to do what I do today if it weren’t for Berklee.” Berklee is a very competitive, with sink-or-swim mentality, which gave me a lot of confidence. Also networking–people need to build bands, need session players, etc.–there’s this constant understanding and respect for each other that’s monumentally important in the work world!”
“Go where the opportunities are, and don’t spend too much time questioning it. If back when I was a Berklee student someone had told me I’d be interested in data regulations I’d have said they were out of their mind! But because I was had conversations with people and was open to figuring it out I found a really fulfilling career path.”