Project & Portfolio 1

1. PERSONAL BRAND EXPLORATION
Heather Ekross
Project & Portfolio I: Week 1
September 29, 2023

2. I am an avid reader who loves manga
specifically. I want to bring the joy of reading to
the masses. My dream is to help authors find
new readers. I come from a background in many
different fields starting from cosmetology, artist
and financial aid. Using my creative background
and out of the box problem solving would benefit
my chosen field.
IDENTITY
Picture of You
Goes Here

3. PROFESSION
Potential Job Titles:
• Features Editor
• Editor
• Web Editor
BRAND ARCHETYPE - As Creator
archetype I would approach my
work I would leverage my creative
instincts and visionary ideas. I
would stand out and approach my
responsibilities differently by
encourage brainstorming sessions,
fostering a creative environment for
out-of-the-box ideas.
Editor for Publishing Industry/Manga Publishing

4. Hiring Managers at Manga Publishers
TARGET AUDIENCE
Molly Magrath
Outreach Plan:
• I will write a professional introduction email and have it
reviewed by a mentor in the publishing field.
• I will email her via her LinkedIn contact.
• By the end of the new year I hope to set up a
correspondence.
Talent Acquisition Lead at
Crunchy Roll
Connie Wu
Outreach Plan:
• I will follow her in Instagram.
• Direct message her via her social media.
• By the end of the year I will see if she has any
suggestions on breaking into the manga publishing
field.
Head Of Human Resources
VIZ Media
Jennie K.
Outreach Plan:
• I will write a professional email and have it reviewed by
a mentor in the field.
• I will email her via her email listed on her LinkedIn site.
• By the beginning of the new year I hope to set up a
correspondence.
HR Manager at Yen Press

5. GOALS
Short Term: (Immediately After Graduation, 2025)
• Intern for a publishing company.
‣Apply to 3 different internships at publishing
companies. Work on my brand by growing my
online presence with blogging and starting my
brand specific social media with a goal of 25
followers by end of 2024.
Mid Term: (2030)
• Gain Experience in marketing field.
‣Apply to 3 companies using my gained
experience from interning.
Long Term: (2040)
• Get Job at Major Manga Publisher.
‣Using all the knowledge I gained in previous
positions I will land a job at a major publishing
company by end of year 2024.

6. SKILLS ANALYSIS
Notable Skills & Current Proficiencies:
Notable Skills REQUIRED in TRADE & Current Proficiencies:
Data mining software
SOFT
HARD
Novice / Adept / Expert
Graphics or photo imaging software Novice / Adept / Expert
Obtain copyrights or other legal permissions Novice / Adept / Expert
Edit written materials Novice / Adept / Expert
Electronic mail software
SOFT
HARD
Novice / Adept / Expert
Instant messaging software Novice / Adept / Expert
Spreadsheet software Novice / Adept / Expert
Word processing software Novice / Adept / Expert

7. Introduce my audience to new authors
helping them gain readers by bringing
awareness to their works.
PROMISE

8. CREDENTIALS
Work Experience:
• Financial Aid Advisor at Full Sail
University
• Training Manager at Sally Beauty
Education:
• Digital Marketing, B.S., Full Sail University (2025)
Volunteer:
• Class Room Volunteer for Title 1 schools
Pine Lock Elementary School

9. COMPETITION
Giariana Doria
Industry Experience:
• Retail
Education:
• Digital Marketing BS Full Sail University 2024
Leadership Experience:
• Assistant Manager - Box Lunch
• Administrative Coordinator - Marshalls
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Retail
• Sales
• Trend Analysis
Heather Ekross
Overall Online Presence:
• 6 connections, banner image not customized,
professional Headshot, Limited it looks newer, No
published articles, Other Social Media not included, is
their LinkedIn URL customized no.
• Grade: Poor , 30 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• Higer Education
Education:
• Digital Marketing BS Full Sail University 2025
Leadership Experience:
• Financial Aid Counselor - Full Sail University
• Training Manager - Sally Beauty
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Excel
• Training
• Financial Analysis
Overall Online Presence:
• 72 connections, banner image not customized,
professionalism of headshot needs to be updated, Has
lots of skills listed with some awards but needs to be
updated,No published articles, No Social media listed,
is their LinkedIn URL customized no.
• Grade: Poor, 37 out of 100

10. COMPETITION
David Brothers
Noteworthy Experience:
• Editor - Viz Media
• Image Comics - Branding and Content Manager
Heather Ekross
Industry Experience:
• Industry experience goes here
Education:
• Macon State College 2006
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Copywriting - 8 endorsements
• Editing- 9 endorsements
• Photoshop- 1 endorsements
Overall Online Presence:
• 190 connections, banner image not customized, very
professional of headshot, very detailed profile, No
published articles, very active on other social media, is
their LinkedIn URL customized yes
• Grade: Superior, 98 out of 100
Industry Experience:
• Industry experience goes here
Education:
• Digital Marketing BS Full Sail University 2025
Leadership Experience:
• Financial Aid Counselor - Full Sail University
• Training Manager - Sally Beauty
Skills and Proficiencies:
• Excel
• Training
• Financial Analysis
Overall Online Presence:
• 72 connections, banner image not customized,
professionalism of headshot needs to be updated, Has
lots of skills listed with some awards but needs to be
updated,No published articles, No Social media listed,
is their LinkedIn URL customized no.
• Grade: Poor, 37 out of 100

11. BRAND POSITION
For Hiring Managers, My love of the industry
connects with my audience bringing them into the
wonderful world of manga.I bring to the team a
open, funny, insightful and adventurous spirit.
“HEATHER”

12. NETWORKING &
MARKETING
Industry Events & Organizations
• Independent Book Publishers Association
• ibpa-online.org/page/aboutusInternational
• Publishers Association
‣ internationalpublishers.org
• Association of American Publishers
‣ https://publishers.org/
Digital Marketing
• Primary Content: I will create reviews, recommendations,
videos and memes to interact with my audience .
• Primary Tools: Instagram, Twitter, FaceBook, Threads. 3x
weekly. Videos, Memes, and Stills
• Website: I will use my website to provide a resource for my
audience to engage with me and publishers.

13. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Mentor
• I will look for a mentor who is already in the publishing
field. They should have experience working with
publishers. December 2024
Formal Education
• Digital Marketing BS and/or Coursera, LinkedIn and
Adobe Illustrator December 2025
Technical Skills
• Word processing software - Orpheus Technology Pro
June 2024
• Writing Aid page creation and editing software -
LinkedIn, April 2024
• Graphics or photo imaging software - Adobe Systems
Adobe Illustrator March 2024
Soft Skills
• Edit written materials - Indeed, January 2024
• Manage content of broadcasts or presentations -
Coursera, December 2024
• Obtain copyrights or other legal permissions - Coursera,
November 2024

14. Heather Ekross
You know how to influence manga readers to seek out new authors? Well,
what I do is connecting with the audience to gain more readers. In fact, I
have a social media following I connect with regularly who reads my
recommendations.

15. REFERENCES
Association of American Publishers. (2023). Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://publishers.org/
Connie Wu. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/connie-wu-five/
Content Editor Skills. (n.d.). Indeed. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://sg.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/content-
editor-skills
Copyright for Multimedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.coursera.org/learn/copyright-for-multimedia
David Brothers. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbrothers/
Editor. (n.d.). Oneton Online. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/27-3041.00
Giariana Doria. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/giariana-doria-093a60122/
Heather Ekross. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-ekross-634445200/
Independent Book Publishers Association. (n.d.). Ibpa. Retrieved
October 1, 2023, from https://www.ibpa-online.org/page/aboutus
Jennifer Kim. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-kim-0719/
Julienne. (2022, July 29). The Manga Industry Growth in 2022: Sales
Skyrocketing. CCCI. Retrieved October 1, 2023, from https://ccci.am/the-
manga-industry-growth-in-2022-sales-skyrocketing/
Molly Magrath. (n.d.). LinkedIn. Retrieved October 1, 2023,
from https://www.linkedin.com/in/molly-magrath-756a2763/
Molly Magrath Image. (n.d.). Rocket Reach. https://rocketreach.co/molly-
magrath-email_47087744
Weekly Shonen Jump Editor-in-Chief Hiroyuki Nakano. (2019, February
11). Anime News
Network. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interview/2019-02-
11/weekly-shonen-jump-editor-in-chief-hiroyuki-nakano/.143096