Shawn Mikus has over 10 years of experience in marketing communications, public relations, and social media consulting. He has developed social media strategies and marketing plans that have increased engagement for various organizations. Mikus also teaches undergraduate communications courses at DePaul University. Previously, he worked as a publicist managing media relations for restaurants at the CityCenter resort in Las Vegas and supported PR efforts for a Kia vehicle launch. Mikus received his master's degree in organizational communication from DePaul University and bachelor's degree in journalism from Indiana University.

1. Shawn Mikus
shawnmikus@gmail.com • 765-546-0330 • Chicago, IL
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Marketing Communications & Public Relations Consultant/Professor --- (Chicago,
IL/Northwest, IN)
Self-Employed PR Consultant/Professor --- February 2011 - Present
 Supervised team of three for quantitative & qualitative brand audit and social media strategy
for NBA All-Star Joakim Noah’s foundation; Noah’s ARC Foundation; resulted in 30%
increase in social media engagement across Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
 Responsible for teaching more than 60 undergraduate students as communications professor
at DePaul University (Org. Communications & Public Relations)
 Developed & executed comprehensive social media marketing plans for hotel lobby
restaurant T.J. Maloney’s at Radisson Star Plaza; premier property of White Lodging Co.;
resulted in 28% attendance increase over 4 months
 Developed SMART marketing/media goals and social media strategy for debut of fine-dining
restaurant Fahrenheit 212; exceeding all 6-month media KPI’s (key performance indicators)
 Increased social media presence 25% on Twitter and Facebook as social media specialist
(seasonal) for Indiana’s second-largest water park (Deep River Waterpark)
 Social media consultant for re-naming of Fortune 500 company, Ingredion
Kirvin Doak Communications (Las Vegas, NV)
Publicist --- April 2010 – November 2010
 Supervised PR/media relations development, execution and measurement for seven fine
dining restaurants and three lounges/nightclubs at AAA Five Diamond, $9 billion CityCenter
resort in Las Vegas; includes award-winning luxury properties such as: Aria Resort &
Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa, Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas and The Shops at Crystals
 Responsible for development and execution of F&B media relations & social media
collateral for restaurants inspired by world-renowned chefs such as Masa Takayama, Michael
Mina, Wolfgang Puck, Julian Serrano, Shawn McClain and Todd English
 Performed PR/media relations responsibilities such as: international & national media FAM
tours, press releases & pitch letters, media outreach & strategy, press conferences &
interviews, ‘celebrity chef’ promotions, social media events/promotions, property media kits,
media counseling for MGM Resorts International’s hotel/F&B executives and staff, nightlife
talent escort (Club 54, Wet Republic, Tabu Ultra Lounge) celebrity red carpet
events/interviews, SEO and national & international TV/photo shoots
 Oversaw media planning, outreach and execution for CityCenter/MGM Resorts International
special property events, including: two episodes of Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef
Season 3,” Bon Appétit's Vegas Uncork'd Food & Wine Festival, Tasting Table’s Mixology
Competition, numerous celebrity- led F&B charity events and celebrity red carpet events for
MGM Grand Nightlife (Steven Tyler/Aerosmith, LL Cool J, Kim Kardashian, Floyd
Mayweather and P. Diddy amongst others)
 Achieved millions of media impressions with story placements in top outlets such as:
NYLON Magazine, Frontiers, Spirit Magazine, About.com, Bullz-Eye.com, Food & Wine,

2. Esquire, Huffington Post, Tasting Table, OK! Magazine, People Magazine, Eating Las Vegas
and Goethe Magazine (Japanese- Luxury Lifestyle)
 Provided expertise in media strategy, media outreach, demographic research and social
media event execution for cross-departmental MGM Resorts International brand
communications projects and teams (hotel, restaurant, nightlife, pool/spa, non-profit)
 Provided media relations advisement and public relations support to MGM Grand Nightlife,
Nevada Cancer Institute and X-Prize Foundation
IMG Consulting (Los Angeles, CA)
Public Relations Coordinator --- (Hourly) June 2009 – March 2010
 Supported day-to-day media relations efforts for debut of newly-designed Kia Soul at the
L.A. Auto Show; responsibilities included: pitch letters, fact sheets, media advisories, local
media inquiries, staffing executive interviews, event planning, editorial calendars and
securing local & regional media placements
International Public Relations (Tokyo, Japan)
Indiana University Ambassador --- March 2009
 One of 16 people chosen to represent Indiana University in Tokyo, Japan; studied media
impact and business practices of Japan and India; networked with Tokyo-based PR/media
executives and experienced Japanese cultural/business practices
National Basketball Association (NBA) (Secaucus, NJ)
Corporate Services Intern --- June 2007 – August 2007
 One of 24 interns chosen from international candidate pool of thousands
 Assembled, edited and delivered footage requests to advertising agencies, talent agencies and
major television networks (ESPN, ABC, TNT, NBA TV, etc.)
 Advised and counseled NBA players for upcoming media events and press conferences at
2007 NBA Draft and NBA Cares Events (NBA Charity)
 Leveraged NBA brand using social media and online communities (Facebook, Twitter,
Second Life, etc.) and created licensed, documentary-style video featured on NBA TV
 Provided communications support and video research for FBI investigation of NBA referee
Tim Donaghy (sports gambling indictment)
EDUCATION
DePaul University, Chicago, IL (2014) - M.A. Organizational & Multicultural Communication
(Concentration: Marketing Communications 3.8/4.0 GPA)
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN (2009) - B.A. Journalism
(Concentration: Public Relations 3.3/4.0 GPA)