Cool-Headed and Clever: Discovering the Balance between Big-Picture and “Nitty-Gritty”s
Name: K. Brooke Zambroski
College: Champlain College
Major: Marketing with a focus of Advertising / Multimedia & Graphic Design
Hometown: Amherst, NH
Contact Info:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kbzambroski
Twitter: @brookezam
linkedin:http://www.linkedin.com/in/kbzambroski
website:http://brookezam.wordpress.com/
Email: Gmail
The Brief:
Are you in need of a creative person with strong communication skills in high stress situations, someone who can do it all, especially while riding a unicycle? Then get in contact with K. Brooke Zambroski.
A marketing mogul and a social media ninja in training, Brooke chose marketing because of her desire to save the world. She believes that the best way to get people to do something good or productive is with good messaging rather than evil advertising or manipulation. She believes it’s about spreading good causes and initiatives that she believes in.
Brooke uses this belief and her creative strengths and applies them to every project or organization she works with. She tries to take a new approach to problems to keep the solutions from getting stale. When she worked with mentor recruiting in DREAM, there was a need to find where the students were that would make good mentors. Brooke and the others at DREAM realized this meant a lot of footwork and branding-directing messages to leaders on campus and new students looking to volunteer. Through good, creative marketing, where there once was a need for volunteers there is now competition for volunteers.
Brooke has also applied her creativity, communication, and strong marketing and design skills at every organization she’s worked with, including:
DREAM Program
TrueMajority.com
Lund Family Center
Chelsea Green Publishing
Able Paint, Glass, & Flooring
Learning Disabilities Worldwide
Champlain College Publishing Initiative
VSECU: Vermont State Employee’s Credit Union
Champlain College Department of Residential Life
In her spare time, Brooke enjoys reading. She just finished The Origin of Brands and Waiting for your Cat to Bark. Currently, she is reading Why Women Should Rule the World by Dee Dee Meyers. Brooke attended a conference where Meyers was the keynote speaker. Her experience as a woman in a male dominated field was eye opening for Brooke, as she saw that Meyers is a confident woman who knows her strengths. This book provides Brooke with the opportunity to learn from Meyers’ journey.
When she’s not reading, Brooke enjoys branding, designing, social media, ultimate Frisbee, and puddle jumping.
If Brooke has the skills that your organization needs, you should definitely Hire This Grad!
The Interview:
Sum yourself up in 140 characters or less:
MKT grad looking for a sweet job. Love branding and design. New love for roller derby. Always looking for new challenges and adventures.
What does success mean to you?
Success means waking up in the morning, ready to take on the day. It means being happy with who you are and where you are in life. For me, I need to know I am doing the best I can and sharing that success with those in my community.
What do you consider your biggest success?
I think my biggest success was turning down the opportunity to continue illustrating for a children’s book series. This may seem like a strange success, but it was a moral decision I still believe in today. I completed the first book with many reservations. The author originally jotted down what ethnicity each of the characters had to be-very strict in her decision. When I brought characters for approval, she would send them back and ask me to make them closer to an unflattering stereotype. I was not thrilled with the way the author treated me nor culture sensitivity. After the first book was published, I was asked to stay on, but had to decline to keep myself feeling ethical and sane.
What is something you’ve learned from your mistakes?
I have learned that there is something to learn. I try not to regret things I might have wanted to do differently, but learn from them so that next time I’m in a pickle, I know better.
Describe your ideal working environment:
My ideal working environment is bright and energetic. I am a fan of bold ideas and bold colors, so both are a must. Sterile environments are not my thing, creativity tends to get stale. My desk at home has a ton of distractions like playdoh, a magic 8 ball, and kaleidoscope. These are all necessary items to fuel my spirit.
You have a million dollars. What do you do with it?
First, I would probably buy a handful of scratch tickets to test my luck. Once that didn’t work, I would invite my friends and family to travel with me for a few weeks. I think a good culture shock does the body good. Lastly, and it pains me to say this, I think I would put the rest in savings. There are so many adventures I can’t even dream up now, it wouldn’t be fair to not plan for the future.
How do they get the cream filling inside a Twinkie?
I think the better question is how they get the Twinkie around the cream filling. Well, it was the night of the cup-cake prom and Funfetti, the cream’s date, got cold feet. He blew off the night to leave the cream crying in its frosting jar. Twinkie, cream’s best friend, heard about the tragedy and rushed over to give cream filling a big bear hug. That’s what friends do. So, whenever you see the Twinkie, you can tell all of the love that has gone into it. What a tasty hug!
If a newspaper wrote an article about your leadership style, what would the headline be?
Cool-Headed and Clever: Discovering the Balance between Big-Picture and “Nitty-Gritty”s