John D. Foust
Experience
Having previously worked numerous internships and volunteer positions within the Tidewater area of Virginia, my current education at the VCU Brandcenter has provided me with new experience in planning, developing, and analyzing advertisements and consumer trends.
Work experience
Mariners' Museum (Internship) July-August 2013
I served as an intern for the Newport News Mariners' Museum's public relations division during the summer of 2013. While there, I wrote articles for the museum's Ahoy! magazine, covering the latest exhibits, maritime history, and goings-on around the museum itself. I also attended multiple pirate celebrations and festivals around the Tidewater area, including the popular Blackbeard Festival, where I promoted the museum to families while giving their kids games to play and activities to do to get them interested in coming to the museum's summer camps.
WVBT FOX 43/WAVY TV 10 (Internship) June-August 2011
As part of my Leadership seminar at CNU, I served as an intern at the Portsmouth FOX/NBC affiliate in 2011. I was active each night for the 10 PM FOX 43 news broadcast, the 11 PM NBC News broadcast, and the late-night online NBC news broadcast. I distributed rundowns and scripts, operated the teleprompter, and worked briefly with the robotic cameras and audio.
Virginia Air and Space Center (Volunteer) 2004-2010
Every summer from 2004 to 2010 I served as a volunteer at the Air and Space Center's summer camps for children. I assisted the camp counsellors in keeping the children entertained and in check. During this time we would help them with their crafts and science-related projects each week at the camp, but it also lead me to understand how to work with children. Not only did I learn what the newest trends were with kids interests, but it also gave me the chance to act as a responsible adult and help them when they were distressed. In one case, I was able to help console and calm a child who suffered from ADHD due to my own life experiences with the same condition.
Skills
-
BRAND POSITIONING
-
CREATIVE BRIEFS
-
FINAL CUT PRO X
-
QUALITATIVE/QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH
-
SIMMONS
-
SYSOMOS
2010 - present
2010 - present
VCU Brandcenter
2013 - present
Studying for a Masters in Business and Science, with a focus on Communication Strategy. Favorite projects include Marvel, Barbie, and the Hilliard House (a non-profit trasitional home). Every day I work with skilled peers from all walks of life to develop insights, creative plans, and positioning statements and presentations for a wide variety of brands and products. I've sung, acted, written and drawn my way through the world of advertising to find the key insights that make consumers' minds tick.
Christopher Newport University
2008 - 2012
Graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and a minor in Leadership Studies. Graduated "cum laude" with a GPA of 3.65. Reporter for the Captain's Log newspaper on campus, covering entertainment news and providing reviews. I gained experience in writing and promoted events on campus via e-mail and banners and I volunteered in my community as part of the President's Leadership Program. As part of the Prestigious Scholarships and Fellowships program, I attended classes in Oxford, England, during the Summer of 2011. In 2012 I was made secretary of the CNU branch of the Lambda Pi Eta honors society for Communications majors.
For a copy of my resume, click here!
Education
Interests and other things.
Born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia, I'm a diligent worker and a kid at heart. As an only child, it's always been my goal to work hard, make a difference, and be the hardest worker I can be. I look at every side of a problem, looking at the big picture and figuring out where I fit into it, which allows me to then develop truly clever and unique solutions as a result.
My interests often lean towards the "geeky" side of things. Many of my hobbies reflect this mindset. When I'm not toiling away at a model kit (such as the one shown on the right), I'm catching up on the latest comic book news or watching an episode of Doctor Who or Kamen Rider.
I'm not only an avid fan of many sci-fi franchises and characters, I'm also the first person who my friends will immediately turn to when asking for opinions on specific movies, tv shows, games, graphic novels, and figures. I have a deep and extensive knowledge of these things thanks to growing up with two Uncles who loved Marvel and DC, my own childhood exposure to things like Star Wars and Gundam, and an undying desire to share my joy for such geeky things with the world.
I've burnt through countless video games, and I balance out my time playing with a trip to the gym to feel a bit less guilty afterwards. After a long day, I'm the type who likes to unwind, and I'm always up for spending an evening with my best friends when the weekend rolls around.
Of course, the "geek" side of my interests isn't the only thing about me. I'm a studious person who loves learning about the latest goings-on in the world. I have a knack for research: when I want to find out about something, I'll go to any possible source I can to build up a complete set of facts and figures before making a decision, a purchase, or coming up with a strategy. This fits in to my personality as a whole: I tend to be the person who wants to hear both sides of a story before making judgments. It's important to look at the big picture, and I'm constantly looking for the different perspectives on issues to better shape my understanding of why certain people will believe completely different stances on the same subject.
I'm also a persuasive communicator thanks to my background. When it comes to motivating an audience to act, I have extremely strong public speaking skills, experience with persuasive writing/speaking, and know how to tug at hearstrings, appeal to one's logic, or even show an audience that I really know my stuff.
I love to write, and I love to socialize about the things I love. If something catches my attention, I'll be one of the first people to be talking about it or asking my friends about it. Whether it's providing reviews, coming up with quick one-liners, or simply voicing my stance on the things I love, I really enjoy coming up with cleverly written things. This also really ties in to my love of social media, where I use my writing skills in order to provide folks with a laugh or two, and I look to see what's big within the world today.
I also have picked up drawing in 2014, frequently carrying my sketchbook with me and practicing every day to keep making progress and bring ideas to life on paper.
I'm fascinated with the latest news about electronics and technology, and new gear serves to spark my interest and enthusiasm. The moment something clicks with me, I get wired. I love to dig deep into a topic that catches my eye and find out as much as I possibly can about it.
While I initially come off as quiet, I soon open up and bring energy and enthusiasm to my projects. My communication background makes me a skilled speaker and presenter who grabs the audience's attention and stands strong.
