November Stillman Student of the Month
Every first day of the month, the Leadership Blog will now feature an outstanding Stillman student as the Student of the Month. Below is the first feature for November, an interview adopted from the Stillman Exchange of Bradley Childs, Leadership Class of 2013. The Stillman Exchange chooses outstanding seniors as their Stillman Standout seniors in their bi-weekly papers.
Bradley Childs on the Marketing Journey to Success
By Beverly Makarios,
Stillman News Editor
Bradley ‘Brad’ Childs, a senior Marketing major, has made great strides during his undergraduate career at Seton Hall. He displays excellent qualities that have made him this week’s featured Stillman Standout senior. Brad is a member of the Leadership Honors Program, he has already completed a number of internship programs including MBC Marketing and Union Square Agency, and held a position as Marketing Assistant with Ford/Lincoln Group. Currently, Brad holds a position as Head Manager of Seton Hall’s Men’s Basketball. In the following interview, The Stillman Exchange talks to Brad about his internship experiences in marketing field, his passion for basketball, and his overall experience at Seton Hall.
Beverly Makarios: How did you receive your internship with MBC Marketing? What did this internship entail?
Brad Childs: MBC Marketing is actually my mother’s marketing company. I have always looked up to her personally and professionally, and felt it would be a great opportunity to grow and gain valuable experience in the field of marketing. I spent the summer working events throughout the northeast for the main client of the company: Ford. Events were held pretty much everywhere from golf courses in West Orange to food tasting events in the Hamptons. I assisted in the planning, implementation, and tear down of at least 25 events over the summer. Fulfillment of all of these event sponsorships was really fun because you cannot get bored in the constantly changing event environment. I mostly worked product displays and tried to entice people to learn more about Ford and the company’s products. I really enjoy setting up these events in such a way that I think will encourage people to be intrigued by the offering. To me that is what marketing is all about understanding why people act the way they do, and then aligning a company’s action with what the customer desires. Marketing is really just a study of people and their decisions.
BM: You also interned with Union Square Agency as a marketing intern, how was this experience different or similar to MBC? What skills did you learn from this internship that you have applied to your Seton Hall career and beyond?
BC: While MBC Marketing was more focused on traveling and working events, Union Square Agency was a more traditional “office” internship. The agency is located in NYC and focuses on the music, sports, and fashion industries. It was really interesting to see how the agency attracted clients and then fulfilled their vision for each client. The major takeaway that I had was how imperative it is to be creative in marketing. Clients are not looking for the same old solutions to marketing. Instead, the goal is to create innovative solutions that have not really been done before. Consumers get bored seeing the same types of advertisements and promotions. I have applied this need for creativity for multiple projects at Seton Hall. I try to think of ideas in individual and group projects that are a little bit different than the normal responses because creativity is ultimately what impresses people the most. Seton Hall has marketing and entrepreneurship classes that do a great job allowing students to further develop their creative skills. Wherever my marketing journey goes next, I will be sure to consistently cultivate my creativity.
BM: What interested you most in pursuing a position as the men’s basketball Head Manager? How did you go about receiving the position and what are some of the biggest takeaways that you’ve gained from this experience?
BC: Ever since I was a young kid, I have been attending Seton Hall basketball games – I am a huge fan. I received the position through an interview process my sophomore year. Even though I work seven days a week, I really enjoy everything that I do with the program. I have learned so much through this position about managing people and paying very close attention to detail. I work with a set of twelve managers, and I really appreciate all that they do. The job is really a lot of work and I could not do it without the support of the other managers, coaches, and players. The importance of planning ahead is also something that is stressed in this job. You cannot afford to think only one step ahead because you will fall behind. Thinking ahead and thinking of all possible scenarios is really important. You have to be prepared for everything. But I am just really happy to be around the coaches, players, and managers on a daily basis to see how hard everyone works. They all push me to work harder and be a better person.
BM: If you could relive your four years at Seton Hall, would you do anything differently?
BC: It sounds cliché, but I would not do anything differently. I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I have made some mistakes throughout the last few years, but nothing that I want to take back because I try to use those missteps as learning experiences. If you do not make any mistakes or play it safe all of the time, you are not really making any progress in life. Life is all about pushing yourself to new limits to become a better person. Even though my daily life is really busy and I do not really live the typical college student life, I do not regret any of the decisions I made. I like staying busy and pushing myself on a daily basis.
BM: What would you say you value most as a member of the Leadership Honors program?
BC: The Leadership Honors program is all about relationships. Whether it is the program director (Mike Reuter), my fellow students, or the senior executives, the relationships that I have gained through this program are life changing. I worked on a mentoring project in my junior year with the president of Wakefern Food Corp. (ShopRite) that entailed redeveloping the company’s social media strategy. Not many college students across the country are getting experiences like that. Whenever there is bump in the road of life, I know that the Leadership students and Mike will always be there for me.
- Group Mentoring, Group 5 Session 2
- Three Minute Leadership: The Power of Belief and Why Elephants Don’t Run