163 Middlesex Road Cell: (617) 412-8341
PAUL J. BERMEL
163 Middlesex Road cell: (617) 412-8341
Chestnut Hill, MA
home: (617) 264-4733
Overview: A 25-year career in media (TV, Internet, radio, newspaper, magazine, and out-of-home). Direct experience in management and operations in sales, marketing, licensing, syndication, interactive, out-of-home, digital strategy, and business development.
Strengths: Leveraging an existing or new asset (content or product), extending and increasing the reach/audience, finding and securing new channels [methods] for distribution, generating new revenue, negotiating win-win contracts, maintaining relationships, developing cross divisional efficiencies and promotional opportunities.
Work Summary:
• Vice President, Marketing, NESN
• Strategic Marketing Consultant, Monetizing Assets
• Manager, business operations, publishing group
• Director of Strategic Alliances, Comcast corporate advertising sales
• CEO, Out-of-Home startup media company
• Director, New Business Development, CNN.com
• Director of Marketing, CNN
• Director of Sales & Marketing, CNN Headline News Local Edition
• Account Executive, Turner Affiliate Sales
EXPERIENCE
Vice President, Marketing, NESN (New England Sports Network) 2011 to present
Boston, Massachusetts
Charged with developing and overseeing the successful implementation of NESN's marketing strategy. Responsibilities include leading NESN's on-air and online marketing, creative services, promotions and public relations efforts across the organization.
Strategic Marketing Consultant, Monetizing Assets 2007 to 2011
Boston, Massachusetts
Assisting a wide variety of businesses, providing a range of services including digital strategy, new product and new distribution channel recommendations, marketing guidance, web site and SEO enhancements, social media strategy and adoption, retail strategy, sale & acquisition representation, and strategic partnership assistance.
Manager, Business Operations, CSPS Publishing Group [Organization downsized, switched to a weekly newspaper] 2005 to 2007
Boston, Massachusetts
Managed the business operations of a 109-year old trust. Annual budget of $48 million, approx. 275 employees. Total subscription circulation of all periodicals over 285,000. Traffic to the two main web sites (csmonitor.com and spirituality.com) of over 2 million unique visitors per month and over 6 million page views per month.
The publishing group consists of the following in 14 languages: A daily and weekly newspaper, magazines, web sites, radio programs, and a retail product line with over 175 products.
Key accomplishments:
•Beat budgeted expenses and exceeded budgeted revenues two consecutive fiscal years.
•Launched two new multimedia subscription web sites.
•Increased auto-renewal rates approx. 65% across the main periodicals (from approx. 20% to 33%).
•Specific to The Christian Science Monitor:
>Increased Internet advertising revenue 91% in two years.
>Increased print circulation over 15% from a 50-year low.
>Rebuilt and redesigned the csmonitor.com web site.
>Implemented a new front-end publishing system and content management systems for approx. $2mm.
>Launched the process for a new integrated fulfillment system budgeted at $2.4mm.
Director, Strategic Alliances, Comcast Corporate Advertising Sales [Recruited away for position above] 2003 to 2005
Atlanta, Georgia
One of six Directors within the corporate advertising Spotlight division of Comcast. Lead strategist on over a dozen major advertising accounts, including: Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Cingular, Nextel, UPS, Philips, FedEx, DisneyWorld, GlaxoSmithKlein, Bank of America, and Carnival.
•Developed relationships with senior level decision-makers with major advertisers and advertising agencies.
•Spearheaded the cross selling of different products: spot cable, video on-demand, commercial zoning technology, and Comcast.net/Broadband Internet (the largest broadband provider in the U.S. with over 6 million subscribers).
CEO, Mass Transit Network (MTNI) [VC creditor folded, which structurally limited further funding] 1998 to 2003
Atlanta, Georgia (Resident company at the Atlanta Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech)
Started a wireless out-of-home media company. Developed a concept, raised seed money, built the product, executed test market contracts, awarded a patent, and won two 10-year contracts.
MTNI held the exclusive contract to broadcast CNN on electronic signs (LEDs, plasma, TVs) to the U.S. transit market at train stations and on board trains. Additional content included "next train/next stop information", local business news, sports, weather, and alerts from the Emergency Broadcast System and National Weather Service.
In January 2003 MTNI voluntarily assigned the assets to a creditor who has continued with the business.
•Secured $2.6 million in equity and debt financing; hired 9 full and part-time employees.
•Established vendor relationships and contracts with over 60 companies to facilitate the business (e.g., software developers, manufacturers, advertising rep firms, content providers, research firm, ad agency, etc.).
•Conceived and awarded two patents: Patent No. 6,390,376 for a "Method and apparatus for providing targeted advertising in public areas" and Patent No. 6,674,357 for an "Informational messages display system for mass transit systems and method for same."
•Launched two live test market installations (Atlanta/MARTA and Cleveland/RTA); won a third test market contract with Philadelphia/SEPTA (installation process in progress).
•Awarded 10-year contracts for the Atlanta/MARTA and Cleveland/RTA transit systems.
Director, New Business Development, CNN.com [Resigned to start company above] 1997 to 1998
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), Atlanta, Georgia
A Time Warner Company
Responsible for generating new ideas and new businesses using new and existing CNN resources. Led business development in stadiums, games, print, telephone services, airplanes, personalization, calling cards, and CD-ROMs. Member of CNN Chairman’s Executive Committee.
•Negotiated the agreement with AudioNet/Broadcast.com (subsequently acquired by Yahoo!), to stream the audio of CNN's television news and radio networks live and on-demand over the Internet.
•Implemented CNN live and archived video and audio on CNN.com.
Director of Marketing, CNN; Director, New Business Marketing, CNN [Promoted to position above] 1994 to 1997
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS), Atlanta, Georgia
Charged with creating no-cost, viewer-targeted, revenue-generating, cross-divisional promotions between CNN and Turner Network Sales (TNS), Turner Program Services (TPS), CNN Radio affiliates and other subsidiaries of TBS. In addition, charged with extending CNN's brand through new distribution methods with the goal of increasing CNN's reach utilizing existing content while generating incremental revenue for the company. Member of CNN Chairman's Executive Committee.
•Spearheaded, negotiated, and licensed CNN content distribution to PageNet pagers, the GTE Airfone, onboard corporate jets, resulting in 3-year licensing revenue of $11mm.
•Coordinated the marketing for CNN's first CD-ROMs, CNN Time Capsule 1993, and subsequent 1994 edition.
•Conceived and test marketed in a dozen cities a CNN alert service (which could call, fax, page, and
e-mail consumers by CNN show, guest, or by topic), the pre-cursor to breaking news alerts and show alerts for the network and CNN.com.
•Initiated and implemented the addition of 14 languages to the CNN Studio Tour.
Director of Sales & Marketing, CNN Headline News Local Edition [Promoted to position above] 1990 to 1993
Turner Network Sales, Inc. (TNS), Atlanta, Georgia
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS)
Responsible for national sales and marketing of Headline News Local Edition to cable affiliates and broadcast TV stations helping form local news cooperatives. First to hold such a position with the company. Communicated daily with cable and broadcast executives and visited over 150 TV stations.
•Increased cable household (HH) distribution by 650% from less than 2 million cable HH to over 13 million cable HH.
•Increased the number of Local Edition-producing TV stations from 8 to 125.
•Managed $500,000 marketing budget.
•Created and managed the first-ever HEADLINE NEWS "Anchor Weekend" promotion for CNN that brought 50 anchors from local TV stations across the country to Atlanta to record commercials.
•Initiated and wrote two newsletters for the cable and broadcast industry, including the first-ever advertiser/agency newsletter in the cable industry and a TV/Cable Affiliate newsletter.
•Featured convention panelist at: 1995 National Cable Television Association (NCTA) [Dallas], 1994 NCTA [New Orleans], 1992 Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) [San Antonio].
•Presented one-day training seminar for 250 people (CNN Reporter Peter Arnett featured guest), at the 1992 National Academy Cable Programming annual seminar in Washington, D.C.
Account Executive [Promoted 3 times; promoted to position above] 1986 to 1990
Turner Network Sales, Inc. (TNS), Atlanta, Georgia
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. (TBS)
Responsible for sales and marketing of SuperStation TBS, Cable News Network (CNN), Headline News, Goodwill Games, and Turner Network Television (TNT) to 600 cable systems and 45 multiple system operators (MSOs) in multiple states.
•Added over 5.2 million subscribers via new cable system contracts.
•Designed and implemented cable system and market promotional campaigns totaling over $1,750,000.
•Negotiated over 200 contracts for renewal, including Top 30 MSOs Warner Cable, Scripps Howard, TeleCable, and Centel.
Misc: ‘84 LA Olympics (Press Ops), ‘84-‘85 U.S. Open Tennis (Press Ops), ‘84-‘85 Sunshine State Conf. (PR), ‘86 CNN Sports (Intern)
Personal: Youngest of 15 children, married, 3 children, active in coaching, cycling, golf, tennisBA, St. Leo College, 1985