Jan 2023 – Sep 2023 · 8 mos · Detroit Metropolitan Area

• Marcus worked full-time as a User Experience (UX) contractor on the In-Vehicle Content Design & Localization team at General Motors (GM) via Ramp Technology Group.
• On a daily basis, Marcus deeply collaborated with GM's agile software design and dev teams to create responsive humanized in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) experiences — by leveraging strategic, data-informed design and language principles.
• His projects touched the cockpit GUIs of current and next-gen Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) — including center stack displays, rear seat entertainment systems, and digital instrument cluster dashboards — across GM's entire portfolio of brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Corvette, GMC, Hummer, etc.
• As a UX Writer, Marcus did the following:
• Crafted clear, concise human-centered interface copy and iterating wireframes/prototypes — by spearheading projects via collaboration with product personnel (e.g. IxDs/PDs/PMs/SWEs/UXDs/UXRs/VDs/LEs/etc.)
• Ensured consistency of in-product nomenclature usage by conducting deep research and facilitating text auditing exercises, thus enhancing quality control (QC)
• Built i18n contextualization documents to describe the technical use and functionality of in-product features, thus aiding the global localization process for new UI text strings
• Evangelized content design strategy, pinpointed UI accessibility opportunities, emphasized the importance of information architecture (IA), and developed content style guides to optimize in-vehicle cross-domain UX efforts
• Reviewed and refined interface content to ensure that usability complies with (and exceeds) automotive HMI standards — resulting in more natural-feeling driver-to-car interactions, thus minimizing overall driver distraction
• Managed workflows via kanban boards and collaborated with design/dev XFNs via Agile ceremonies such as Sprint Plannings, Standups, and Retrospectives

Oct 2022 – Dec 2022 · 2 mos · New York City Metropolitan Area

• During his Fall 2022 semester, Marcus joined the National Research Group (NRG) as a Global Market Research Intern on the Brand Strategy and Innovation team — servicing various Fortune 500+ clients: SnapChat, Expedia, Diageo, and many more.
• Via the analysis of qualitative and quantitative custom research studies, Marcus helped guide storytelling initiatives for global industry-leading entertainment/technology clients. His work spanned a wide range of research studies related to topics such as:
• Product Innovation
• Content Conceptualization
• Ethnographic Insights
• Branding Strategy
• Audience Segmentation
• Competitive Positioning
• Messaging Direction
• While in this position, Marcus executed the following initiatives:
• Distilled key information from 1:1 interviews and focus groups (from global geographical regions) to help influence new mobile app developments (i.e. potential use cases, naming, pricing, etc.)
• Organized raw quantitative survey data into insightful presentation decks, thus informing stakeholders about opportunities where they can better enhance app experiences for XR developers' and creators'
• Crafted 100+ creative microcopy headlines to inform social media advertisers about the most lucrative times to attract new customers around the globe
• Examined consumer opinions about a global RTB messaging strategy and extracted verbatim consumer quotes to target the most impactful copy choices for specific global audience personas
• Conducted secondary research about new innovative trends (and embraced presentation design best practices) to assist clients with their segmentation efforts for new 2023 product positioning adjustments
• Quality-checked (QC'd) data in presentation decks before revealing findings to clients and link checked survey translations before deploying to global surveyees
• Exact projects/products of clients will remain undisclosed, since research studies could still be underway and/or not intended for public consumption yet.

Aug 2022 – Dec 2022 · 4 mos · Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area

• Selected to lead Samsung's Fall 2022 College Ambassador Program at FAU via the Youth Marketing Connection (YMC) agency.
• As a Samsung Galaxy Ambassador, Marcus was is in charge of organizing experiential on-campus events, facilitating hands-on product demonstrations, and developing engaging multimedia content to ultimately improve Samsung's mobile device acquisition rates amongst Gen Zers.
• More specifically, Marcus's tasks included:
• Planning, coordinating, leading, and promoting on-campus experiential events that demonstrate the features and benefits of Samsung's Galaxy tech products
• Educating and encouraging students to trial Samsung products via innovative hands-on consumer engagement activities
• Tactically brainstorming and creating inclusive on-trend lifestyle social media content that showcases Samsung Galaxy devices, boosts purchase intent, promotes upcoming events, and highlights student discount codes
• Documenting and presenting event recap performance metrics and applying iterations to enhance future performance outcomes
• Maintaining a consistent line of communication with fellow colleagues and key program stakeholders (YMC / Samsung / FAU).

May 2022 – Aug 2022 · 3 mos · Silicon Valley, California, United States

• Throughout the entirety of Summer 2022, Marcus interned as a full-time Associate Product Marketing Manager (APMM) on Android's Core Consumer Product Marketing team. His numerous projects were primarily focused on business-to-consumer (B2C) go-to-market (GTM) strategy development.
• Continually, Marcus made sure to leverage Google's signature philosophy of "know the user, know the magic, connect the two", thus sparking insightful provocations and actionable next steps.
• As an APMM Intern, Marcus successfully accomplished the following:
• Spearheaded the end-to-end execution of a sustainability-related research panel discussion (including pre-panel organizational tasks, during-panel hosting tasks, and post-panel insight extraction tasks) to gain insights from Android's target audience.
• Established a thorough multi-city retail enablement initiative to gain real-world on-the-floor consumer insights, thus influencing the trajectory of future marketing efforts for premium products.
• Collaborated with internal stakeholders, OEMs, and 3rd-party content partners to craft informational content bundles focused on new OS feature debuts.
• Extracted key performance metrics of newly launched features from respective XFN partners (PgMs/PMs/PMMs) and reported findings to improve future Q3/Q4 feature launch processes.

Jan 2022 – May 2022 · 4 mos · Boca Raton, Florida, United States

• Over the course of 16-weeks, Marcus performed as a part-time Spring 2022 intern for the prestigious Black Executive CMO Alliance (BECA). BECA's mission is to provide an intimate, trusted, safe space for Black marketing C-Suite executives to share, learn, elevate, and pay it forward in order to create opportunity, access, and equality for the current and next generation of Black marketing leaders.
• As BECA's Brand Management intern, Marcus did the following:
• Performed as the liaison for BECA’s Sponsorship & Partnership committees by ensuring continual communication with committee chairs (Fortune 500 C-suite Executives) and relayed all key information across the BECA organization
• Collaborated with web development teams, digital marketing agencies, BECA members, executive assistants, and consulting partners to manage BECA's amplification/branding efforts on social media and on the web (blackexec.com / beca-alliance.com)
• Researched and implemented a strategic posting/following plan for BECA's social media platforms (Instagram/Linkedin/Facebook/Twitter) and conducted weekly social listening initiatives to compile an overall "download" of "BECA in the news"
• Published PR-related website elements and updated copy/photo assets using WordPress
• Developed and launched two new digital campaigns ([1]Motivational Moments & [2]BECAversary), partook in extensive long-form copywriting, and creatively designed detailed on-brand assets using Canva Pro, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Google's G-suite

Aug 2021 – Jan 2022 · 5 mos · Hawthorne, California, United States

• For nearly half a year (22 weeks), Marcus functioned as a full-time intern on Tesla's LA Design Studio team. He mainly focused on Digital Content Design projects that touched Tesla's global markets (NA/EMEA/APAC).
• In this role, Marcus strategically defined and upheld Tesla's digital tone-of-voice by leveraging the following disciplines:
• Digital Customer Experience (DCX)
• Human-Centered Design Thinking
• Information Architecture (IA)
• Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Tracking
• User Experience (UX) Writing
• His DCX projects required an artful approach to problem-solving. To further clarify, Marcus's corporate design work was visible globally via the following customer-facing platforms:
• in-app mobile UI
• in-vehicle infotainment UI
• public web / e-commerce
• social media
• customer emails
• product display videos
• corporate events
• And much more!
• Some of Marcus's duties/goals entailed:
• Developing innovative digital content strategies that drive engagement, increase retention, encourage loyalty, enhance storytelling, and improve experiences related to Tesla's global products.
• Embracing the value of data (KPIs) by tracking the success of language efforts via the usage of Google Analytics and Microsoft Excel.
• Designing new creative forms of in-product digital content that holistically resonates with Tesla's customers/owners.
• Using research/tests to effectively conceptualize typography for utmost accuracy, clarity, and usability worldwide (UX).
• Interfacing with international Tesla staff to help advocate the importance of content accessibility, inclusion, and localization for differing audiences/markets.

May 2021 – Aug 2021 · 3 mos · Detroit Metropolitan Area

• Marcus spearheaded various experiential marketing initiatives leading to higher brand affinity amongst GM's target audience. His internship projects were centralized around emphasizing a "sustainable all-electric future" with "Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion."
• For over 3 months, Marcus functioned as a full-time intern within GM's Global Corporate Brand Marketing team.
• Via this position, Marcus mainly focused on projects within the EV innovation realm. To further clarify, Marcus did the following tasks during this HQ-based position:
• Leveraged data and storytelling in order to enhance the overall end-to-end experience of GM's target audience by developing 4 edutainment campaigns.
• Brainstormed creative ideas that guided consumers through a frictionless pathway toward meaningful and lasting relationships with the GM brand's EV lineup by crafting a high-fidelity 5-frame landing page mockup.
• Coordinated closely with external agencies, UX Design, Social Strategy, and Corporate Communication teams to research (and address) vital analytical churn-/loyalty-related touchpoints.
• Designed experiential multi-branding strategies that holistically improved the totality of GM's EV product lineup experience.
• Introduced 60+ new terminology/iconography assets and ensured impactful usage of these assets across customer-facing content to better resonate with GM's target audience on a psychological-level.
• Led the strategic art direction for a new series of customer-facing EV-related GIFs embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Thus, resulting in the generation of over 15,000,000 views (aka GM's highest viewed GIF to date).
• Critiqued early-stage scripts/storyboards, talent casting auditions, and post-production video drafts (alongside an advertising agency: McCann) to help develop an all-new national TV commercial campaign called "Pleasant Surprises" (a series highlighting the advanced Periscope safety features inside GM's newest vehicles).

Sep 2020 – May 2021 · 8 mos · Hollywood, Florida, United States

• Marcus assisted his client (Hollywood Kia) with their online presence in South Florida. Marcus collaborated closely with the dealership's marketing/advertising teams to provide creative direction for their multimedia assets.
• Essentially, Marcus accomplished the following for his client:
• Designed the creative strategy for media-related studio productions (including copywriting, storyline brainstorming, scriptwriting, photo/video production, and post-production editing).
• Developed unique methods to boost product awareness, increase market share, and attract new inbound leads to the Sales Development Center.
• Starred as the Lead Presenter for 10+ episodes highlighting the features/benefits of new and pre-owned Kia products — advertisements aired on YouTube Ads and Facebook Ads on a weekly cadence throughout late-2020 and early-2021.

May 2019 – Aug 2019 · 3 mos · Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area

• Over the summer, Marcus worked full-time within the Business Development Center (BDC) to manage the social media account strategy for three Rick Case dealerships (Acura, Genesis, & Hyundai). Marcus was also in charge of coordinating seamless journeys that enriched CX (customer experience).
• More specifically, Marcus did the following:
• Specialized in driving brand awareness, managing the dealers' reputations online, encouraging social media adoption, and improving in-person customer experience.
• Supported Rick Case Corporate's mission by upholding voice-and-tone consistency across all social platforms.
• Generated new inbound leads while also maintaining relationships with current customers/owners via a CRM system.
• Strategically allocated content advertising budgets ($1,750 per month) for all social media accounts to ensure utmost ROI.
• Increased social media CSAT metrics by driving high-conversion (and well-informed) customers into showrooms.
• Screenwrote, filmed, and edited outward-facing content to enrich customers' product knowledge.
• This position demanded a high-level of customer experience (CX) understanding. Everyday, Marcus was the main funnel for customers that had concerns/suggestions. Thus, evoking utmost levels of empathy was crucial.

Sep 2017 – May 2019 · 1 yr 8 mos · Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area

• Marcus participated in the highly-coveted APP-titude internship program at the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS). Via this two-year internship, Marcus supported the development of an augmented reality (AR) mobile app intended for both Android-user and Apple-user interfaces.
• Marcus enriched his understanding of designing mobile apps by immersing himself in a plethora of topics centered around STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics).
• In this role, Marcus also:
• Improved the overall app experience by utilizing computer animation software (Autodesk Maya + Unity), AR software (Vuforia), video editing software (FilmoraX), and various front-end code editors.
• Marketed the newly-developed AR mobile app to guests throughout the museum's many exhibits (generating 1,000+ total app downloads on Google Play store).
• Developed a high-fidelity capstone project, and pitched the app's features/benefits to MODS + UnitedWay stakeholders.
• Recorded consumer inputs/recommendations, and brainstormed new ideas to further improve the app's functionality for future usage.
• Throughout this internship, Marcus also volunteered his time to further educate young children about the diverse field of STEAM.

May 2017 – Apr 2019 · 1 yr 11 mos · Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area

• During high school, Marcus gained an immense amount of hands-on experience at a boutique confection bakery and edible art gallery.
• On a weekly basis, Marcus and his team specialized in crafting bespoke, custom-made edible products for high-end clientele in niche markets. The confectionary artistry that Marcus conducted required maximum efficiency, high attention to detail, steady hands, and patience. 🧁🍰😋

Aug 2016 – Jan 2023 · 6 yrs 5 mos

• Marcus is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of "DriveAndBeDriven LLC" (an automotive critique and multimedia production company established in 2016).
• To date, DriveAndBeDriven's YouTube channel has uploaded over 100 videojournalism content pieces, accumulated thousands of loyal subscribers, and generated millions of unique views -- all via 100% organic reach.
• Via this entrepreneurial position, Marcus is dedicated to the following:
• Producing creative, in-depth, educational, and entertaining automotive reviews of the newest vehicles currently on the market.
• Designing and maintaining numerous user-facing digital experience platforms such as a static website (www.DriveAndBeDriven.com) and a dynamic blog (www.Blog.DriveAndBeDriven.com).
• Exemplifying a highly user-first approach to content creation by exuding a strong analytical, empathetic, and managerial mindset.
• Further developing/mastering product research skills, brand development skills, and creative multimedia communication skills on a daily basis.
• For as long as Marcus can remember, he has always had a TRUE PASSION for anything and everything automotive-related. DriveAndBeDriven LLC is committed to producing high-quality automotive reviews of the newest vehicles currently on the market. Whether you are a car enthusiast, a new car buyer, or just simply want to learn more about your personal vehicle; DriveAndBeDriven.com is the ideal destination for you.
• From the very beginning, DriveAndBeDriven LLC was designed to suit all of your automotive researching needs. Marcus ensures all content embodies utmost HONESTY and QUALITY.