|
DAVID LA CAVA
Contact Me
Escalating retail product rankings, cultivating new business alliances,
and broadening visibility for clients and products through a skillful mix of
brand management, comprehensive marketing, and public relations skills are all
examples of my contributions to the growth of previous employers. As a highly analytical executive leader
excelling in creative and administrative functions encompassing project
management, interactive website design, product development/placement,
budgeting, and personnel management, I am confident that I can generate
superior results for your company as the Creative & Marketing Lead.
Click below for Resumé in PDF format:
Resume
(PDF/~100kb)
Online Portfolios:
TAXI
Portfolio
KROP
Portfolio
Creative Hotlist
Portfolio
AIGA
Members Gallery
Creative & Marketing Director
· Inventive creative strategist versed in originating
and executing profitable corporate and product branding, entertainment
marketing designs, and comprehensive marketing campaigns across multiple
industries.
· Exceptional public relations and marketing skills used
to capture national exposure through traditional and non-traditional venues
like Public Radio, Cable and Web 2.0.
· Published writer experienced in interactive media,
website design, public speaking, media appearances, and environmental
collateral (signage and wayfinding).
· Mentor thriving on maximizing the talents of personnel
to yield high-caliber results competitive with larger, more well-financed
rivals.
· Skilled project manager excelling in estimating, and
budget, client relations, and vendor management.
Branding · Creative Services · Public Relations · Marketing · Strategic
Planning · Product Development • Market Research · Competitive Analysis,
Market Intelligence · Campaign Management •
Project Management · Revenue Growth · Staff Management,
Motivation · Client Relations · Vendor Management
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Gaiam, Inc., New York, New York · 2008-Present
Sustainable health and lifestyle company with diverse line of products including an entire home entertainment distributing to all major retail & rental markets.
Lead Creative Consultant
Retained to create eye-catching key art, advertising, POP and marketing materials for the newly acquired line of products by Discovery Communications. Creating successful campaigns for their full line of content airing on all their networks — Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Military Channel and Planet Green. Successfully positioned the titles into all levels of retail using specialty packaging, displays and retail plan-o-grams. Also developed highly visible and successful packaging for GT Media's catalog titles resulting in high profitability with mass market retailers.
Product Development/Launch:
· Worked hand-in-hand with the marketing teams on the launch of over 70 new and existing product lines
for placement in Wal-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Costco and a host of other large and small retail chains.
Branding/Marketing Achievements:
· Created and reintroduced numerous brand lines successfully from product development to marketing
and manufacturing for Gaiam and Discovery Networks.
Allumination
FilmWorks LLC, Woodland Hills, California · 2004-2008
Independent
Home Entertainment DVD distributor to broadcast, satellite, CATV, and
theatrical markets.
Director of Marketing &
Creative Services
Revitalized DVD sales by
steadfastly championing the use of such marketing strategies as the use of
online sales, focusing on profitable target markets, and cost-effective product
repackaging to senior leaders and staff.
Motivated and led a 5-person team comprised of a highly skilled Creative
Manager, Marketing Manager and 3 Graphic Designers (2 worked remotely in South
Carolina). Mapped and advanced the creative process from initial
conceptualizations to final execution for key art, trailer production, DVD
packaging, screener artwork, copywriting, sales promotions, point of purchase
displays, and consumer/retail advertising. Crafted individual project budgets
and schedules for each DVD title, skillfully collaborating with all internal
departments to drive accurate, efficient project completion. Performed hands-on
design work. Infused market briefs with market research, competitive analysis,
competitive market intelligence to facilitate product positioning and revive
marketplace offerings. Handled department staff recruitment, termination,
promotions, reviews, and salary adjustments as a direct report to the company
CEO and Chairman. Assigned and managed work to contractors, including design
studios, freelance artists, copywriters, and printers.
Branding/Marketing Achievements:
· Originated numerous home entertainment brand lines
successfully from product development to marketing and manufacturing for such
film production companies as Slamdance and Moonstone Entertainment.
· Created single product lines for Sports/Fitness or TV
outlets such as “Hip
Hop Harry” and “Judge Judy.”
· Outpaced competitor’s campaigns for theatrical, home
entertainment, and global releases from initial ideas to marketplace
implementation.
· Directed product positioning, packaging development,
marketing collateral creation, global sales information, key art, posters, and
one-sheets.
· Cemented recognition of the company’s new name
industry-wide after sparking the positioning, launch, and execution of a new
corporate identity.
· Produced ad campaigns, direct mail, and movie
trailers. Designed POP displays for use at Target, Wal-Mart and other major
retailers.
Product Development/Launch:
· Spurred the launch of 100 new products,
ultimately hiking rankings with Wal-Mart to the highest ever for 2008 fourth
quarter sales. Placed products in companies like Best Buy, Netflix,
Blockbuster, and Redbox.
· Revamped website to include an online
store for direct customer sales. Promoted products, including the horror and
art house genres, through well-crafted online ad campaigns.
· Secured new sales prices points by generating
various catalogs and slates to extend lifecycles through all windows of
release.
· Capitalized on unique opportunities by repackaging and
marketing titles, such as an unknown actor achieving widespread fame after a
product’s initial release.
· Attracted numerous new third-party distribution
companies after redesigning and placing new and existing DVD products at
Wal-Mart.
Operational/Financial
Achievements:
· Introduced a new archiving and asset management system
for a relatively small investment.
· Escalated productivity two-fold within the Creative
Services Department while slashing expenditures in half through reorganization
and small but powerful computer upgrades.
· Refined product package using inexpensive, simple
solutions such as using O-rings to wrap boxes, attaching stickers, foil
printing, or holographic papers, and redoing key art.
Gregory
Thomas Associates (GTA), Santa Monica, California · 1997-2004
A boutique design firm specializing in branding,
marketing and advertising design.
Senior Design Director
Transformed the company from a small family-owned
operation into a highly professional entity recognized as a key industry
player. Innovated identity designs, graphics guidelines, style guides, user
interface designs, packaging designs, copywriting, brand positioning, renaming,
and product launches for major clients in the food and beverage, travel,
education, healthcare, and Internet industries. Extensive client base included
companies such as Kahlúa, Baskin-Robbins, Tia Maria, Qantas Vacations, Austrian
National Tourist Office, UCLA, USC, Cal Arts, Accent Care and Edmunds.com.
Heightened company’s overall professionalism by securing viable,
attorney-approved client contracts. Orchestrated art direction, presentations,
public relations, traffic management, new business development, and client and
vendor relations. Performed budgeting, estimating, scheduling, billing, and
purchase order functions using the Clients & Profits systems. Supervised 2
full-time staff and 1-3 freelance designers as dictated by business needs.
Accomplishments:
· Showcased the company’s 15-year history by designing
and managing its website, expanding its presence industry-wide and drawing more
affluent clients.
· Salvaged a key client relationship despite uncovering
unpaid bills for projects done within the previous 2 years to refute the
customer’s claim that GTA owed it money.
· Decreased outstanding account payables by charging an
upfront 10%-20% agency fee on print jobs.
· Publicized company services and sparked PR buzz by
booking the company’s principal on National Public Radio as a branding and marketing
design expert. Other appearances included The Larry Mantle Show and the Food Network’s “Memorabilia
Unwrapped.”
· Created style guides for Kahlua and Baskin-Robbins
products, both of which won Summit International Awards. Gained subsequent
media exposure in Step-By-Step Graphics & MicroPublishing News.
· Drew talented graduates from top universities,
yielding high-caliber work for a fraction of the rates demanded by more
experienced designers.
Note: Additional work history
includes work as a Freelancer performing such tasks as Art Direction/Design from
concept to completion, client/vendor relations, budgeting, and AR/AP for
clients encompassing Gaiam, Inc., Ardustry Home
Entertainment, Peripheral Resources, Inc., Mustang Marketing, Fledgling
Productions, The Lillian Theatres, Wayne Enterprises and Perception DVD. Full
details upon request.
EDUCATION
Bachelor
of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
California State
University, Northridge, California
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Web Design, Otis College Of
Art And Design, Los Angeles, California
User
Interface/Website Designs
http://www.johnwayne.com
http://www.teamduke.org
http://www.laep.org
http://www.wkconline.org
http://www.sequoiafinancial.com
Publications
How to Design Logos, Symbols and Icons (1st, 2nd & 3rd Editions) by Gregory Thomas
(Cover & Book Design)
Best of Brochure Design 6, by Cheryl Cullen (Work Featured)
Color Graphics: The Power of Color in Graphic Design, by Karen Triedman and Cheryl Cullen (Work Featured)
Information Graphics & Visual Clues, by Ronnie Lipton (Work Featured)
MEDIA APPEARANCES/PUBLIC
SPEAKING
The Food Network’s
“Unwrapped” (2003 & 2004)
Guest Lecturer, USC School
of Fine Arts and the Annenberg School For Communication
AFFILIATIONS
American Institute of
Graphic Arts (AIGA
Design Management Institute
(DMI)
John Wayne Cancer
Foundation
Leukemia & Lymphoma
Society
Graphic Arts Guild
AWARDS / GRANTS
Silver Golden Bell Public
Relations, Queensland
Tourism Direct Mail
Bronze Summit Awards, Kahlua Style
Guide
Bronze Summit Awards, Baskin-Robbins
Voice Book
Bronze New York Festivals, Baskin-Robbins
Voice Book
Sappi Ideas That Matter
Grant Recipient for Creatives Against Cancer
TECHNICAL SKILLS
MAC OS
Abobe Creative Suite (Photoshop,
Illustrator, InDesign
QuarkXpress
Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Entourage)
Clients & Profits
Intermediate Dreamweaver
Flash (limited)
Basic HTML
Java/Action Scripting
(limited)
| 
