Hi! I’m John.
Whether I’m directing an artist-owned independent record label, establishing the partner marketing program of a $12 billion email marketing company, or founding a creative agency, I deliver proven results by infusing my work with curiosity, ambition, ingenuity, and empathy.
Experience
Label Director, Asthmatic Kitty Records — 2017-2024
Directed record label owned by Sufjan Stevens, enhancing creative direction, brand strategy, and operational processes for artist and label marketing, resulting in increased income and artist awareness. Managed business and project budgets, A&R, vendor relationships, e-commerce channels, and production of physical merchandise including vinyl, soft goods, and custom products.
Skills: project management, content marketing, email marketing, team management, budgeting, A&R
Partner Marketing Manger, Mailchimp — 2015-2017
Responsible for inaugurating Mailchimp’s B2B agency marketing. Implemented content and field marketing strategies to increase agency adoption of agencies into Mailchimp’s partner program. Revamped recruiting marketing strategy.
Skills: content marketing, field marketing, brand marketing, email marketing
Agency founder, Kinetic Project — 2010-2015
Co-founded a boutique marketing agency. Created bespoke marketing plans, communication strategies, and strategic plans, and managed development of web and social presences and app development. Clients and partners included Butler University and the National Science Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Asthmatic Kitty Records, and many others.
Skills: content marketing, marketing strategy, email marketing, product management, strategic planning
Teaching & Research Assistant, Indiana University — 2003-2008
Teaching for US History courses. Oral history research on leadership and management.
Skills: writing, research, teaching
Testimonials
“John is truly the best boss I’ve ever had. He’s a problem solver by nature, and his extensive knowledge of and willingness to experiment with systems, processes, and protocols shaped the way I work today with my own team.”
Alyssa DeHayes, Senior Marketing Manager, Highnote
As one of Mailchimp’s first agency partners, I had the pleasure of getting to know John as he was developing the Mailchimp Agency Program. I could immediately tell John had put a deep level of research and planning into the Partnership Program. I truly believe he’s the reason why the program is the success it is to this day.
Kelly Vaughn, Director of Engineering, Spot AI
John’s attention to detail is always precise and thoughtful, and is in support of, and never at the expense of, the larger vision of a project and business goal.
Michael Kauffman, manager, Son Lux
John and I were foundational members of the Marketing Team at Mailchimp. If you’re looking for someone who gets things done while making everyone around him better, I recommend John.
Rob Pugh, Vice President of Marketing, Automattic
John has been an invaluable leader, director, creative thinker, artist liaison, and general all-around problem solver for my record label Asthmatic Kitty for over 15 years. He has a special aptitude for creative and strategic marketing approaches, he thinks outside the box, and is always incredibly hands-on and enthusiastic about his work. I highly recommend him in any leadership capacity. He has an extensive skill set and is always keen to learn and grow and build incredible things.
Sufjan Stevens, artist, owner, Asthmatic Kitty Records
As a coworker, John’s a listener, always seeking out how he can drive a business, a team, or a customer’s vision further.
Tara Davies, Product Manager, Mailchimp Intuit
John is an idea generator, a strategic thinker who can make unusual but meaningful connections between resources, people, and projects. He’s excellent at motivating people towards a common goal.
Tamara Zahn, founder, Downtown Indy
John is a thoughtful, sympathetic and empathetic colleague, an advocate of both artists and labels. He always encourages creative thinking and new data-driven approaches, never settling for ‘that worked in the past, let’s just do that again’.
Tom Davies, International Director Secretly Distribution, Asthmatic Kitty Records
Other stuff
The Five Song Daily Beeler is a ✌️daily✌️ playlist of songs I’m listening to at the moment.