BEN M COLLINS.

BRAND STRATEGIST.

OBJECTIVE

To elevate a mission-driven company’s brand value through the development and implementation of a story-driven, emotion-provoking, disruptive brand strategy to grow revenue, increase awareness, and enhance customer loyalty.

Ben M. Collins Photography

January 2013 - Present

  • Translating brand identities into successful visual identities for 50+ clients through careful strategy, planning, execution, and delivery of projects in varying scope and scale.

  • Strategize and execute long-term visual content creation campaigns for clients such as Local Maverick, helping them lead to a successful fundraising round and the launch of their first retail store.

  • Created video campaigns for startup Verde Technologies which directly resulted in a $500,000 fundraising award.

  • Scaled the business by creating an exceptional client experience and optimized sales pipeline to grow business revenue by an average of 146.58% YOY.

  • Grew brand awareness through coordinated organic content marketing campaigns on social media and email, resulting in a maintained follower growth rate of 17.76% YOY.

Clients

  • United States Geological Survey, Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility, Vermont Outdoor Business Alliance, Sound Experience

  • Brooks Brothers, Grayer’s, Ski The East, Adventure Dinner, Foam Brewers, VLES Designs, Verde Technologies, Switchback Brewing, Stowe Cider

  • Newport Folk Festival, Otis Mountain Get Down, Higher Ground, Nectar’s, ArtsRiot, Courtney Marie Andrews, Kat Wright, Ripe, Sammy Rae & The Friends, All Night Boogie Band, Moondogs, Bob Wagner, Zach Nugent, Tank Recording Studios, Future Fields, Dwight & Nicole, Maple Roots Festival,

Clients

Projects

Click on an image or the caption to view the project details/case study

iSun Energy

Marketing Department Coordinator

iSun Energy, May 2020 - May 2021

  • Co-developed a brand strategy with the founder and managed its implementation across web, social media, and print which led to the purchase of the company by publicly traded Peck Energy for the iSun brand and its assets.

  • Increased national brand awareness by leading an internal team/working with external web developers to redesign the company website, leading to a 5454% increase in average organic monthly visitors within one year.

  • Drove engagement and growth across social media platforms through content creation, partnerships, and engagement.

  • Worked with investor relations to maintain positive brand awareness and relations through PR communications and social media marketing campaigns during a merger between Peck Energy and iSun, as measured by adherence to SEC guidelines.

Organic Traffic

Organic web traffic measured by monthly visitors

Video Marketing Associate

radius Financial Group, May 2018 - April 2020

  • Worked with CMO and marketing team to create strategic marketing and educational video campaigns as touchpoints that enabled loan officers to increase revenue by 90% to $103 million.

  • Increased average monthly visitors to the website by 70.19% and drove market awareness in expanding regions through the creation of customer personas, data-driven development of brand strategy, and implementation of said brand strategy in a redesign of the website alongside the marketing team.

  • Collaborated with the marketing team and designers to create engaging content for social media while managing engagement on platforms across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

  • Successfully optimized paid ad campaigns across Meta and Google Ads and optimized the results using A/B testing and data analysis over a four-month period.

Strategic video marketing and education helped loan officers see a 90% increase in revenue to $103 million

Organic Traffic

Organic web traffic measured by monthly visitors

Sarah Valentini - Profile

Worked on the internal video team in pre-production, production, and post-production of a key video asset highlighting the company’s female founders, the company’s culture of promoting from within, and creating an environment for employees to thrive and succeed.

Gibson Sotheby x Radius

Production and post-production on a collateral marketing piece highlighting Radius’ partner Gibson Sotheby’s in their new location opening.

Bob Melone Team

Created an “intro to the team” video for the top performing team in the company to send out to their clients as an initial first touch point in the sales process.

Marketing in a Minute

Worked with the CMO and marketing team to develop a series of educational videos to empower loan officers to take control of their marketing to increase inbound leads.

Marketing and Brand Coordinator

ArtsRiot, December 2020 - September 2021

  • Worked with owner and manager to develop a brand strategy for the venue to open post-pandemic with a new identity and managed the brand through the communication of new initiatives and business-model changes.

  • Managed and executed all social media marketing and content creation efforts for Burlington’s premiere music venue and restaurant/bar.

Education

University of Vermont

Bachelors of Science in Business Administration, Focus in Marketing and Entrepreneurship, Graduated May 2022

Elected president of the Entrepreneurship Club as a Freshman.

  • Created educational and valuable student experiences such as weekly workshops and guest speakers talks to grow the club by 233% in average weekly attendance.

  • Leveraged mine, and the university’s network, to bring in guest speakers weekly to address topics that members of the club expressed interest in.

  • Developed workshops for students on topics such as social media management, content creation, business finance, fundraising from investors, and numerous other topics designed to supplement their education at school.

  • Created and hosted pitch competitions that allowed UVM students to pitch their business ideas in competition for a cash prize to finance their ideas, awarding $1,000 in cash prizes per semester to student entrepreneurs.

  • Launched a team to create a paid student internship program called the Academic Research Commercialization program by developing and pitching the idea to the President of the University to secure $28,000 in funding. The A.R.C program pairs faculty innovations with student entrepreneur teams in an internship program where students create a brand, go-to-market strategy, and develop a full startup around the innovation for brands such as Verde Technologies, Concrete Composites, and HarmonIQ. 

Duxbury High School

Graduated 2018

8-time varsity letter winner as a Captain in cross country, swimming, and track. Led the cross country team as Captain to our first appearance at All-States in twenty years.  

Communications Team Lead

Sunrise Movement Burlington, Jan 2020 to Jan 2021

Social Media Growth

Social Media Growth as measured by organic total followers
  • Managed all communications for the grassroots environmental movement by issuing press releases and creating educational and marketing content for social media, resulting in a 216.58% increase in following within one year.

  • Used photography and video to communicate the impact of events organized by the organization.

Skills

  • Content Creation, Photography, Storytelling, Video Production, Web Design

  • Attention to Detail, Communication, Leadership, Management, Time Management, Work Ethic

  • Adobe Creative Suite, Brand Awareness, Brand Marketing, Brand Positioning, Business Relationship Management, Content Marketing, Content Strategy, Customer Experience, Customer Persona/Target Audience Development, Email Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Social Media, Social Media Strategy

The Rose McCann Band, Dead On Arrival, The Celestial Company

Music over the years

  • Grown audiences large enough to sell out 200-person venues through branding and marketing in Burlington, Vermont.

  • Led teams in the production of recording projects, solving issues of creative difference, engaging in on-the-go problem-solving, and managing time and resources effectively.

  • Orchestrated (both literally and logistically) shows with 12+ musicians, and 4+ crew members.

  • Maintained positive and interactive business relationships with venues, media, recording studios, sponsors, etc

Recommendations

  • Skylar Bagdon - CEO, Verde Technologies

    After working with Ben for over 6 years I can confidently say that he is the best storyteller, content strategist, and photographer/videographer I have ever had the pleasure of meeting! In every project we’ve done, I’ve watched Ben combine his passion, creativity, communication skills, and work ethic to create content and stories that cut the heart of what matters and connect with the intended audience on an emotional level.

    My entire career has been in building impact-driven technology startups where compelling storytelling means everything. Every time a moment of storytelling really matters, when we’re putting it all on the line, I turn to Ben because I know I can trust him to put his all into it and create something special. Most recently, Ben led the content strategy, filming, directing, and editing for my team’s video application to a major Department of Energy startup competition. Because of Ben’s excellent work communicating our nuanced but impactful story, we won the $500,000 grand prize after multiple unsuccessful previous attempts. This was an absolute game changer for our young company. We could not have done it if Ben had not found a way to blend art and science to tell our story.

    I can’t speak highly enough of Ben, both as a content strategist and all-around driven, passionate, thoughtful, and kind human!

  • Mara Rivera - SHRM Vermont State Council Director

    Upon the strong recommendation of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR), an organization that has consistently contracted Ben for photography services in the past, I engaged Ben to photograph our SHRM Vermont State Annual HR Conference in September 2023. It marked the first occasion where the State Council opted to employ a professional photographer for the event, and Ben's performance exceeded all expectations. Ben exemplifies professionalism in every aspect of his work. He displays remarkable responsiveness, readily accommodating client directives and attentively listening to their requirements. Notably, Ben is proactive in seeking clarification when necessary, punctual in his attendance, and demonstrates unwavering dedication throughout the entirety of his assignments. The quality of Ben's post-production work is exceptional, characterized by its timeliness and meticulous attention to detail. His photographs are nothing short of stunning, capturing every facet of the conference precisely as requested. Ben's ability to encapsulate the essence of our event through his lens truly elevated the overall experience for our attendees. In summary, Ben's outstanding performance as a professional photographer for our conference underscores his remarkable talent and commitment to excellence. It is without hesitation that I recommend him for any photography needs, confident in his ability to deliver exceptional results! I wish him all the very best in Denver.

  • Nicole Eaton, Head of Partnerships

    “I've worked with Ben on multiple projects with a tight time frame. His organization and work ethic are above and beyond. For every project, he worked with our team from the beginning (literally brainstorming) to the end (down to the minute of publishing). It is always comforting working with Ben, as I know he will always deliver the vision that I had in my head. He is fast, flexible, and extremely high quality. He is also patient, which is a game changer. Cannot recommend him enough.”

  • Ryan Nakleh - Founder, Local Maverick

    Ben demonstrated unparalleled expertise, capturing the essence of our events, products, and brand through his lens. His technical skills are top-notch, but what truly sets Ben apart is his energy, passion, and keen intuition. Ben approaches every project with a curious mindset, resulting in captivating images that go beyond our initial ask.

    Working with Ben is not just about getting the job done; it's an enjoyable and collaborative experience. His ease of communication, flexibility, and adaptability make him a valuable asset to any creative project. Ben consistently listens and reviews the scope of the project, ensuring that his work aligns seamlessly with our vision.

    Ben's creativity and dedication have played a vital role in our company's growth. His images and videos have become an integral part of telling our brand story, contributing significantly to our success. Ben goes above and beyond to deliver results that exceed expectations.

    Beyond his professional talents, Ben is simply a great person to work with. His positive attitude and commitment to excellence make him a standout professional in the field. I wholeheartedly recommend Ben Collins and look forward to continuing our successful collaboration for years to come.

About

Ben Collins is an intuitive-storyteller with a stethoscopic perspective on the pulse of emotion and brands.