gina paris ellis marks

Professional Experience

8 years customer service and marketing experience across diverse markets
Project management, including marketing campaign management
Interpersonal communication and team management
Event management and community outreach
Digital tools: Microsoft platforms, social media platforms and scheduling tools, website developers (WordPress, Wix, Weebly), project management tools, email newsletter tools
Organization and time management
Copywriting and editing expertise

Manages and executes direct-to-customer order processes. Assists in curating and executing frontlist orders and event programs.
Services customers in store and over phone. Provides personalized book and wine recommendations to patrons.
Assists in marketing content creation and execution.
Primary executor of Rotating Genre book club. Assists in executing Museum of Fine Arts book clubs.

Seeks, conceptualizes, and develops journalistic topics for research and publication. Employs storytelling and AP styles to ensure professional execution.
Cultivates and instigates relationships with both local and national organizations for publication. Current publications include: Creative Loafing, the San Pedro Gazette, the Sapphic Sun, and Autostraddle. See “Publications, Presentations & Other Pieces” for details.

Curated, developed, and managed all marketing materials and branding strategies. Established and maintained writing of weekly newsletter reaching 10K subscribers. Built Instagram audience from approx. 300 followers to 10.5k followers within initial year.
Created store branding and systems for events and marketing. Trained staff on systems and managed staff responsibilities.
Organized, scheduled, and managed all events programming averaging 5-7 events per week, reaching over 7,500 attendees within initial year of business. Managed 5 to 10 significant projects at a given time including designing KPI and ROI tracking systems.
Developed and executed a free annual month-long community literary festival, Gainesville Reads. Established sponsorships, collaborations, and relationships with over 12 organizations. Sold approx. 500 copies of festival’s selected central book.
Resided as Secretary for The Lynx Watch, Inc. banned books distribution nonprofit.

Managed four book clubs quarterly in coordination with book club leaders, Marketing Director, and Inventory Manager.
Managed personalized signings with Tallahassee authors, such as Jeff VanderMeer and Suzanne Allain, to organize, fulfill and ship an average of 50 orders per month.

Worked as writing center tutor in one-on-one settings at an average of 10 clients per week, developing client skills in writing and digital tools such as Wix, Canva, video editing softwares, and photo editing softwares.
Instructor of Record for two courses per semester, Rhetoric & Composition ENC 1101 and 2135 for 40 students.

Managed four social media pages for local business-centered news and advertising.
Designed graphics, created website articles, and captured photo and video content for social media campaigns across company’s St. Pete Catalyst and Beach Drive platforms.

English Literature, Media and Culture
Master’s Thesis: “All the ways you wish you could be, that’s me”: White Masculinity under Capitalism, Trauma, and Debility in Fight Club (1996 and 1999)

English Literature and Culture, Summa Cum Laude
Honors Thesis: “But in a story, I can steal [its] soul”: Vietnam War Veterans and the Literature of Catharsis