Careers

Freelance Art directors/designers – Off Leash Studios

Off Leash Studios is an agile team of directors, editors, producers, animators, photographers and artists who work with brands, production partners and agencies big and small to craft visual content that engages the audience, moves consumers, and demands action.

Using proven talent and consistent conceptual thinking, this art director/designer must communicate the client’s or product’s message in a uniquely fresh, memorable, and persuasive way. A versatile conceptual visual thinker who can create online video and broadcast content consistent with the agreed-upon strategy and tone. Able to create storyboards and present work both internally to team members and client facing. Plays well with others. Ability to work on-site and remotely.

BACKGROUND/SKILLS

• Strong online portfolio with video/broadcast samples required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum 7-10 years experience in an advertising or marketing agency or freelance
• Able to think in a variety of visual styles including live action, typographic and animation
• Possesses an inquisitive mind, asks relevant questions in the search for insights
• Demonstrates a strong work ethic and a can-do attitude
• Is detail oriented with a strong ability to research and problem solve
• Learns quickly and possesses a continuous learning mentality
• Displays strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to collaborate
• Proficient with the Adobe Creative Suite, other content creation platforms a plus

Freelance Content Editor/Videographer - Off Leash Studios

In this role, the highly motivated and creative editor/videographer will help our award-winning creative team bring our stories to life, from behind the camera through post production. The successful Videographer will be collaborative, self-motivated, be able to operate independently and have a strong desire to learn about emerging technologies.

The Videographer will work closely with our in-house producer, creative team and marketers.

• Responsible for taking concepts from start to finish including pre-production, production (shooting, sound, lighting) and post production (editing, audio and finishing)
• Operate multiple cameras: Canon 5d Mark III and IV, Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6k
• Ability to multitask and work on a variety of different projects
• Responsible for shooting videos on location or in studio
• Understanding of the equipment and crew personnel needed for each project
• Communicate successfully with account and creative departments
• Develop schedules for shoots and editorial jobs with Director supervision
• Develop a technology inventory budget for shoot, edit and animation projects
• Responsible for introducing and demonstrating new media technologies to creatives, account service and clients
• Review all job orders, client input, feedback and revisions to meet client/agency expectations
• Maintain client relationships. Comfortable presenting video playback, rough cuts and final edits to agency and clients.
• Should meet with Director of Integrated Production on all incoming jobs, shoots, edits and final delivery to client to ensure expectations
• Deliver jobs on time and on budget
• Able to navigate from edit to live action photography, animation depending on the job needs
• Develop budgets as needed with Director of Integrated production
• Maintain a professional approach to all duties and be inspirational and positive throughout the process

• Great story teller
• Software expertise: proficiency in one or all of the main editing platforms (Adobe Premiere) is required. We are a Mac-based studio
• Camera expertise: candidate must possess versatile camera and audio equipment operating skills including: Canon 5d Mark III and IV, Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6k
• Basic understanding of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator
• Basic understanding of sound editing
• Basic understanding of color correction
• Adobe Premiere Pro is a must as well as proficient in using After Effects. Knowledge with the rest of the Adobe Suite is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree with 4+ years advertising or related experience
• Prior agency experience

Freelance Copywriters – Off Leash Studios

Off Leash Studios is an agile team of directors, editors, producers, animators, photographers and artists who work with brands, production partners and agencies big and small to craft visual content that engages the audience, moves consumers, and demands action.

Must be able to create and collaborate to develop consumer campaign concepts for online video and broadcast TV that adhere to a specific strategy and tone. Write copy that’s emotional and inspires action in a concise, clear, creative way with an ability to think visually. A conceptual thinker that may be called upon to present the work both internally to team members and externally to clients. Able to work well with other members of the team including creative directors, art directors, producers, editors and project managers. Ability to work on-site and remotely.

BACKGROUND/SKILLS

• Strong online portfolio with video/broadcast samples required
• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Minimum 7-10 years experience in an advertising, marketing agency or freelance
• Able to think in a variety of visual styles including live action, typographic and animation.
• Possesses an inquisitive mind, asks relevant questions in the search for insights
• Demonstrates a strong work ethic and a can-do attitude
• Is detail oriented with a strong ability to research and problem solve
• Learns quickly and possesses a continuous learning mentality
• Displays strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to collaborate
• Proficient with Word. Other content creation platforms a plus

Freelance Web Designer

Cronin, one of the leading marketing agencies in Connecticut, is looking for qualified web designers. We’re a company with a rich history of memorable work and out-of-the-box thinking known for making strategic and creative stuff for a wide variety of clients.

ROLE:
Create the look, layout, feel, functionality and features of the websites we are developing. You will work on developing new websites and on enhancing our existing Web properties.

You will work closely with our creative directors, project managers, strategists and other design team members to develop specifications and make adjustments regarding the use of new and emerging Web technologies.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Work with clients and project managers to build and refine graphic designs for websites. Must have strong skills in Adobe Creative Suite, Photoshop, Sketch, and InvisionApp
• Develop and maintain robust Web style guides for all our consumer- and business-facing products.
• Adhere to Web design best practices and next-generation digital trends.
• Create high-fidelity mock-ups for vetting and user testing, and finished PSD and Sketch files for development.

EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s in design or related field, or significant equivalent experience.

EXPERIENCE: 

• Three years minimum experience with Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch
• A strong visual online portfolio.
• Knowledge of browser compatibility across multiple platforms and devices and CSS, HTML, and other programming languages helpful.
• Strong ability to design with accessibility in mind.
• Experience working in an agile/scrum development process.

Internship Opportunities

We offer internship opportunities in the following departments:

• Brand Management
• Business Development
• Creative
• Engagement and Influence
• Finance
• Integrated Operations
• Media and Analytics
• Technology and Innovation
• Web Development

Interning provides:

• Opportunity to work in a fast paced, fully integrated advertising agency
• Opportunity to develop personal portfolio including samples of work accomplished during internship
• Opportunity to meet with and learn about additional disciplines within agency
• Attendance at information sessions/webinars/meetings
• Agency team-building opportunities
• Knowledge in frequently used advertising resources/tools
• Formal evaluation on overall performance
• Fun and the experience of agency life

You must:

• Commit to two-three days per week (typically around five hours each day)
• Possess knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Internet

This is an exempt position.  Apply below and be sure to let us know what department you are interested in.

Quality Assurance Specialist

Reports to: Project Management Lead

As part of our Technology Team, the Digital Production/Quality Assurance Specialist is responsible for conducting QA on websites, landing pages, applications, tools and HTML5 banner campaigns and assisting with the management of workflow/resources scheduling of development projects.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

The primary responsibility of this position is to conduct quality assurance efforts for digital projects in a fast-moving agency environment. Specifically:

• Work concurrently on several projects, each with specific instructions and requirements that may differ from project to project – projects range from landing pages and banner campaigns to large scale websites, applications and tools
• Interact with the project team members (developers, designers, UX, strategists, project managers, account service) to identify, capture and understand requirements
• Work with team to incorporate quality assurance processes throughout the project lifecycle (not simply at the end)
• Conduct testing in a cross-browser/multi-device environment (using physical devices as well as emulators)
• Develop User Acceptance Testing plans and test cases
• Actively participate in walk-through, inspection, review and user group meetings for quality assurance
• Clearly document and communicate all identified issues utilizing agency tools and documents
• Maintain documentation of completed quality assurance tasks
• Estimate QA project scope
• Consistently seek to identify improvements in the QA process
• Manage project team expectations and deliver project tasks on time
• Proactively identify risks
• Ensure that quality assurance deliverables meet or exceed expectations
• Develop internal and client facing QA documentation

Additionally, the Digital Production/Quality Assurance Specialist will act as a junior member of the project management team and will:

• Participate in resource planning activities (daily stand-ups, resource planning meetings, project planning meetings)
• Follow agency procedures for assigning and communicating work to team members
• Utilize agency management tool to distribute work and manage routing and feedback processes
• Maintain and distribute a daily “hot list” of project status
• Prepare completed project documentation
• Participate in/Support project estimating efforts
• Set-up and monitor Google Optimize tests

This role may support one or more of the agency’s clients and will work in partnership with various members of the Agency’s project management team. Specific client/project assignments may vary with workload.

Additional projects may be assigned to Digital Production/Quality Assurance Specialist as required. These projects may include:

• Documenting agency processes
• Website content entry via CMS (WordPress, Drupal)
• Email set-up/distribution via MailChimp, SalesFusion, others.

• Bachelor’s degree (Computer Science or equivalent preferred)
• 3 years of experience in functional, accessibility and creative testing of responsive websites and applications
• Hands-on experience with various testing, bugtracking, collaboration and project management tools (Jira, Trello, Browserstack, Basecamp, others)
• Familiar with agile project planning methodologies
• Prior experience in a digitally-centric agency or within a digital marketing team

The following prior experience, while not required, will be considered a “plus” for candidates:

• Understanding of ADA/508C WCAG requirements and testing methodologies
• Automated testing frameworks and tools (Selium for example)
• A/B testing/personalization services (Google Optimize, Optimizely, Aquia, Dynamic Yield)
• Standard content management systems (WordPress, Drupal) for website content entry
• Email marketing and marketing automation tools (Mailchimp, Hubspot, others)

• Detail oriented and quality focused
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; verbal and written
• Ability to juggle multiple projects and priorities
• Quick learner
• Works well under the pressure of deadlines
• Highly organized
• MS Office skills, preferably MSOffice 365 and other similar office collaboration software (Google docs/sheets)

** This is an exempt position.

Senior Search Strategist

Reports to: Sr. Director of Media & Analytics

ROLE:
Manages day to day implementation, maintenance, analysis and optimization of Search Engine Marketing (SEM/PPC) campaigns. Primarily responsible for daily management and optimization of client Paid Search accounts in Google AdWords and Bing Ad Center for the Amica Mutual Insurance account. This role manages all aspects of pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, including copywriting, placement, adgroup and keyword strategy, and budgeting / bidding strategies. This position will also be involved in aspects of reporting for overall media campaign performance.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

In general, most of the time will be spent in the following responsibilities:

• Identifying and developing the most effective and cost-efficient paid search campaigns including strategy for Paid Search campaign structure including, ad groups, keywords, bidding and budget strategy.
• Providing analysis on media delivery, performance, trends and future implications in client reports. Working with internal teams, including the Media and Analytics team and the Brand Management team, and other partners to develop reporting products to best serve clients’ goals
• Monitoring results against specific key performance Indicators and conversion goals.
• Researching and selecting keyword, ad copy and landing pages
• Contributing to landing page strategy and analysis / analyzes results, distills insights on what’s working what’s not, provides recommendations for optimizations and/or tests.
• Development of client facing presentations that summarize and synthesize campaign performance including recommendations to improve. Maintaining detailed analysis and reporting of all paid search advertising performance on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis (depending on client requirements).
• Effectively interacting with search engines teams at Google and Yahoo/Bing to understand their services, capabilities, and operational requirements.
• Stays current in industry best practices and changes in various Platform UI’s ( Adwords, Bing/Yahoo Adcenter, other).
• Potentially supervise, train, mentor and develop junior team members, allocate work to ensure deadlines are met, audit work and oversee quality control, ensuring all errors and caught and corrected, and conduct performance reviews
• Manage day-to-day expectations and communications with client and internal teams as necessary. Establish a true partnership with clients by gaining and maintaining a deep understanding of their business needs and issues faced.

EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s Degree or Technical Degree with concentration in Statistics, Information Technology, Marketing or Finance preferred

EXPERIENCE: 

• A minimum of 5 years paid search experience
• Intimate knowledge of search engine optimization, search engine platforms, search analytics, and site analytics
• Has a working knowledge of analytic tools and can use them to evaluate performance metrics.
• Ability to present results and findings in articulate fashion (both in writing and in person).
• Ability to work with large data sets and present reporting in a way that provides clear and actionable results.
• Proficiency in Excel and Powerpoint a must. Comfort with conditional formatting, advanced formulas and pivot tables.
• Organized, and detail-oriented with strong attention to follow-through

** This is an exempt position.

Supervisor, National TV Planning and Buying

Reports to: Sr. Director of Media & Analytics

Select Media and Analytics personnel including (e.g., TV Buying Strategist and TV Buying Associate)

Leads all national television media planning and buying activities; involved in setting strategic direction; developing plan; selecting networks/stations to achieve objectives within a predetermined budget; negotiates plans and buys; supervisors junior staff members; maintains professional and client contact.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
In general, most of the time will be spent in the following responsibilities:

• Confers with media director, clients, and/or Cronin Brand team to establish objectives and strategies for
  television advertising campaigns.
• Evaluates networks and station mix to determine which would most effectively reach the target audience.
• Evaluate all plans/buys by analyzing cost efficiency, reach and frequency, impressions delivery and other strategic goals (e.g., sponsorships and value added).
•  Summarizes quarterly television buys in client facing document.
• Assists Sr. Director and SVP in gathering information and preparing annual communication / media plans.
• Builds strong, positive relationships with media sales representative and responsible for being expert in programming and demographic viewer profile across all networks.
• Keeps current on media trends especially in the addressable TV and OTT realms. Attends annual upfront presentations to stay abreast of marketplace opportunities.
• Supervises stewardship of all television buys (including Addressable and OTT), tracking spend against goals (budgetary, GRP’s, CPP, CPM etc.)
• Analyzes media plan results against stated objectives and collaborates on reports that summarize results, insights and recommended optimizations.
• Mentors junior members of the department and oversees projects as needed.

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred

• 6+ years of Television media buying and planning experience (Direct response experience a plus)
• Experience in National Cable preferred
• Spot TV buying experience a plus
• Proficiency with media/tv buying tools (i.e. Nielsen NTI along with Strata)
• Proficiency with media/TV planning tools (i.e. ISpotTV, Nielsen Media Impact, AdIntel), SQAD and MRI/Simmons)

• Strong mathematic ability with proficiency in excel and power point required.
• Strong negotiation skills
• Attention to detail required
• Ability to handle multiple tasks required
• Verbal and written communication skills

** This is an exempt position.