*ABOUT ME

Who Am I & What I Do

Ellen Szot

Throughout my career, I have consistently prioritized driving profitability and enhancing organizational success. As a results-oriented leader, I am dedicated to fostering continuous performance improvement and innovation. My strengths lie in selecting, training, and motivating exceptional teams to achieve outstanding results. With a proven track record of engaging diverse audiences through innovative and groundbreaking creative campaigns, I am confident in my ability to deliver significant value to your organization. My passion for creative excellence and strategic vision aligns seamlessly with the objectives of forward-thinking teams.

Below are some examples of the value I can bring:
  • Drove prototyping and design for four PCH apps and garnered $6M revenue - $1M+ over plan.
  • Strategized and delivered critical improvements to the first 30 days of the customer journey that achieved a 670% lift in path completions for new users and an 18% increase in lifetime value.
  • Launched seven eCommerce sites at Accoona Corp. that grew revenues from $70M to $120M in one year.

Please review my resume and portfolio for a deeper look at my work history and accomplishments. I am eager to speak with you on how I will positively contribute to your business vision and objectives.

View Resume
Portfolio

*EXPERIENCE

Professional Life

Publishers Clearing House, Jericho, NY

Senior Creative Director

September 2009 – Present

Orchestrate multi-disciplinary team of 35 creatives & IT subject matter experts (SMEs) in execution of all UI, UX, and creative development across PCH websites, ecommerce, and iOS/Android applications. Generate innovative concepts and engage executives to win buy-in for new projects. Own digital strategy implementation, visual design patterns, and style guides. Create omni-channel campaigns that engage new audiences. Align products with brand identity encompassing both entertainment and information. Leverage network to forge partnerships with celebrities and events. Coach and mentor managers to provide pathways towards career development and increase morale. Manage $MM creative budgets.

  • Spearheaded prototyping and design for Wordmania, Quizmania, Slots, Lotto, and white-label apps – generated nearly $6M in single quarter—$23M+ annualized run rate, >$4M over plan.
  • Directed first design evolution of PCH subscription and auto-ship eCommerce business, targeting $10-15M margin annual run rate in next three years.
  • Delivered a new saga map approach for PCH app iOS that increased user retention 50% and generated 15% higher average revenue per daily active users – exceeded plan 35% with $1.2M revenue.
  • Created a new PCH app poised to deliver $5M in first year.
  • Partnered with NASCAR driver Kyle Busch to reach PCH’s new core customer and won +54% opt-ins.
  • Conceptualized and led design for new co-branded sweepstakes that doubled yearly sweepstakes revenue.
  • Prototyped and launched new incentivized vertical driven survey lead generation, ROKT streaming media, influencer rewards, and PCH/Lucid survey programs to enhance lead quality and quantity.
It would be a pleasure to provide further details about my background and I would welcome the chance to learn more about your current and future needs. Drawing on my hands-on leadership style, I believe that I will positively contribute to your vision and objectives.

Previous Experience

Senior Creative Director,

Accoona Corp. (Startup), Jersey City, NJ

Art Director,

Gruner & Jahr, USA Publishing, New York, NY

Ecommerce Media Consultant / Interactive Designer,

Novartis, MasterCard, Target, Procter & Gamble, New York, NY

*EDUCATION

Formal Training

Master of Arts, Computer Design and Interactive Multimedia,

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY

Bachelor of Arts, Computer Graphic Design,

University of New Haven, West Haven, CT

*ACHIEVEMENTS

Always Giving 110%

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Lift in PCH Path Completions
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Increase in PCH User Lifetime Value
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Exceeded PCH App Revenue Plans
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G&J Page Views Per Month
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G&J Unique Visitors Per Month
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Exceeded G&J Ad Revenue Plans
View Resume
Portfolio

*SKILLS

Areas of Expertise

Coaching & Mentoring –20 years
Stakeholder Management -18 years
Financial & Budget Oversight –15 years
Web/APP Design & Development –15 years
User Experience –15 years
Prototyping & Modeling -13 years
Social Media Management -9 years
Broadcast & Commercial Production -6 years

*CREDENTIALS

Always Learning

  • Advanced DMA Marketing Metrics
  • Advanced Social Media Strategy DMA Training and Certification
  • Building Business Skills For Women (AMA)
  • Cross-Device Training Approaches (ANA)
  • DMA Certified Marketing Professional (DCMP)
  • Database Marketing (DMA)
  • Direct Mail Campaigns (DMA)
  • Direct Marketing (DMA)
  • Database Marketing (DMA)
  • Email Marketing (DMA)
  • Fundamental Copywriting and Creative Strategies (DMA)
  • Marketing Analytics (DMA)
  • Marketing Metrics (DMA)
  • Mobile Marketing (DMA)
  • Offers and Propositions (DMA)
  • Relationship Marketing (DMA)
  • Web and Search Engine Marketing (DMA)

Awards

12 Publishers Clearing House CEO Recognition Awards

*TESTIMONIALS

What People Say

Arnaud Moricelli

Vendor/Owner – Forwardslashcreative.com
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ellen for almost 12 years. She has been an exemplary mentor in terms of creative leadership, and professionalism. Her personality is a positive force that gives her the ability to bring any design teams together to exceed a common goal. I have learned a lot from her about project conceptualization, problem solving and effective communication, which has clearly helped me grow professionally.

Farid Hossain

Diretor UI/UX, PCH
Ellen is a fantastic Senior Creative Director. She brings creative skill, expertise and works daily to create an environment that is best for a cross-functioning team. It’s a pleasure working with a Senior Director at the office that is both my mentor and manager. Under her guidance, I gained a variety of skills that helped me in every business aspect. Her expertise and knowledge in the field and the way she handles clients and teams are genuinely remarkable. She is highly adaptable, encouraging, supportive, and an effective leader. She makes every effort to understand the strengths of each team member and believes in a truly collaborative environment.

Laurel Ugenti

Associate Creative Director, PCH
It has been an absolute pleasure working with Ellen for over 12 years. As an ACD at Publishers Clearing House, I've worked with her on all sorts of projects with so many different team members and something that sets her apart from the rest is that she always finds a way to make people feel like the work they do matters. Her support has helped me learn so much about web design, app design and – most importantly - how to be a supportive leader. She goes beyond just supervising work and staff to really motivating the people around her to take on new challenges and shine in their own light. She is a valued mentor, talented designer and would be a great fit for any team.

Jack Grodesca

CEO/Sales & Marketing at DalgCais, LLC.
As Creative Director for Exchange Place/Accona, Ellen Szot was instrumental in the success of the sales team. Through her leadership of a multicultural and multi-disciplinary team (designers, writers, UI, IA, front-end, and developers) she was able to was able to coordinate, with enthusiasm, a wide variety of projects ranging from print collateral design and execution to complex web based products, delivering the finished product in a timely manner. This in itself was a feat, as her team was a creative resource for a plethora of associated business teams across the organization. Despite the workload, when Ellen gave you a deliverable date it was in stone.

Tracy Terrebush

Director of Human Resources, Merck
Ellen has been one of the best managers I have ever worked with. She has the eyes for design and is extremely detail oriented. She also leads the best performance team in the company and consistently delivers quality results. Her excellent project management and leadership skills are a rare find.

Jeffrey Schneider

Business Development / Sales Leader / Operations Specialist / Saas
I have worked with Ellen for almost 2 years and it has been a delight. She is an extremely creative and driven individual who's true skill is to drive business objectives through remarkable project management and team leadership. Ellen gets the job done and inspires her colleagues to perform at their highest level.