Sponsor Project Guidelines

Introduction

We have gotten great feedback from sponsors of projects in prior JumpStart modules (which were aimed at financial services professionals). Our goal for the session on New Media is to improve the experience further by asking you to consider the following guidelines as you define your projects. As you do, please consider that our participants are traditional media professionals in transition—prior classes had more than 15 years of experience on average. The New Media participants will come from newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, advertising agencies, broadcast networks, and the like. To take advantage of that experience requires a clearly bounded project with concrete goals, objectives and milestones. Doing that work now will ensure the greatest benefit to your firm going forward.

Guidelines

JumpStart New Media participants will spend 8-10 weeks developing and executing a project for your company. Their skill sets vary across the spectrum of traditional media functions – editorial / content, marketing, research, business planning, advertising, design, operations, etc. – so you should expect to find a consultant to meet your particular needs once defined. Moreover each participant will be coached throughout. The idea is to help your company to tackle an important project while helping the participant apply their skills in a new context, learn new skills and expand their networks. Of course if your long-term needs and the participants' qualifications align we hope you will hire them!

Use the attached form to describe your company and define one (or more) projects you would like to complete. We understand that plans can change even over the short run. We hope that you will work with your JumpStart New Media consultant to adapt to such change – as that is part of the learning experience. Also the final scope of work and the participant’s work routine will be determined mutually by the company and the participant at the beginning of the project.

Project Examples

Build from your current needs and specify deliverables as much as you can. Project examples could include:

Development of a section of your business plan
A market research project
An analytic project related to the company’s operational practice
The completion of more sophisticated planning approaches
Writing content
Design work
Process refinement
Marketing and advertising

We are accepting project applications until January 22nd; the educational program "bootcamp" begins February 1st; and the projects will start on February 8th. We will do our best to work with you to meet your specific needs and desires as time allows.

Thanks for your interest. Questions? Check out the Company FAQ on the website or contact:
Kathleen Kane Bardolf
Ph: 212-317-3593
jumpstartnyc@levininstitute.org