Pushing the Right Buttons

I am living my dream. I am the U.S. manager for entertainment and alternative marketing for Microsoft (MSFT ) Xbox in Redmond, Wash. My job entails developing creative programming around the Xbox brand, ranging from television programs to interactive viral events for our Xbox Live audience. I get to work with movie studios, TV networks, talent agencies, and brand partners like Pepsi (PBG ).

Xbox is part entertainment and part media network, and our fanbase is absolutely devoted. It's an exciting time at the company (see BW Online, 5/10/06, "Microsoft: Let's Make More Deals")(and while we have a jump start on Sony (SNE ) in the next-generation game console battle, we are in for an all-out war. Keeping the brand deeply ingrained in the entertainment world is a top priority for the company, and I'm on the front lines for this effort.

When I started my MBA at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, I found a classmate with similar interests, and we co-founded a program called ProMotion Pictures, which sought to link students from Stern with their counterparts at NYU's film school. The goal was to have them create branded content for corporate sponsors.

This was the exact type of role I was looking for after school, so getting real-world experience at NYU was the perfect scenario. This experience really paid off, because now as I look to build the same type of programs, albeit on a larger scale, for Xbox, I have been able to build on what I learned in the program.

Here's a snapshot of a typical work day for me:

7:30 a.m. Out of bed and on e-mail. Much of my work comes out of the East Coast, and I like to address any items from there first thing. I hate traffic, so I'll spend the next hour or so getting ready for work and answering mail.

9:15 a.m. In the office, and checking in with my boss if he's not in a meeting (which is rare). Unlike most managers at Microsoft, mine works very closely with me on my projects. We both believe that...

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