I’m a creative leader who loves building
Hello, my name is
MICHAEL COLLINS.
I’m a creative leader who loves building great brands and growing businesses.
I’m currently the Creative Manager at ThinkGeek.com. I was employee #21 at ThinkGeek, and I helped grow it from $37 million in revenue a year to over $140 million (and an acquisition by GameStop).
In my work I combine creativity and analytical rigor to drive business results.
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INSTAGRAM FOLLOWERS IN 3 YRS
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RAISED ON KICKSTARTER
Key Attributes
Flexible
I'm wired for a growing, fast-changing environment. I work efficiently, manage details, and anticipate problems. I love solving problems.
Strategic
I am results-oriented, always looking at the big picture. I look for opportunities, generate ideas, and react to changing conditions.
Culture-builder
We spend most of our time at work, it should be a place where everyone can thrive. Let’s share knowledge, integrate newcomers, celebrate victories, and above all, look out for each other.
Brands
I have experience partnering with and producing marketing content for leading brands.
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Data Analysis & Optimization
While leading the creative team at ThinkGeek, I have built tools to provide real-time insight into my department’s work. Dynamic workload dashboards help us to optimize our workflows and give us an accurate picture of projects currently in the pipeline. Multivariate testing has helped us refine our creative strategy. I take the initiative to send monthly and annual reports to stakeholders highlighting major projects and quantifying the volume and velocity of my team’s work.
Unifying a Growing Brand
In 2015, ThinkGeek was acquired by GameStop and in a matter of months we began to open physical retail stores. I proposed that we create a brand book to ensure a consistent brand experience online and in stores. We formed a team and created a document that is now used across the organization.
I also acted as liaison between the creative team in Fairfax and our partners at GameStop HQ in Dallas, ensuring that our creative execution was consistent across channels and locations.
Building a Brand on Instagram
After several years of seeing ThinkGeek’s Instagram account go virtually unused, a coworker and I asked if we could take over the account. In three years we took it from 11,600 followers to 240,000. We increased engagement at an even faster pace, achieving more than 1,000% growth. We were able to take advantage of a fast-growing platform to build community and meaningfully connect with our fans.
Kickstarting a Passion Project
I was a member of the marketing team that helped a friend launch the MiniMuseum Kickstarter project. The project raised $1.2 million (goal: $38k), making it one of the top 50 Kickstarter projects to date. The project attracted press from dozens of news outlets, including the Washington Post, Gizmodo, and Fast Company. With two subsequent releases, we’ve raised a total of $3.6 million on Kickstarter.
Social & Advertising Creative
