The Michigan Story

Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning in today! We’re excited to share this episode with Marcus Collins! Marcus is a marketing professor at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He translates cultural learnings for “blue-chip” brands that wish to create contagious marketing campaigns that extend across both the online and offline worlds of “social.” He's given Talks at Google, SXSW, TedX speeches, been honored by AdAge and Clio with awards, and has launched campaigns like “Cliff Paul” for State Farm, the Made In America Music Festival for Budweiser, ”Hello Brooklyn” for the Brooklyn Nets, and the Eggo + Netflix’s Stranger Things conquest.

Prior to his tenure in advertising, he worked in music and tech as a startup co-founder (Muse Recordings) then leading iTunes + Nike sport music initiatives at Apple (iTunes Partner Marketing) before running digital strategy for Beyoncé.

He is an alumnus of the University of Michigan (BSE in Materials Science Engineering and MBA with an emphasis in Strategic Brand Marketing) and a doctoral student at Temple University. And most importantly, he is a proud husband and father!

Find out more about Marcus with these links below
⁃ marctothec.com - Marcus' website - Check out more of his talks, work, writing, and get in touch!

- Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @marctothec

- Check out the Yaffe Digital Media Initiative and Speaker Series on campus at Michigan for some awesome speakers!

Follow our Instagram @themichiganstory

Show Notes

Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning in today! We’re excited to share this episode with Professor Betsy Erwin. Betsy is a Senior Associate Director and Education Lead at the Ross School of Business’ Center for Positive Organizations, and she also teaches BA200 and Ross Capstone classes. She has had previous experience in leadership in career development and admissions at both Michigan and Northwestern, and she has helped lead the founding of learning programs at Ross such as the Magnify Immersion program and the +Lab. In this episode, we discuss the story of Betsy’s son Jed, who battled through Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to become someone who lived a number of “firsts,” including being the first UM student to study and live on campus with Duchenne. Betsy shares her story of advocacy for Jed and how they blazed an incredible trail, and she also talks about love, loss, the healing process, and how her family was an example of an incredible, mini, positive organization.

Hi everyone! Thanks for tuning in today! We’re excited to share this episode with our first guest, Varun Madan. Varun is a sophomore at Michigan studying business and political science, and we discuss a wide range of topics, primarily leadership, vulnerability, and the culture at Michigan’s Ross School or Business.

If you're interested, here are links to some of the things we talk about: