My Daily Orange journey isn’t like most on staff. I am not a journalist, and although often referred to as “The New Mark Nash,” I share just one of the many roles Mark held during his time at The D.O.

As I hand off the reins of advertising manager, I consider my time in this position a bridge to something new in the “business” side of this newspaper that I am so proud to say I work for.

If you had told me I would be working in sales at age 21, I’d call you crazy. But that’s me, the sales guy, trying to get you to buy ad space for The D.O., the student-run, independent nonprofit newspaper of Syracuse, New York — a tagline I have lost track of how many times I’ve used with clients.

Mark: A couple of sentences cannot possibly do justice to the role you’ve had in my life at The D.O. and in college. Thanks for always responding fast to a panicked text or call and getting me in the ads world almost two years ago. And, although I may not have liked it at the time, thanks for always pushing me to keep working and putting my best foot forward. If you ever end up running that start-up in the future, you have my number.

Kevin: As I like to explain the business/ad manager dynamic, from a learning “TA” point of view, thanks “Professor” for all the advice and help running ads the past two semesters. Thank you for believing in me this semester as the new senior rep working with new clients. I know I was far from perfect so thanks for being patient, too. I have the utmost confidence we will smash the Spring 2025 goal even though I won’t be in the same country to see it happen.

Chloe: Although not always the most productive, I still miss the ad meeting when it was just the three of us — me, you and Mark. I’ll never forget when you first showed me the master excel to keep track of ads running. It seemed like a different language at the time, but now I use the same sheet every day without blinking an eye. Thanks for all the organization tips and training to keep my head on straight.

Stephen: I’m still not quite sure how we got so lucky in hiring you this fall, but thanks for entering the business picture at the perfect time. I’m so thankful for your help running things this semester and I feel great about the future with you and the new reps. I’m really impressed with how well you picked up everything, and I’m excited for you to start selling in the future. I’m always around to help, just a text or phone call away.

Paige: It’s funny to look back and say my first real “sales” pitch came at Phi Sig Pig Roast recruiting you to join the ads team. Thanks for sticking around and helping my sanity with Mark and Chloe graduating. Looking back now, we ended up getting pretty good at the whole sales gig.

Rorie: Thanks for everything with ad design over the past few semesters. I’m sorry for all the last-second, panicked texts for artwork updates.

Sophia: I’m really impressed with all your sales work in such a short time as a rep. MPH will forever be iconic.

Adriana: I always loved hearing your stories with clients during our meetings. Enjoy NYC next semester.

Zoe/Rachel/Valeria: Godspeed next semester. I’m excited to see what you three can do. Reach out to me at any time if you need help. Thanks for holding down the fort.

Cooper/Stephanie: It was a pleasure working with you both this semester. The ads wouldn’t work nearly as well without fantastic articles to place them in. Keep up the great work next semester. Only good things ahead for you both.

Lucía: Thanks for always making print ads a priority with the million other things you have to do every production night. Those PDF previews are clutch. Stephen is in good hands next semester.

Cassie/Stef: I do not envy the work you both put in at DME but thanks for all the great work getting ads in the newsletter every day the past two semesters. Enjoy retirement.

Anish: Feels like a while ago when I started out at The D.O. as a freshman contributing writer in sports. Although my journalist aspirations are gone, your work and role at the paper opened my eyes to all the impressive work this staff does every day. Hope ESPN is treating you well.

Davis: As another split of Mark, it’s been great working with you the past two years. I wish I had the brain power to understand IT like you and Stephen. Make sure Stephen doesn’t unplug the WiFi again while I’m gone.

Aiden/Zak/Justin: You guys killed it this year in sports. Big things ahead for you three. I’m going to need D.O. sports coverage now more than ever while abroad.

Published on December 13, 2024 at 3:00 pm