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Executive Creative Director
Kandice Cota
san francisco, CA
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About
Kandice Cota has been working with some of the biggest brands in entertainment (CBS, MGM, NBC, Oxygen) and technology (Samsung, Hyundai, Nokia) to bring innovation strategy, design thinking and research to product development. Cota spent the late nineties at Intel, first as an IT contracts negotiator and later at Intel Capital, as an early investment manager of Intel Capital's fund($500M under management) with a focus on new media and entertainment. She worked out of SF and LA(with a deal at Creative Artists Agency), investing in some of the biggest hits in gaming(MPath, the first MMOG) and communities (Geocities- sold to Yahoo for $3.5B). Later, Cota spent time as a pioneer in the interactive TV space, peer to peer messaging software for web and mobile(sold to Joingo) and finally in film production with a distribution deal at Universal and as a Production Exec at Paramount Pictures. She is uniquely a cross-section between art and technology, business and design with a research and venture capital twist.
Speaking Topics:
Innovation Strategy
Brand Experience
Emotional Research
Startups/ Entrepreneurship
Mobile & Social apps
Design Thinking
Entertainment & Media -
Education
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MBA International MarketingUniversity of South Carolina - The Moore School of Business1993 - 1995
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BFA Design, BusinessUniversity of Michigan1988 - 1992
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Experience
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Chief Creative OfficerAIKO AgencyJun 2013 - Present (13 years)Lead team in design and innovation projects from concept to market introduction for big brands including AT&T and VF, Inc. Practice areas include branding, go to market strategy, research, media storytelling, user experience and consumer engagement for lifestyle industries.
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CEOIPFranchise, Inc.Apr 2010 - Present (16 years 2 months)Head of Creative and Research areas for social media and mobile game development company. Develop IP brand strategy and lead creative product roadmap for four social and mobile platform media products. Lead concept/character/UX design and development of Pink Panther’s Amazing Adventure(with MGM), YardSaler and BidMeUp(with 6waves) social and mobile game applications. Receive creative pitches and brand IP to package and develop for games, film and television library. License and acquire film IP, scripts and characters for game development. Package IP with star & music talent for film and alternative media distribution.
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Creative DirectorKandi Cota StudioJan 2005 - Present (21 years 5 months)Designed and managed line of Kandi Cota™ brand products for women’s, kids, footwear, handbags, gift and accessories businesses. Led design, production and marketing team for four to six cohesive collections. Negotiated with over 300 high end boutiques, specialty chains & majors buyers to close orders. Delivered product for showroom and tradeshow schedule for 6-10 markets per year. Generated a 63% gross margin and a 3-6X annual increase in revenues. Drove social media marketing strategy for niche target markets in 3 ecommerce and social networks. Acquired licensing deal for with Kany Footwear and developed fashion licensing partnerships.
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Co-FounderSchiller Sports, Inc.Oct 2013 - Dec 2014 (1 year 2 months)Led creative, design and marketing for world's leading high performance water bike and active lifestyle brand.
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Head of Product Development & ResearchgotomediaJan 2010 - Apr 2013 (3 years 3 months)Led the brand innovations and research teams for creative and technical development of 5-10 simultaneous mobile and web UX projects. Visioned all large scale research, strategy, design and development projects from concept through definition of emotional research insights for digital product innovations. Instituted 3 new practice areas, negotiated largest account deals, resourced talent and led revenue increase of 25% for over 2 years. Directed project, design and content teams on brand strategy and positioning. Defined innovation concept frameworks for mobile, cloud, advertising and entertainment for Sony, Target, Samsung, CBS Corporation, Nokia, Symantec, Hyundai, C8Medisensors, NBC-Universal, Parque Reunidos and others.
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Production ExecutiveParamount PicturesJul 2003 - Nov 2006 (3 years 4 months)Supervised production teams for four to six simultaneous projects in Paramount Premiers division. Selected key actors and music talent to package Save the Last Dance 2 and other MTV Films. Executed deal memos for all key talent, cast and crew members Neil Young's Heart of Gold. Generated budgets /schedules of incoming scripts for production consideration. Worked with directors and producers to acquire all production elements necessary to execute creative vision. Negotiated with directors, producers, agents and unions on Black Snake Moan and others.
Post Production Coordinator
Managed logistics of editorial & production hires for 10-12 simultaneous film projects. Updated and enforced show schedules and budgets on Longest Yard, Charlottes Web and 22+ other major pictures. Reviewed scripts for talent selections, editorial and budget considerations for Team America. Approved purchase orders against budgeted dollars on Aeon Flux, Mission Impossible and War of the Worlds. Worked as studio liaison between executives, agents, crew, payroll & labor relations. -
CEOJoingoJan 2000 - Nov 2003 (3 years 10 months)Founded startup to design web and mobile real-time broadcast messaging software product for consumer market. Developed user experience, brand and marketing strategy to meet strategic objectives. Closed equity investment deals and established strategic partnerships for key content. Initiated corporate strategy for acquisition of software product, trademark and company.
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SVP, Development & ProductionDowntown FilmworksFeb 2001 - 2003 (2 years 4 months)Executive in charge of slate of urban character driven and action genre projects. Output deal with Universal for full slate. Co produced Out on Parole and Sweet Potato Pie released by Lions Gate Films. Developed Pink Slip and Spykiss television pilots for Cap Entertainment/ Sony TV. Secured distribution with Vivendi- Universal for Sweet Oranges, Seed of Faith & other films. Music supervised A Miami Tale. Acquired finished films and developed marketing plan & delivery requirements. Led development team with story notes to capitalize on attached talent. Created production budgets / schedules for release.
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Investment Manager, New Media & Entertainment InvestmentsIntel CapitalAug 1997 - Oct 1998 (1 year 2 months)Investment manager of entertainment and new media sector of $500M fund. Evaluated start-ups for purposes of investment and strategic compatibility. Led investments in Geocities( sold for $3.6 Billion) Mpath & Godzilla. Negotiated deal structure and participation rights in equity related agreements.
Consulted with companies on product development, strategic objectives, market expansion, channel partners, operational and venture capital planning. Facilitated deals with Creative Artists Agency for A-list talent packaging for new media. -
Senior Buyer, Information TechnologyIntelJul 1995 - Aug 1997 (2 years 1 month)Team Leader responsible for devising cohesive procurement strategy to manage $110M in expenditures for the Information Technology commodity. Negotiated and managed all site hardware, software and network contracts. Developed partnerships with internal business units to analyze buying decisions and add value directly to the bottom line.
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Manager, Scheduling, Pricing & New MarketsAir South1994 - 1995 (1 year)Reported to the CEO with analysis of load factors & competitive schedules. Created marketing plans for increased profitability based on research analysis. Developed financial models for Board decisions on strategy and operations. Defined airline pricing and schedule based on consumer & competitor response. Developed plans for new city markets based on competitive analysis. Created brand strategy and design to compete with major carriers in Southeast airline routes.
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Assistant BuyerMacy's EastJun 1992 - Aug 1993 (1 year 2 months)Managed staff of 18 and sales of more than $3 million. Directly managed the buys for Juniors and increased profitability by 32%. Performed daily statistical data collection, trend analysis, historical comparisons and forecasting for upcoming seasons using Sabre Systems.
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Awards
University of Michigan Art Scholarship
Scholastic Art Achievement Awards -
Industries
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Skills
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Elsewhere on the Web
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On Coroflot@kandicota, member since 2009
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