Emily J. Benner
Objective
Enthusiastic marketing and public relations professional with experience in marketing, media relations,
public affairs, social media and publishing. Currently working on the marketing team at Disney Institute as
well as assisting the public relations manager with Disney’s Golden Oak and seeking a Master’s Degree in
Integrated Marketing Communication from the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia
University. Seeking a challenging, fast-paced position in the marketing field that requires a diverse set of
skills and offers opportunities to share and implement creative ideas.
Experience
Disney Destinations Public Relations
October 2012-Present
Assisting the Sales and Travel Operations teams Public Relations niche businesses manager, this position
supports Disney Institute, Disney’s Golden Oak and travel trade for Adventures by Disney. This role is
critical in managing each organization’s reputation, media relations and external and internal
communication.
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Develop brand messaging deck for Disney Institute Cast Members presenting brand standards and
communication policy for more than 200 people
Screen media interview requests for Disney Institute sponsorship series courses
Supported logistics of Golden Oak familiarity tour for 15 domestic and international journalists
Review media inquiries for Disney Institute Sponsorship Series courses for Public Relations
Manager
Propagate bi-weekly reporting for department meetings
Edit and revise written projects as needed for marketing and public relations teams including
advertorials and press releases for multiple lines of business
Collaborate with agency on weekly Disney Institute, Golden Oak and Adventures by Disney clip
reports and interviews
Disney Institute Marketing
June 2012-Present
Marketing Coordinator and intern for Disney Institute marketing and communication team. Working under
the Distribution Marketing umbrella, this role supports marketing and public relations strategies for the
website, and social media and assisting managers with the creative development of marketing and sales
materials and collateral, as well as assisting in areas of project management and bi-weekly and quarterly
reporting.
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Plan, promote and execute Twitter Chat’s and Live Tweet events to more than 36,000 followers on
Twitter engaging users and driving conversation
Develop B2C eBrochure and e-mail communication for distribution to all open enrollment guests of
Disney Institute for all 21 versions of the key Disney Institute courses
Coordinate photo and b-roll video shoot for Disney Institute marketing and public relations teams to
be used for collateral, website, media requests and social media
Maintain error resolution project management for DisneyInstitute.com
Propagate bi-weekly reporting for department meetings
Devise integrated tactics to serve as the benchmark for future social media efforts across all
platforms
Facilitate creation of e-mail blasts and other creative assets through Disney Marketing Central, the
internal creative branch for Distribution Marketing
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Maintain assets, course retrieval and projects for MyDI, Disney Institute participant engagement tool
Update website for copy, upcoming courses, changing standards and imagery
Plan content for social media accounts including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Talking Point, the
Disney Institute blog facilitating conversation among followers and fans and building a position for
Disney Institute as a thought leader in the custom business solutions industry
Gosport Newspaper
Jan. 2011-May 2012
Gosport Staff Writer at Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP). Directly reporting the Public Affairs Office and
the Commanding Officer, the Gosport supports one of the largest populations of veterans in the country as
well as more than 6,000 Naval students during their training tenures. With a distribution of 25,000, stories
and photos produced at the Gosport are not only used in NASP department briefs but also sent on to be
published at other international publications including the official U.S. Navy News Service, Navy
Newsstand. The Navy hosted a year-long celebration of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA) during
2011, driving a number of large events that celebrated current and former aviators, Medal of Honor
recipients and the challenges that service members made that paved the way for modern-day aviation.
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Cover events at NASP that included memorial ceremonies, air shows, historical fly-bys,
proclamation signings, training evolutions, enhanced security drills, groundbreakings and more
Wrote lead story for the Navy-wide kick-off of the Centennial of Naval Aviation (CoNA)
distributed among two other international publications and Navy Newsstand
Took the lead on several full-spread photo pages that documented events like the annual Best
Warrior Competition for the Army, Aviation Rescue Swimmer School, the Navy’s flight
demonstration squadron the Blue Angels, hurricane season, the Margaret Flowers and Lion’s
Club awards and nominees and others
Responsible for inter-office organization and communication among collaborating departments
like Safety, Community Outreach, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and others
Photograph aircraft and VIPs onboard Naval Air Station Pensacola both for public record as well
as historical record for NASP
Reported and photographed historic arrival of the USS Independence, LCS-2, a brand new stateof-the-art multi-purpose vessel and the Navy’s first trimaran-hulled ship
Build layouts for pages and photo features each week in QuarkXpress
Interview local veterans to document their history in Gosport stories
Research and write about historic aviation-related people, battles and events as part of a
continuing series for CoNA that included more than 40 stories in the series
Proof each page by editing copy, design and layout according to AP style on deadline
Design logos and headlines for pages
Responsible for generating and designing content collaborating with different NASP
departments and leadership
Recipient of the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Information (CHINFO) award in a worldwide news competition with a
first-place CHINFO Merit Award for Best Metro Format Newspaper for 2011, a first for the Gosport
Recipient of the Thomas Jefferson Award, awarded by the Department of Defense, for Best Metro Format
Newspaper across all branches for 2011, a first for the Gosport and for the base
Public Affairs Internship
Summer 2010
Intern at Naval Air Station Pensacola (NASP) during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. This disaster covered
the Gulf Coast in crude oil, damaging wildlife, eco-systems and the local economy. Its effect on the base
created a fast-paced environment in which high level U.S. officials constantly visited the area to receive
reports on how NASP leadership was strategically handling these events. It was not only a sensitive area in
terms of wildlife, as the base protects a conservation watershed, but also derailed several training
initiatives for students in Aviation Rescue Swimmer School and other departments that used the
intracoastal waterway to train students.
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Monitored beach areas for arrival of oil daily, then confirmed and reported contamination to BP
contractors to safely contain contaminated areas
Supported Secret Service and coordinated media credentialing for arrival of the President
Obama and Vice President Biden
Reported arrival and speech made by the Vice President and Admiral Thad Allen (U.S. Coast
Guard) regarding the clean-up efforts of NASP and future military involvement in clean-up
Recorded oil spill response reports of the USCG during Deepwater Horizon oil disaster for
historical and media usage on base
Covered arrival and movements of Coast Guard cutters that arrived to aid in clean-up and
maintenance efforts to report NASP port movements which had increased by more than triple
the annual average during the length of the internship
Drafted Hall of Honor documentation after Neil Armstrong’s induction for coverage in the base
newspaper and for historical records
Interviewed country music singer Tracy Lawrence for a free USO salute concert that was being
hosted for the Sailors, Marines, Air Force members and Coast Guard members on base
Planned the September 11 commemoration ceremony for students, families and locals
Photographed events at NASP for publishing in weekly paper, the Gosport, such as the BP cleanup efforts, ship movements, arrival of the President and Vice President, induction of Neil
Armstrong into the Hall of Honor, oil floating in the intracoastal waterway and more
Wrote articles for the Gosport newspaper and Navy Newsstand
Education
Masters of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications
Anticipated graduation, May 2013
West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
 Golden Key International Honour Society
 Relevant Coursework: Audience Insight, Brand Equity Management, Marketing Research and
Analysis, Cause Marketing, Creative Strategy and Execution, Digital Storytelling, Advanced
Creative Concepts, Public Relations Concepts and Strategy, Emerging Media and the Market,
Mobile Marketing
Bachelor of Arts in Communication/Journalism; December 2010
Shippensburg University, Shippensburg, PA
Professional Emphasis in Public Relations; Concentration in Italian language
 Honors: Dean’s List, Cum Laude
 Relevant Coursework: Media Writing, Feature Writing, Promotional Publication and Design,
Public Relations Writing, Communications Law, Public Relations Research and Campaigns,
Diversity and the Media, Photography
Computer Skills: Proficient in Quark, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Mac OS X, Microsoft Word,
Publisher, Powerpoint and Excel
Additional
Resources
LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyjbenner
Online Portfolio:
www.EmilyJBenner.com