Meet Ken

How long have you been at the company, and what kind of different jobs have you done at Random House? 
I have been at Random House for four-and-a-half years. In that time I’ve essentially held the same position (albeit with different titles) of managing digital initiatives.

What’s a typical day like for you? When you’re at your desk, what are you typically doing?
Hatching plans for new and innovative digital marketing, producing prequels and trailers for broadcast on the web with freelance film makers, overseeing production with our designers of Facebook applications, online games, banner ads, web sites and interactive tools, making sure our staff is handling web updates, ad placements and e-mail blasts, and of course, thinking about the future of books and how we can best stay ahead of the curve to better assist our authors. Also drinking lots of coffee, listening to very heavy music, joking around a lot, and keeping my bosses on their toes. Oh yeah, we try not to break the Internet. That would be bad.

What attracted you to your position? What is your favorite thing about your job?
I’m a writer and a book junkie. What better place to work than a publishing company? Working in my own personal private library while helping Random House be truly innovative in the industry is something I can look forward to every day. And they don’t object to the loud music or my tattoos. Sometimes it’s the little perks that matter.

Tell me about a site or a campaign that you’re proud of. What did you do and what were the results? 
The campaign I’m most proud of right now (as there’s plenty I’m proud of in my time here) is the Dean Koontz, Odd Hours effort. We created a four-part, web-only, live-action, mini-movie prequel for the book. It aired in four cliffhanger webisodes on YouTube, during NBC’s Rewind programming, and on the author’s site, starting one month prior to the on sale of the book. The book is #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and we’ve had 50,000+ views for the four installments.

What’s the culture like at Random House and in your division?
It’s a very loose and relaxed atmosphere, but at the same time, you have to produce the results. You can’t be out the door at 5pm each day if the books are not selling. That’s not doing right by the authors nor the imprint.

What new opportunities exist for Random House in today's digital environment?
Publishing has always been years behind the rest of the world, especially movies and music, in terms of taking full advantage of the Internet and other digital mediums. While this poses problems, it also presents amazing opportunities as nothing is set in stone. They are no tried-and-true methods that have been ingrained in the publishing culture when it comes to digital initiatives. We are free to experiment and break the rules as we see fit.

Do you have any advice for someone who would like to work at Random House in a position like yours?
Bring in as many new ideas as you can and don’t be afraid to stand up for them.

How does Random House support your professional and personal development?
Whenever I have asked for days to attend a conference, take continuing education courses, or meet with colleagues from other companies, my bosses always make sure I’m given the time I need. 

How does Random House’s work life balance compare to other industries?
Random House makes it easy to unplug from the job and focus on what really matters in life. 

At Random House, we have very diverse imprints, what do your imprints focus on in online marketing?
Everything we need to utilize in order to promote our books and authors more effectively: specially-created video content, social networking sites and applications, interactive banner ads, web sites, widgets, podcasts, online games, and so on and so forth.