Shane Arman

Outstanding Young Alumni Award Winner 2013

2013 was a busy year in the award department for UWO alumnus Shane Arman.

A 2010 graduate of UWO, Arman earned recognition through the Young PR Professional of the Year Award from PRWeek in the spring of 2013 and was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from his alma mater later in the summer.

“I was absolutely thrilled and honored, not to mention surprised to find out I won the award,” Arman said. “I was working at Burson-Marsteller at the time and my co-workers were also excited for me. I was very proud to have won the award and to visit campus again and reconnect with many people who helped me have that opportunity.”

Arman finished college with two job offers, one full-time and one a public relations internship at Burson-Marsteller, a top-five global PR firm that would require relocation and had no guarantee of a full-time gig after. Arman chose the internship, moved to Chicago and ended up earning a full-time job. Within four months of being hired, he had received two promotions and was trusted with high-profile projects, clients and responsibilities.

Core to Arman’s success at Burson was his determination in working with and learning from the firms top leaders to help launch a sports marketing specialty, Fan Experience. Working within that specialty, his teams used events, earned media and social media to bring attention to MetLife and Discover, two of the firm’s bigger sports-centric clients.

On MetLife, Arman was instrumental in coordinating a media stunt that brought an 18-foot ice sculpture of the New York Skyline to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. On Discover, Shane co-managed a coast-to-coast media tour and led public relations for Discover’s award-winning “Day with the Cup” documentary production.

Arman’s early and continued success in high-stress, high-profile environments can be attributed to his educational and extra-curricular opportunities at UW Oshkosh.

He graduated with a degree in journalism (public relations emphasis) and a minor in business administration, working a smattering of on-campus jobs combined with taking on leadership roles in extra-curricular activities.

“The University and everything about its support system was a key factor in helping me reach my goals,” Arman said. “Through classes, juggling extracurricular involvement and multiple jobs – I learned crucial life skills and developed habits and discipline that have shaped who I am today.”

Arman said the lessons he’s learned from the journalism class have served him well. “The J-department taught me to be inquisitive, how to work in a team environment and most importantly, what makes a great story,” he said. “Storytelling is at the heart of so many industries and I credit the department with drilling that throughout every course, project, test or lecture. My knowledge of what makes a great story and how to tell one has been the driving force behind success at nearly every point in my career.”

He singled out two classes – PR Case Studies and PR Campaigns – as the ones that have left indelible marks. “The former really brought to life the impact communications can have on shaping world-changing events. It lifted the veil on the inner workings of some of the biggest scandals, tragedies and triumphs we’ve seen over the last few decades. That really turned me on to the world of strategic communications,” he said. “PR Campaigns was one of the biggest challenges because we​ had to execute an entire campaign, start to finish and in a short timeframe. It was a great learning experience from a teamwork, time management and creative standpoint.”

Arman currently is the senior director at Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing, where he helps maintain relationships with PR, marketing, advertising and digital agencies to manage and negotiate licensing, celebrity and influencer deals.

“My role is solely focused on the agency side of the business – building new relationships and expanding current ones to generate revenue and profit for the company,” Arman said. “I work closely with our service team who handles everything from a paid social post from a professional athlete, to a fully integrated marketing communications campaign with a movie star. We identify the best talent given budget and audience targets, ensure deals go smoothly, provide expert legal and strategic counsel, and flawless execution support.”

When looking back at everything UWO provided him, Arman has a quick and subtle synopsis of his academic career as a Titan.

“[It was] an incredibly enlightening, challenging and rewarding experience that forever changed me as a person for the better.”