James Akinaka
Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
- Role
- Senior Digital Marketing Manager at Simon & Schuster
- Location
- Brooklyn, NY, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About James Akinaka
Detail-driven marketer with 8+ years of experience in book publishing. Adept in harnessing existing fandoms and building new ones for authors, and dedicated to cultivating fresh tactics to meet readers where they are and connect them with their next obsession. Areas of expertise include influencer marketing, paid social media advertising, organic social media strategy and content creation, content partnerships, and event/panel moderation.
Experience
Senior Digital Marketing Manager
Sep 2024 — Present · New York, NY, US
Oversee influencer marketing strategy for full children\'s publishing list (ages 0–18) at Simon & Schuster Children\'s Publishing, including the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deonn, and Powerless Trilogy by Lauren Roberts. Redesigned and scaled in-house influencer programs for Simon Teen (grown from 250 to members) and Simon Kids (fostered growth from 150 to 300 members) in first six months. Launched influencer program for Scarlett Press new adult imprint, achieving 400 members in two months.Administer six-figure annual budget for influencer partnerships, owning the full lifecycle for paid influencer campaigns and integrating content into advertising strategy. Lead experiential influencer meetups at YALLWest and YALLFest consumer shows and assist with booth staffing at New York Comic Con. Present influencer tactics at author/agent meetings.Collaborate with Digital channel leads on organic social strategy and author filming sessions, and with Marketing teams on cross-functional initiatives and promo materials. Regularly monitor competitor tracking and marketplace analysis. Manage one direct report and support professional development.
Education
Haverford College
Bachelor’s Degree, English
2012 — 2016
Punahou School
High School
2008 — 2012
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