When I was a kid, my ideas flowed out of me like a river. I was frequently chided for speaking or questioning out of turn.
I became very familiar with the words “shut" and “up." I sought the most out of my learning opportunities, was repeatedly elected to student government, started a school newsmagazine when I was dissatisfied with the newspaper, and edited the yearbook. I used these forums to broadcast my strong, youthful views, which were met with frequent frowning by school administrators. Luckily I had supportive teachers and friends, and when I went on to college, many tough professors to teach me that my positions could use some fine-tuning. I miss my sheltered youth!
UC Berkeley nurtured my freewheeling curiosity with analytical skills: I learned to investigate my questions rigorously, look for assumptions in a point of view, and advance my ideas with clear reasoning. When my papers fell short, I had tried to sell flawed arguments with broad generalizations or blow up minor points that aligned with my opinion. (Should I have become a television pundit?) It took a concerted effort to improve my writing, and I spent many sleepless nights chasing the scholastic dragon. The more time I put in, not so shockingly, led to better papers, and I’m nerdy-proud to keep them in my office to this day.
I started at Disney Parks in Anaheim with a job in Marketing Special Events, the group that oversees new attraction openings and other celebrations, where I experienced the breadth of brand management. My work interfaced with consumer marketing, promotions, partnerships, media communications, and came to life within the unparalleled brand environment of the Disney theme parks. These events promoted the theme parks but also impacted their operations, so our temporary experiences had to balance with the servicing of tens of thousands of visitors everyday. The level of organization required was incredible, and I was happy to dive in. I got my first real taste of working in PowerPoint, with decks and decks of overviews, itineraries, and all the finer points to be agreed on between teams with often conflicting priorities.
My favorite event was ABC Primetime Preview Weekend, a synergy partnership where the stars of ABC came to promote the fall TV schedule, and ride in a Disney character parade. The methodical, regimented planning culture I knew couldn’t have been more at odds with a dynamic television network in a near constant launch cycle. I was in awe of this dream factory, and I soon made my way to ABC.
The volume of information that passes through a TV network on a daily basis is extraordinary, as deals are sealed and shows are written, cast, filmed, scheduled, marketed, premiered, and hopefully, become hits. At ABC Entertainment, my team strategized the scheduling of the network's primetime television shows. Our mission was to maximize the audience for each show’s broadcast, seven nights a week. We would analyze program performance against our competition to decide if we needed to move or cancel shows, what other shows paired best, and what considerations were important as programming executives developed concepts for next season. The most exciting and stressful time of the year was May pilot screenings, when we’d test all the new show pilots, decide which ones to order as full series, and present them to advertisers with our fall schedule.
I was in charge of the internal screenings process, and even with the enormous pressure involved, I thought of it as TV Christmas. It was fascinating to explore why people loved or hated our pilot gifts, and opinions were never in short supply. I came to understand “nobody knows anything,” the idea that it’s impossible to predict the fortunes of a creative product. A strong creative team and cast who produce a well-received pilot are ahead of the pack, but unicorns are not the norm. Despite reams of research, we engage in a lot of willful blindness, hoping a show will overcome many unknowns to succeed. There were fair predictors and we tried to anticipate the variables, but luck and timing had their roles too.
This process has been around for decades, even as the TV landscape has changed dramatically. Anyone who uses streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu knows that audiences are rapidly transitioning to on-demand viewing. As ABC expanded to multi-platform distribution, one of my responsibilities became mapping out these changes and coordinating between groups. While I’d like to offer a complex demonstration of my skills, I’ll never forget how much I learned from simply walking into offices and asking questions. Understanding multiple perspectives helped me create presentations that gave life to the data and offered more comprehensive conclusions.
From scheduling strategy to the digital transition, I often found myself in conversations about unknowns, and soon I began to think about my own. Since college, my career had been with two divisions of one company. What else was out there? My boss gave me the advice I needed to hear, which was that if I really wanted to continue growing, I should keep diversifying my experience, maybe without all the machinery I knew, somewhere I could be “scrappy." I am grateful that he believed in my talent and gave me the courage to set out on my own.
I built Mullins Projects because I believe I have something to offer, and I wanted it to be better than “consultation." I may have wisdom to impart, but I love discovering much more. With my services on a project, I want to do what I’ve always done: absorb everything I can from people who know what they know, and help them with what they don’t know.
I’ve created compelling business and brand strategies, produced dynamic marketing and sales content, and managed successful fundraising campaigns for consumer products and non-profits. I’ve traveled to Washington DC with small business innovators to meet members of Congress, advised education start-ups in China, and generated valuable media coverage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Nothing satisfies me more than scaling a new project. I am valued for my focused analysis, fresh insights, and energetic support. If I’ve developed one superpower, it’s staying grounded in human, practical perspectives, no matter how complex or data-driven the work gets. Navigating my career with this approach, I’ve always been able to find my place and shine.
