Affiliate Marketing Blog

Affiliate marketing news and opinion from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

Stephanie Lichtenstein Ramos on Traveling, Baseball, and Gary Vaynerchuk

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Stephanie Lichtenstein Ramos, President of Micro Media Marketing, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Stephanie Lichtenstein Ramos

I wanted to learn more about the real Stephanie, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Her days in the Lady Spirithunters
  • Going in freezing water as a Spice Girl
  • Working in the VaynerMedia offices
  • Her favorite place in the world
  • Working on the Florida Governor’s office
  • Whether she prefers the Cubs or Yankees

Links from this episode

Dave Gonzalez on the Replacements, Real Estate, and JP Sears

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Dave Gonzalez, Founder of the David Gonzalez Agency and Internet Marketing Party, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Dave Gonzalez and Shawn Collins

This was a very special episode, as I got to interview him in his home (it seemed silly to do it through computers when we live a few miles apart).

I wanted to learn more about the real Dave, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • The Replacements
  • Him working as a real estate professional
  • Why he rated Forshage Guitars 5 out of 5 stars
  • Getting a degree in psychology
  • His picture with JP Sears at Whole Foods
  • Antics as a fratboy

Links from this episode

Brandon Hoffman on Pinball, NYHC, and Roller Derby

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Brandon Hoffman, Director of Digital Marketing at KEA Advertising, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Brandon Hoffman

I wanted to learn more about the real Brandon, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • His first pinball machine
  • A bad experience at a Red Roof Inn
  • Announcing roller derby matches
  • Growing up in Brooklyn
  • Jamey Jasta
  • His college major
  • Back when Howard Stern was entertaining

Links from this episode

Are Affiliate Marketers Too Cool for School?

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There has been a longstanding discussion among digital marketers about whether college is necessary, and there are quite a few successful marketers with little or no college education.

Shawn playing bongos in college

That is a whole lot different from when I was growing up. My dad expected my brother and me to go to college, get a good job, and live a happy life. It was a natural progression.

I was all in, despite not having any money for college or much interest in being in a classroom. I did what was expected and then took out loans only to come away from my first semester with a 1.0 on nine credits.

My major started out as Pre-Journalism, but when I landed on academic probation I was instructed to pursue a different major, which ended up being Radio, TV & Film.

That was mostly interesting, but after a year or so I had to look for another major because a lot of the classes were being phased out. I moved on to Communications and got my BA there after ten semesters and some summer sessions.

I also walked away with student loan debt, and I struggled to find any sort of job. My first glamorous position was as a front desk clerk at a Comfort Inn & Suites for $5.50 an hour. I later moved up the ladder as a Blockbuster Video assistant manager for a wage of $7.00 per hour.

I bounced around for several years after college as a low wage, low skill guy with debt. What happened to the good job I figured was automatic if I got my education?

I never took a marketing or business class, but I managed to stumble into a job as an affiliate manager at 27-years-old. The industry was new and I had the privilege of making up how I would do things. Nobody was learning affiliate marketing in college. Nobody was learning it in any formal environment. It was a small group of self-taught pioneers.

But I was grateful I got my degree. It wasn’t just the diploma or classes I sat it, but the process of college. The maturity, the experiences. I ended up doing a lot of things outside the classroom that were related to school, such as founding a profitable newspaper for the Greek system, holding offices in my fraternity, balancing budgets, dealing with school and city officials, and other real-world experience.

While many tech companies, including Apple, Google, and IBM do not require a degree, there are still a great many companies that do mandate one for consideration.

If I was doing it all over again I’d still go to college, and I’m encouraging my kids to do the same if that’s the path they want to take.

Since each of my four kids was born I’ve funded 529 plans for each of them to be covered for four years at a state school. My firstborn is a college sophomore and my second is taking her SATs. I didn’t learn what I wanted to do until my late 20s, so I want them to make their own choices.

Sara Malo on Running in San Diego, Tom Brady and @TreeHouseBrewCo

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Sara Malo, Client Success Manager at Affiliate Summit, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Sara Malo

I wanted to learn more about the real Sara, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Her favorite city to run in
  • Back when she was a bad influence
  • Tom Brady
  • Running a daycare in the past
  • Addiction to Fortnite
  • Tree House Brewing
  • Running in patterns to draw pictures

Links from this episode

Amy Rodriguez on Dog School, What About Bob?, and DC United

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Amy Rodriguez, Head of Operations at Chateau 20, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Amy Rodriguez

I wanted to learn more about the real Amy, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • The quote in her “about” section on Facebook
  • Getting a degree in sociology
  • Traveling for gymnastics tournaments
  • Meeting Lawrence Taylor in Las Vegas ten years ago
  • Her two dogs
  • Becoming a fan of DC United

Links from this episode

Jackie Lane Bates on Huskies, Hot Yoga, and Helping Improve the World

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Jackie Lane Bates, Director of Marketing at LinkConnector, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Jackie Lane Bates

I wanted to learn more about the real Jackie, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Becoming a hot yoga instructor
  • Living in Maryland
  • Meeting her husband in college
  • Getting a Husky puppy
  • Studying journalism in college
  • Volunteering at the Curry Senior Center in San Francisco

Links from this episode

Rob Merlino on Hot Dogs, Shark Tank, and Trading Snow for Florida

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Rob Merlino, Chief, Cook, and Bottle Washer at the Shark Tank Blog, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Rob Merlino

I wanted to learn more about the real Rob, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • The last time he had a hot dog with ketchup
  • Moving from Massachusetts to Florida
  • The SubSafe from Shark Tank
  • Going from being a broker to a marketer
  • Getting a degree in high school English
  • Posting cartoons to his blog

Links from this episode

Jay Berkowitz on Working at McDonald’s, @garyvee Sneakers, and Brett Hull

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Jay Berkowitz, Founder, and CEO of Ten Golden Rules joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Jay Berkowitz

I wanted to learn more about the real Jay, so I asked him a variety of questions I figured he had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • How he ended up in south Florida from Canada
  • Gary Vaynerchuk sneakers
  • His dogs as a kid and now
  • His dapper style
  • Working at McDonald’s and then eDiets.com
  • Playing tennis

Links from this episode

If you enjoyed this episode of This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins, please share it.

This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins is focused on the people behind the affiliate management/OPM companies, advertisers/merchants, affiliates/publishers, and affiliate networks.

On each episode, Shawn interviews a new guest related to the industry, so you can learn more about the people of affiliate marketing.

After all, affiliate marketing is about the people; not the companies.

Liz Fogg on Edward Encarnacion’s Bat, Pageants, and Woodstock

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Liz Fogg, Owner of My Inspirational Place, joined me to chat on my podcast, This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins.

Liz Fogg

I wanted to learn more about the real Liz, so I asked her a variety of questions I figured she had not been asked in previous interviews.

Topics included…

  • Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man
  • Running half-marathons and walking 39.3 miles in the Avon walk
  • Whether she goes by Elizabeth in business
  • The aftermath of being hit in the face by Edward Encarnacion’s bat
  • Going to Woodstock this coming summer
  • Where she would like to travel
  • How she got involved in pageants

Links from this episode

If you enjoyed this episode of This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins, please share it.

This is Affiliate Marketing with Shawn Collins is focused on the people behind the affiliate management/OPM companies, advertisers/merchants, affiliates/publishers, and affiliate networks.

On each episode, Shawn interviews a new guest related to the industry, so you can learn more about the people of affiliate marketing.

After all, affiliate marketing is about the people; not the companies.