The Illini Blueprint: Recent Episodes
The Illini Blueprint
The Illini Blueprint is a podcast platform reserved to shine a light on inspiring UIUC alumni’s career stories. Current students directly benefit as they can gain insight by envisioning themselves in the shoes of these former students who speak upon their experiences.
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Landen Rosenbloom is an Artist Manager and works in Research A&R at United Masters. With a strong passion for music as his driving force, Landen pioneered a customized Music Industry major and founded the Urbana-Champaign branch of a popular secret concert series called Sofar Sounds during his time at UIUC. In this episode, we discuss the field of A&R (Artist & Repertoire), optimized networking strategies, and how to break into the music industry as a UIUC student.
Santhosh Nandhan is an innovative business leader with experience in management consulting, public non-profits, and automobile startups. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2010-2014, where he received his Bachelors in Accountancy and Information Systems and then went on to pursue his MBA at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He currently serves as the Vehicle Technology Finance Manager at Rivian and formerly served as a Project Manager at Autolist, an Associate for the Obama Foundation, and Business Analyst at Mckinsey & Company. In this podcast we will discuss his diverse industry experience, pursuing a MBA, and the added focus on technical skills, especially in the automobile industry.
Akshaya graduated from UIUC in 2010 with a degree in Statistics. We dive into her involvement on campus as well as how she changed her major from what she had initially chosen as a freshman. She then goes deeper into her decision to continue her education at Columbia, and why it is important to remain research-focused in the field of data analytics.
This interview features Denisha Tate-McAlister, Founder and Lead Consultant at Denisha Tate & Associates LLC. Denisha studied at UIUC with a major in Psychology from 1989-1994. Ever since graduating, Denisha has worked in volunteer positions as she developed her incredible leadership skills to advocate for others. She also began her own organization focused around strategic planning and systems improvement for non-profit organizations. In this podcast, we discussed her knack for helping others and how her experience as a student helped her extend her services to individuals in need of business solutions.
Gautum Kumar is an accomplished business leader with experience in consumer internet, business strategy, and private equity. He attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2001-2006, where he received his Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science. He currently serves as the CFO at Rocketmiles and formerly served as the SVP of Strategy at OptionsHouse and an Engagement Manager at Mckinsey & Company. In this podcast we will discuss his life and industry experience, how to navigate the corporate ladder, and general advice for those pursuing a career in this respective space.
Gisela Carbonell is a Curator at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College. During her time at UIUC, she earned her Ph.D. in Art History with specializations in Modern European and Modern American art and simultaneously worked as a curatorial assistant at Krannert Art Museum. In this episode, we talk about her transition from teaching to curating, the interrelations between politics and art, and how to create opportunities for yourself within the art industry.
Pradyut graduated from UIUC in 2014 with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Subsequently, he pursued a master’s degree at Yale before deciding to gain professional experience as a PM at Apple. We discuss at length what it’s like to work in big tech and most recently starting his own company.
This episode features Jenn Aguinaldo, Creator Partnerships Manager at Universal Music Group. We discuss her unique journey within the music industry, how social media has impacted the music business, and the hardships of finding your place in the world after graduation.
Dr. Stephen Fleming and Dr. Ryan Dilger were a student/faculty duo at the University of Illinois with focuses on neuroscience and nutritional science. In the final years of Stephen’s graduate studies, they both decided to start a company (Traverse Science) to provide consulting services with a focus on scientific research. In this episode, we talked about how the company came about and received advice for opportunities to pursue a career in science.
Carly is a Sales Planner at Vevo. We talk about her time as an advertising student as well as her experiences leading up to working at one of the biggest entertainment platforms on the internet.
Julie Feldman is a Therapist at her private practice, Urban Wellness. Julie studied Psychology and Spanish as a student at UIUC and graduated in 2009. We talked in depth about her experiences in recognizing her passion and discussed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health needs.
Eric is a Firmware Engineer at Athos and graduated with an Electrical Engineering degree in 2012. Eric describes why he felt like engineering was the best path for him, his involvement in engineering-related RSOs on campus, and his interest in sports.
Jacob is a Gies alumnus who was heavily involved in the business community during his time at U of I. In this interview, we discuss his journey in the consulting world, a career change in the midst of a pandemic, and how to make the most of your network.
Seth Franz is the CEO of Ursa Behavioral Health. He studied finance while at UIUC and traditionally went on to work as a financial analyst for a large corporation. We talk about his untraditional path in becoming the CEO of an LLC that helps mental and behavioral health clinics scale.
Seth Wilson is an Associate Editor at Built In. He has a Ph.D. in Theatre Literature, History and Criticism while receiving his masters at UIUC in 2013. We learn much about Seth as we discuss his long journey through academia, tech journalism, and his stint on Jeopardy.
Ken Tsuchiya is an Art Director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab who studied Advertising during his time at UIUC. In this interview, we touch on his college experiences as well as his passion for creating meaning within the advertising space and how to navigate the corporate ladder in his field.
Robin Zucker studied communications during her time at UIUC. She has been building brands and direct relationships with consumer and B2B audiences for over two decades. She is known for starting social media practice at YAHOO!, making the 60+ year-old brand PLAYBOY relevant again, and launching streaming media platform Rivit TV. We talk about her experiences in industry and what she’s learned about the evolution of marketing as technology has evolved.
This interview features Subarna Bhattacharjee, Strategy Lead at Atvi Infotainment. Subarna studied Economics with a minor in Computer Science from 2013-2017. She became very involved with the startup community and served leadership positions in an entrepreneurship organization. In this podcast, we discussed her involvement in various UIUC student organizations that jump started her passion in entrepreneurship and dove deep on the variety of positions she has held in the past.
Albert Tsai completed his degree in Computer Science in 3 years from 1990-1993. He has 20+ years of experience in the sports technology industry and is currently SVP at Catapult Sports. We talked in-depth about the importance of data in athlete performance and how technology is changing sports around the world.
Kimberley Stedman was a study abroad student from the UK, who studied Finance from 2004 to 2005. Today, she’s the Head of Vertical Fintech Partnerships at Visa Global Solutions. In this episode, we touch on her unique experience as an exchange student navigating American culture, the importance of a healthy work-life balance, and how to establish yourself in a new community.