JAMES GULISANO

973-632-7856 | JamesGulisano@yahoo.com

Senior Communications, Sales Enablement, Brand Standards and Multimedia Marketing Leader

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Brand-focused communications and marketing leader with extensive New York Life experience strengthening enterprise identity, message consistency and field-facing brand execution. Translate business strategy into cohesive storytelling, narratives, campaigns, collateral, publications, executive messaging and multimedia content that reinforce brand credibility and support sales priorities. Experienced in brand stewardship, editorial discipline, creative direction, stakeholder alignment, team leadership, standards management, collateral refreshes and communications that make complex business strengths clear, relevant and actionable.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Storytelling | Brand & Messaging: Brand Standards | Executive Messaging | Corporate Communications | Creative Direction | Editorial Quality Control
Sales & Field Enablement: Campaign Strategy | Sales Communications | Sales Enablement | Field Collateral | Stakeholder Alignment
Leadership & Production: Team Leadership | Publication Management | Multimedia Production | Change Communications

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Corporate Vice President, Sales/Field Communications | 01/2012 - Present
New York Life Insurance Company | Westchester County, NY

• Direct development of sales support materials across print, digital, audio, video and emerging channels to support field execution and quarterly sales priorities.
• Embrace AI-enabled content and production workflows, using tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Higgsfield, VEED.io, and Synthesia to accelerate ideation, scripting, editing, video development, and multimedia storytelling while maintaining editorial judgment, brand standards, and message accuracy.
• Lead the Sales Communications function, directing staff development, performance management, planning, assignments and people-management decisions.
• Create and execute communications strategies, initiatives and events aligned with quarterly sales objectives and coordinated with planning, product marketing and field-facing teams.
• Led end-to-end production of podcast-style best-practices video series for the agency field force, using high-performing agents and managers to reinforce sales priorities, elevate peer-driven coaching and support field engagement.
• Built and developed an in-house multimedia production studio to expand internal content creation capabilities and strengthen field support.
• Guided What's Important Now campaign communications, including program tools, sales approach and key touchpoints aligned with Agency development priorities.

Assistant Vice President, Company Strength Marketing | 09/2008 - 12/2011
New York Life Insurance Company | Westchester County, NY

• Served as point person for Company Strength marketing during a critical market environment, equipping the agency field force with tools that clarified New York Life's financial strength story.
• Partnered with senior management, Corporate Communications and Corporate Advertising to align field messaging, third-party media coverage and national/local advertising themes.
• Developed public-facing touchpoints and marketing collateral designed to highlight the company's enduring financial strength and reinforce brand credibility.

Assistant Vice President / Director, Corporate Communications and Marketing Publications | 01/1996 - 07/2008
New York Life Insurance Company | New York / Westchester County, NY

• Wrote 
• Managed print publications, employee communications vehicles and marketing collateral for the agency field force, including oversight of writers, online editorial staff and publication quality control.
• Directed a brand-standard refresh across marketing collateral and publications, improving consistency between editorial and graphic execution.
• Partnered with senior management, including the Chairman, President and Secretary, to develop speeches, executive comments and messaging tied to enterprise goals.
• Led communications planning with Corporate Information, Human Resources, Business Resilience and Marketing stakeholders to translate business priorities for employees.
• Served as company-wide email communication lead and contributed to enterprise branding standards for a cohesive look and feel across company materials.
• Wrote speeches, articles, memos, scripts and employee-facing materials; supported Studio 51 video production and served as a technical/graphics generalist for the department.

EARLIER EXPERIENCE

Graphics Representative | 1995 - 1996
Creative Visual Systems

• Supported the sales force with graphics expertise and created sales materials for Encad NovaJet large-format systems.

Graphics Representative | 1994 - 1995
Ahearn and Soper

• Provided graphics and technical support for a dealership network and coordinated tradeshow strategy, booth design and value-add positioning.

Manager | 1993 - 1994
We Copy, Inc.

• Managed a pay-for-print graphics center, developed accounting systems and built the client base through marketing efforts.

Teacher, Musician, Actor and Sales Professional | 1989 - 1993

Entertainment Professional

• Worked in entertainment while building sales experience in copiers, home-improvement products and recruiting, creating strong empathy for sales professionals and field execution.

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts, Theater/Journalism, 1989
Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH

TOOLS AND CREATIVE CREDENTIALS

Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Audition, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Podcast, DaVinci Resolve, Audacity, VEED.io, Synthesia, TopMediai, Higgsfield, Blender, Brainshark, Kaltura Management Console, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Coda, PointerPro, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Project, PC platforms, Mac platforms

Creative Credentials: Author of two published books; volunteer songwriting and production teacher; technical director and set designer for Morristown High School Theater; wrote, produced and released several original music albums.