’m one of those fortunate people who pretty much wakes up every morning and looks forward to what the day has to offer.  Each one is different, and it’s been that way for the last 20 years.  I am a co-owner of Mountain View Group, Ltd., a corporate communications firm.  Our legacy business is film and television production, and that still makes up the lion’s share of what we do, but our expertise also runs the gamut; including things such as implementing communication plans, and interactive experiences and games.   

My work days are a unique combination of challenges: executive producing, overseeing company operations, and finding new work for the firm.  We have offices in Schenectady, New York City, and Atlanta – the latter is where I am based these days, but I visit the Capital Region often.

I started at Mountain View as a producer fresh out of Saint Rose in 1987.  So, I’m unique in that I have nearly 20 years of service with one company.  Whew! Time flies.  As a producer, I worked with clients to outline their needs and took responsibility for managing projects, monitored budgets, and ensured on-time delivery.  I also worked with creative directors who dreamed up concepts and oversaw the look and feel of productions.  And in the process, I traveled the world for clients such as IBM, GE, New York State, and a number of NYC-based ad agencies. 

I believe that the way I got here holds a certain message for students that I’d like to share.  I entered Saint Rose as a Public Communications major with a primary interest in public relations.  My sophomore year found me in a much-too-early 8A.M. class in PR, and one day we had a guest speaker from the I Love New York tourism program.  I made it to class that morning thankfully because our guest was Joan Lapp, head of their Audio-Visual unit.  And it was Joan who turned out to become my first and most influential mentor, as well as a friend.

At the conclusion of that class, Joan asked me to intern in her office and I began a two-year intern relationship over my junior and senior years.  At I Love New York, I was involved with exciting tourism and economic development projects.  And although I was initially interested in the public relations aspects of their work, I was soon bitten by the production bug.  I had the opportunity to write TV and radio commercials, learned about location shooting and post production, and even got to meet a celebrity or two.  More importantly, I got to shadow Joan, who was incredibly skilled and tough in all aspects of communications and business.  I found my role model.

As graduation neared, I was hoping for a position with I Love New York, but budget cuts prevailed.  Joan, however, had an incredible Rolodex (pre-computers) and a good deal of influence.  She introduced me to Jim Tusty, owner and CEO of Mountain View, and my fate was sealed.  I landed a job as a producer and began a long history with my next important mentor.

Over my tenure, I have had so much opportunity for growth.  At every turn, I learn new things from my boss about running a business, as well as from the people I work alongside.  I have also gained a great deal of knowledge working with our clients who are some of the greatest companies in the world such as GE, Home Depot, and The Coca-Cola Company.  That learning is not theoretical—it provides valuable lessons that can be applied to a fledgling company or a $100 billion conglomerate.

While I enjoy immensely selling new business or helping Jim run the company, my favorite moments are always around client projects.  I love the challenge of helping them figure out a plan to “move the needle” and seeing it implemented.  But nothing beats the thrill of sitting in a room with thousands of folks when the lights are lowered and the film rolls.  I still get goose bumps when I know we’ve hit the mark and people are moved.  I am so fortunate to work with such talented professionals—they’re the best in the business.  And I am proud of the high quality of our end products.

So this leads me to relate to you a few Lessons Learned.  I was going to do a Top-10 list, but I’ll keep it to three.  These are what I think matter most.

Lesson #1: Mind your business… and theirs.

We live in a global, creative economy.  You might be communicating to social workers in a non-profit, a fry cook in the fast food industry, or a CEO of a Fortune 100 company; regardless.  It’s always all about business.  It’s about making a difference, creating customer value, and having an impact on the bottom line.  I only took one business class while at Saint Rose (Marketing) and I regret not learning a whole lot more about accounting, finance, and organization development.  Trust me, business classes will be valuable regardless of your career path.

Lesson #2: Sales is everything and everything is Sales.

I always hated to consider myself a sales person.  I would rather have root canal than cold call a potential client.  But that mindset is all wrong.  Everything I do in my interactions with clients is an opportunity for future sales.  If I knock their socks off, they’ll knock on my door… or at the very least, think of Mountain View when the need arises.  And every job done well is a notch for repeat business and a loyal customer (and supporter)—something that is critical to every business. 

Maintain an authentic interest in being a problem solver.  You are not trying to sell anyone anything; you are helping them to meet a business need.  The early stages of discovery and learning about some customer’s business hold the greatest thrill.  Call it what you like, but sales is the name of the game.

Lesson #3: I’m not a producer or a writer or a director, I’m a problem solver.

We spend a lot of time learning about practical skills such as white balancing a camera or designing a web site.  Those are important.  Too often, though, we do not educate ourselves enough to be creative thinkers and keep stretching those idea muscles.  I have become a huge proponent for creative problem solving – generating multiple high quality solutions to a perplexing challenge, building consensus around a particular approach, and then implementing that plan at the highest level to ensure success.  That’s our job as consultants, coaches, producers, and even salespeople.  While the skills we use to communicate will surely evolve, if you have creative problem solving in your toolkit, the best approach will rise to the top … and so will you.

So, there you have it, a little about what I do and what I’ve taken with me as I move forward.  I reminisce fondly about my days at Saint Rose.  I not only had opportunities put before me, I grabbed those whole heartedly and used each one as a building block to build a career I’m proud of.  I encourage you, too, to actively look for those opportunities as they manifest themselves for you. 

Thom Gonyeau  '87  G'02

Editor's note:  You can see a few samples of Thom’s work at www.mvgltd.com.