We recently sat down with our newest employee, Severyn Skoug, to learn more about his background, plans and hobbies. Severyn is the new Senior Marketing & Communications Manager for Fusion Learning Partners. Help us give him a warm welcome!

Where are you from and where are you currently?

I was born in Wisconsin, but we moved to Minnesota shortly after that. So, I grew up in Minnesota, but moved back to Wisconsin just a few years ago.

What was your background before joining Fusion? (education, work history, etc.)

I went to school for Visual Communications. While in school, I worked for a small print company where I gained hands-on experience to supplement my education. After graduating and working at the print shop for another year, I took a graphic design position with different company. During my 12 year career with that company, I built, grew and led an in-house creative department that handled all of the marketing & communications needs of the numerous clients we served.

What drew you to this position at Fusion?

Fusion is somewhat of a unique organization, much like the previous company I was at. They have a Mission, Vision and Purpose that resonates with me. I also was interested in the variety of work it offered and the size of the organization. Fusion, being a smaller organization, gives everyone on the team a chance to have a noticeable impact with the work they do.

What are you most looking forward to in your role at Fusion?

The opportunity to share my experience with the team and contribute to the growth and success of both Fusion and its’ partners.

How do you define success in your role/what signifies you’ve had a successful campaign/project?

Obviously, data plays a large part in helping determine the success of a lot of what I am involved with. Data aside, receiving positive feedback from the end user(s) goes a long way.

What’s been your proudest moment in a past role OR what has been your favorite event/program/campaign?

An accomplishment I am most proud of during my previous role was taking a newly formed position and expanding it into a multi-person, in-house department. A favorite project I was involved with, was developing a card & dice game used to break the ice for groups of people – primarily for organizations with committees and/or boards. We marketed the game through an in-person event and multiple digital channels. The game turned out to be a far bigger hit than we had expected and landed us multiple new clients.

What advice would you give someone seeking a role in marketing?

Make sure to expose yourself to a wide variety of work, industries and clients. Keep up-to-date with trends and technologies, but know you don’t have to jump on every bandwagon and technology isn’t always the magic solution. Last, but not least, be real and keep it simple – honesty and integrity go a lot farther than jargon and lies.

Outside of Fusion Learning Partners…

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

A lot of my free time is dedicated to helping run our small farm, at which we raise Boer & Kiko/Boer cross goats. When there is down time we enjoy traveling, visiting local wineries/breweries, taking in the outdoors and just plain relaxing at home.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

I am quite content with where I live now, minus the cold winters. However, if money were no object, I wouldn’t limit myself to one location but rather travel around and experience different places – while keeping a “home base”. There are far too many spots I would like to visit yet for me to select one permanent location.

Do you have a favorite quote and why?

“Greatness is earned, never awarded.” I believe hard work and determination are the keys to your own success in life.

Favorite binge T.V. show or other pandemic past time?

Do I have to pick just one show? Game of Thrones will probably go down as my all-time favorite show – even though I think they kind of rushed the last season. It also disappoints me that the book series is still in process and I have given up on it being completed. Other shows I have enjoyed lately include: Billions, Blacklist and Schitt$ Creek.