Matt Maroon

Matthew Maroon, a communication graduate, was just like any other communication major; scared of statistics. This, however, didn’t stop him from accepting opportunities that involved data. Those opportunities have gotten him to where he is today.

During his time at BYU-Idaho, Maroon kept busy with his job in the registrar’s office. This job helped him acclimate into the professional world as he became skilled at working with everything from fax machines to email etiquette.

He was involved in his roommate’s student body campaign and a member of PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America). His PRSSA group earned an honorable mention in a competition for producing a campaign to help students understand the consequences of good and bad credit.

Maroon enjoyed the programs offered through the course work at BYU-Idaho, such as PRSSA. “It helped me look at things holistically and not just writing an article weekly but I was able to work on a project that required thought and analysis,” said Maroon.

 One of the courses that gave Maroon an upper-hand when applying for his internship at Nielson (TV Ratings) in New York, was a required research class. “I was a typical communication student, scared of statistics and anything that had a number in it,” Maroon said. He continued, “Stats aren’t as scary as they turn out to be.”

Having taken the research class from BYU-I, Maroon felt more familiar with statistical terminology. His senior year he applied for the internship at Nielson and got it. He left Rexburg and moved to New York.

Maroon’s internship consisted of combing through and analyzing data to find stories that the senior vice president of the company could use in his presentations. After doing this for four months, Maroon was offered a full-time job. “Half the battle now days is getting in the door of a company,” said Maroon. But his internship allowed him to do that.

He states that there are essentially three ways to get in the door of a company: an internship, a contracted role of some sort, or knowing someone in the company who can pass along your resume.

This is precisely how Maroon has gained his positions. As a result of his internship at Nielsen, he was offered a full-time job there. He was with them for seven years and during that time earned a graduate degree in media management.

Maroon applied several times to Microsoft but never heard back from them. It wasn’t until a few years later that one of Maroon’s acquaintances from Nielsen Company asked him if he would be interested in applying for a position at Microsoft.

He applied, and this time got the job with Microsoft. Maroon works directly with advertisers to sell them daily, weekly, or monthly ad space. “Making the move to Microsoft was huge for me,” Maroon said, “because it offered me the opportunity to grow.”

Maroon has worked with a lot of data in his career and advised students not to be afraid of it. “Ninety percent of communication roles have business aspects because they are selling something,” said Maroon.  He continued by saying that you can’t go anywhere without data being mentioned. Maroon feels lucky to have acquired the foundation he did because he now has a more analytical background, which he says will set one apart.