NIU Today | Paolo Sespene, MSDM ’24, follows his passion at Innovation Arts and Entertainment

Based in Chicago, iAE produces over 400 shows annually across 90 cities in North America offering the most exciting, critically successful live entertainment options, and setting the bar for quality, popular events by consistently delivering ticket buyers to our theater and arena partners everywhere.

“In my role, I am building and managing campaigns across Google, Meta and other channels to drive ticket sales for concerts and shows,” Sespene said. “Specifically, I do this for live, such as Broadway shows and music festivals.”

Sespene appreciates the unique industry he is a part of, noting that his co-workers make his job fun and fulfilling.

“Having passionate co-workers who work hard and play harder inspires me,” he said. “A workplace isn’t as much fun unless you have co-workers who can have fun in the process. Plus, knowing that everything I’m learning now will be very beneficial for growth in my career has been exciting. I just love what I do.”

Sespene added that two projects, in particular, are his favorites.

“I’m super-excited to be building campaigns for the Harry Potter and Final Fantasy Orchestra Concert series, from the movie series and video games franchise,” he said.

Growing up in Elgin, Illinois, Sespene was an extremely active kid who loved to compete in travel soccer and had dreams of becoming a professional soccer player someday. When it came time to decide on a plan for college, he focused on his natural competitiveness and earned his B.S. in health care administration/management from Eastern Illinois University.

After earning his undergraduate degree, however, he decided to focus on his more creative side.

“I’ve always had a knack for creativity with an entrepreneurial mindset,” he said. “Although the little me might be a bit sad to know that I’m not a pro soccer player, the me now is very proud to be in a profession I can be proud of.”

Sespene chose to enroll in NIU’s fully online M.S. in Digital Marketing program, earning his degree in May 2024. Among the many benefits of the program were the flexibility of the asynchronous courses.

“It not only gave me the opportunity to study and learn at my own pace, but it also prepared me well enough transition into the digital space,” he said. “The best part of the program for me are the instructors. I really appreciated the time my instructors took to help me out on questions or even just to chat. It helped build relationships personally and create a solid network.”

He was also able to develop a solid foundation of skills, including becoming certified in the Google Analytics Individual Qualification.

Sespene noted that NIU prepared him for a marketing career by not only having a great core curriculum but also providing opportunities to hear from people in the industry.

“There were plenty of opportunities to join a Teams call with seasoned industry marketing professionals,” he said. “I found these calls to be very effective in the learning process, and I think they provided students like me the confidence needed to succeed after graduation.”

Even as Sespene gets settled in his chosen career, he strives to continue to learn from his work experiences and is determined to grow.

“I think perseverance is what makes Huskies succeed,” he said.

To learn more about our fully online MSDM program, visit go.niu.edu/msdm.