Michelle Sikes

Major: Journalism (emphasis in Strategic Communications)

Certificate: Digital Studies

Graduation Date: December 2019

How did you end up working at Apple?

After graduating from UW-Madison, I pursued a career in PR in New York working for Golin as an intern. The opportunity to push myself out of my comfort zone, move to a new city and start a new job was truly amazing. However, I learned that PR wasn’t the facet of media that I was passionate about.

I finished my internship at the beginning of the pandemic, so I was unemployed for a couple of months until my friend referred me to a job at her company in Los Angeles working remotely. This job was for OMD in planning across the client Mitsubishi and I fell in love with my day-to-day. I realized that planning and working with an advertising budget was what I felt challenged me. From there, I was aiming to switch clients and work on entertainment. I applied for my current role at Apple and have been here ever since!

What does a typical day in the office look like for you?

I’m responsible for making sure that Apple Music paid media campaigns launch smoothly amongst activation channels and manage relationships with Marketing / leadership. I also collaborate with my coworkers to build a cross channel strategy when we’re briefed on a marketing initiative. I would equate my role to that of an “account manager” at an agency with a strategic lens.

The entire organization that I work in is about 100+ people but my direct team consists of 8+ strategists that lead/manage their specific lines of business which are not limited too but some examples are: Apple Music, Apple Card, TV+, Apple Maps, etc. The organization is called the External Marketing Team and we lead paid, organic, owned, and partnership strategy for how marketing campaigns go live across digital and traditional channels.

How has Digital Studies influenced your career path?

The world is incredibly digital. Traditional media, as important as it is, is now just a sub-category in the landscape. You are never not on social media, scrolling your laptop, checking emails, etc., showing that digital media is apparent in everyone’s everyday life whether they realize it or not. When I attended UW and pursued the Digital Studies Certificate, I knew it would be valuable to employers as the landscape of media is always changing and digital is becoming more prominent yet cluttered. Trying to find ways to cut through the noise was always something I found entertaining but also an incredibly valuable skill.

Do you have any advice for current students?

If someone would’ve told me that at 25 years old I would be working at one of the largest tech companies in the world, I most likely would’ve laughed. My grades weren’t phenomenal and I was by far never the smartest in the class, but the thing I learned and the biggest piece of advice I have for people at UW is to make sure not to just focus on one aspect of school.

Grades are important, but so are the relationships you make amongst your peers and friends. I got my first full-time job as a referral from my friend which led me to LA, which led me to Apple. Anything is ALWAYS possible and you don’t have to be the top in class for it to come to life so, enjoy your years holistically. You’ll be happy you studied hard for that final but you’ll also be happy that you went to celebrate your friends’ birthday on a Tuesday.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career thus far?

I’m most proud of being able to work on media plans, partnerships and initiatives for the Super Bowl Halftime show and see them come to life.