Dear Hiring Committee,

I am excited to apply for the Marketing Manager position with the University of New Mexico College of Fine Arts. I attended UNM from 1999 through 2007 and graduated from the College of Fine Arts, so the opportunity to come back and help tell the story of a place that had such a big influence on me is especially appealing.

One of the experiences I remember most was participating in the Land Arts program and traveling throughout the Southwest with Bill Gilbert and a group of other artists. We spent time in places I never would have experienced otherwise, making work in response to the landscape and the communities and environments around us. It changed the way I looked at the world and made me more observant, curious, and interested in the stories that can be found in a place. That perspective has stayed with me and still influences the way I approach creative work and storytelling.

Professionally, I have spent more than nine years working in marketing, communications, digital content, and social media. As Senior Social Media Manager & Marketing Coordinator for La Montañita Food Co-op, I create and manage more than 400 pieces of content each year. My work includes photography, video, graphic design, copywriting, campaign development, content calendars, event coverage, community engagement, and performance analysis. I also work closely with leadership, staff, community organizations, local businesses, and creators to find stories worth sharing and figure out the best way to tell them.

Over the years, I have grown the Co-op's Instagram audience from roughly 1,000 followers to more than 7,000 and recently grew our TikTok following from about 400 to 1,700 in eight months. I'm proud of that growth, but the part of the job I enjoy most is still the creative process behind it: finding a good story, understanding who we're trying to reach, and deciding whether that story is best told through a photograph, video, social post, newsletter, campaign, or something else entirely.

My own background as an artist is a big reason this position caught my attention. I've worked in photography, performance, video, painting, ceramics, sound, digital art, and artificial intelligence assisted art. I know there is often much more behind a finished piece, performance, or exhibition than an audience ever sees. Good arts marketing can help people discover not only the finished work, but also the people, ideas, and creative process behind it.

CFA has no shortage of those stories, from the work of students and faculty to performances, exhibitions, research, alumni accomplishments, and the College's connection to New Mexico's larger creative community. I would love the opportunity to help find those stories and bring them to prospective students, alumni, donors, community members, and others who may not yet know everything happening at CFA.

Coming back to the College of Fine Arts would be a special opportunity for me. UNM gave me the freedom to explore different forms of art, travel through the Southwest with other artists, and become part of a creative community that helped shape who I am. I would be proud to bring the marketing and communications experience I've built since graduating back to the place where so much of my own creative journey began.

Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the opportunity to talk with you about how my background in marketing, communications, and the arts could contribute to the College of Fine Arts.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Loth