Viacom executive Neil Holt graduated from Nichols in 1976 as a somewhat mediocre student and a standout on the lacrosse field. He reflects on the things he's learned in his 42 year career in sales and marketing at companies like NBC, ESPN and Viacom, where Neil recently retired as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Solutions. During this episode, Neil talks about how he persuaded Dean Eaton to let him into Nichols College ... building a career in the hyper-competitive entertainment sales industry ... hanging out with celebrities such as Mark Wahlberg, Kid Rock and Eva Mendes at awards shows ... the importance of establishing a work-life balance ... and his work with VH-1, Dr. Drew and others to help stop the current Opioid crisis which killed almost 50,000 Americans last year. Neil was on campus to speak to a marketing class before the pandemic switched colleges into online classes and stopped by after class for an entertaining 40 minutes of chat. Anyone who is looking to eventually advance into a management or sales career might find this episode to be a master class in leadership advice. Neil remains one of the most requested alumni guest-class lecturers by the students and often helps recent Bison graduates find positions at great companies in the marketing world each year.

The Nichols College Alumni Experience theme song, 'The Bison are Coming' by: Jermel Walker '12

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