Daron Nefcy spent a lot of time getting in trouble for doodling all over her schoolwork as a kid.

But it "really paid off," she excitedly tells Business Insider.

Nefcy is the creator, executive producer, and animator of a new show, "Star vs. The Forces of Evil," which Disney TV Animation is debuting later this month. 

The now 29-year-old, who studied Character Animation at the CalArts school in Valencia, California, recently spoke to Business Insider about how she got into the world of animation, what it's really like to work for Disney, and her best advice for aspiring artists.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Business Insider: How and when did you decide you wanted to become an animation artist?

Daron Nefcy: I've always loved cartoons. I used to make my own comics in elementary school and decided in the fourth grade I wanted to make cartoons when I grew up. So all those years of getting into trouble for doodling all over my schoolwork really paid off!

BI: What kind of training have you gone through for this job? 

DN: I'm very lucky because I went from studying and graduating from a great animation-focused school, CalArts, right into a job at an animation studio.

At CalArts, we had to create our own student short film each year, which consisted of writing the story, storyboarding, pitching ideas, designing the characters, building an animatic, casting the roles, editing, sound mixing, and doing all of the hand drawn animation for the film. Before "Star," I got to work on some great shows at three different animation studios: Warner Brother's "MAD," Nickelodeon's "Robot and Monster" and Disney's "Wander Over Yonder."

Being able to work on a variety of different projects before my own really helped me learn how an animated TV show is run. While making the pilot for "Star," I also learned so much about the pilot process. When you're creating a pilot, you have a ton of time to make that one episode. But once it's in production, things move much quicker. 

BI: Tell me more about your current project, "Star vs. The Forces of Evil." 

DN: The show is about a princess from another dimension named Star Butterfly, who comes to Earth as a foreign exchange student. On Earth, she lives with a loving family, the Diaz's, who have a son her age named Marco. She and Marco become fast friends and go on all kinds of adventures together, in high school and the multiverse, fighting monsters along the way.  

BI: Can you explain the animation process?

DN: Well, it's a big process! One aspect that's cool about "Star" is that it's a storyboard-driven show, which means that each episode is mapped out visually by the artists, and they do hundreds of drawings per episode that illustrate exactly how the characters should be acting and how the staging should be, etc.

What's special about a board-driven show is that the board artists also do the writing. The writers on "Star" submit a two-page outline. Once that's approved, the board artists take the outline and basically turn it into a full script on paper (or drawings on a computer). It's a very hard process — the board artists need to be able to write dialogue, know story, draw, stage, act, and more. Basically they need to be incredibly talented.

In the television animation business, there's almost always a collective effort between the creator, executive producer, art director, background designer, character designer, and board artist — all of whom are animators — to get the design of a show down in the form of a "template." That template is then sent out of the country for the technical animation to be completed.

BI: What's the hardest or most challenging part of being an animator? 

DN: There are a lot of moving pieces to running a show. I'd say one of the hardest parts about the job is letting things go. You want the show to be perfect but this is TV and with deadlines you need to learn to let things go, you can't work on them forever.  

In addition, storyboard artists have really become modern day animators now that most shows are technically animated out of the country. Our storyboard artists sometimes have up to 2,000 drawings for an 11-minute board and they have to do the writing as well within a six week time period, so meeting deadlines can sometimes be a challenge.

BI: What's the best part of the job? 

DN: It takes many creative individuals who have exceptional artistic skills across a wide-range of positions to make an animated TV series from scratch. And I get to work with all of them!

BI: What might surprise people most about your job?

DN: It's difficult to take time off! That's for anyone who works in animation, and also probably anyone who works in film. The deadlines don't change, so if you can't be around for a week you need someone to do your job for you that week. And in a lot of cases no one can do your job for you.  

One season of an animated show from start to finish takes about one and a half to two and a half years.   

Most of the actual animation is not done in the US. At Disney, our team consists of board artists, character designers, background painters, prop designers, and editors (about 40 people in the US) who handle all of the pre-production work. Then, the actual animation is done out of the country. The first season of "Star" is being animated in Canada and the Philippines. 

BI: When do people most frequently ask you about your job?

DN: I think I've gotten to the point in my life where the only people I hang out with work in animation and film. When I meet new people and they ask where I work I just say "Disney" and they always assume it's in the park. They always say, "Oh, that's so fun! I always wanted to work at Disneyland!" I rarely correct them. Working at Disneyland is super cool! 

BI: What's it like working for Disney? Did you always dream of working there?

DN: I did love Disney as a kid, but I never dreamed of working here. It's neat! Most of the time I'm working, but they do have some fun events here like art shows and remote control car races. 

BI: What's the coolest thing you've had the opportunity to do in your career?

DN: It's probably working with the amazing voice talent. I got to work with people like Jeffery Tambor, Jenny Slate, and Michael C Hall! How cool is that? 

BI: What's your best piece of advice for an aspiring animator or creator? 

DN: Keep drawing, and make your own films and comics! It's so easy now — all the tools are on the computer. The only thing you need is your own imagination, a good idea, and commitment. Keep making projects. The first ones are never good but if you keep making new ones you'll learn and they'll get better. 

BI: Anything else you think people should know about your profession?

DN: Drawing and painting for yourself is fun. Drawing for a living is a job. It's a job I love, but people need to remember that anything you do for a living becomes work. I only say this because a lot of people assume that drawing/writing/creating is always fun and therefore isn't real work and shouldn't be paid like real work. When I first got out of school, I had a lot of people saying things to me like, "Draw some characters for my project, it'll be good for your portfolio!" or, "Draw a logo for free for this company. Come on — it'll only take you five minutes!" None of that is true; all artists need to be paid fairly and respected. 

Also, I just want to reiterate that making a TV show is a group effort. You need to be collaborative or it won't work. To make a short film you can do that on your own, but for a TV show you need a good team who believes in you and the show and all those people need to be working hard. It's not just about sitting in a dark cube creating something.

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Two bodies have been recovered from the site of a building explosion and collapse in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood, The New York Post and ABC News report.

A massive fire Thursday afternoon brought down three New York City buildings after an explosion at 121 2nd Avenue. Two people were reported missing following the fire.

The Post identified the two missing people as 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, who was on a date at the Sushi Park restaurant in 121 2nd Avenue, and 27-year-old busboy Moises Locon, who was reportedly standing in the area of the fire.

The FDNY or NYPD have not identified the reportedly recovered bodies.

On Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said there was "a possibility here that the gas line was inappropriately accessed internally" by people in one of the destroyed buildings.

SEE ALSO: An explosion destroyed buildings and injured 19 in Manhattan's East Village

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We interviewed Robert Kirkman – the creator of "The Walking Dead"– at New York Comic Con 2014.

Produced by Matthew Stuart and Alana Kakoyiannis. Special thanks to Kirsten Acuna.

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eBay probably isn't the first name that comes to mind when you think about companies that are really nailing design.

In fact, until little over a year ago, designers from eBay's different properties  — like Marketplace, PayPal, and StubHub — didn't interact at all. The company had no common voice or design culture.

Now, that's in the process of changing. 

"We're going through a big transformation," Dave Lippman, eBay's VP of design told Business Insider. 

Once the company decided that it needed a more cohesive design strategy, it started by defining a new bar for quality and what product launches should really look like.

"There were no bad intentions, but products were being made that were solving business problems, while customer problems would get lost," Lippman said. Now, eBay puts much more of a focus on making sure that both business and customer problems get addressed equally (for example, eBay's recently relaunched iPad app is much more intuitive than previous versions). A big part of making progress towards better products comes from amping up eBay's overall "design culture."

Apple is a good example of what a successful "design culture" looks like. 

Before joining eBay last year, Lippman spent more than three years at Apple, as a creative director of its online store.

"Apple is exceptional at craftsmanship at scale," he says. "And so much of it comes down to the culture that it has. There's the ability to execute as a craftsman, but it's the culture that supports it and makes it happen. If Apple didn't have a culture of perfection across all of its businesses, they wouldn't have products like they do. You cant have one without the other. If you had a bunch of designers pushing for perfection but didn't have the business that believed in that, you would never get it." 

Under Lippman's leadership, the process of refining eBay's definitive design philosophy continues. One way that the company has tried to address it is by putting all the designers from across businesses into one building. 

"We have seven buildings on our main campus," Lippman says. "When I got to eBay, there were designers in every single one of those buildings. We moved them all to the same building. I had grand plans of getting them all on the same floor, but instead we've created  shared spaces — design theaters — where everyone to see what everyone else is working on."

Here's a look at eBay's new iPad app:

SEE ALSO: 5 simple internet safety tips from one of Google's information security engineers

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It's a short week as markets will be closed or will close early on Good Friday.

It's also jobs week. On Friday, we'll get the March US employment situation report. Economists expect it to confirm what we already know: job growth is healthy as the unemployment rate continues to fall.

However, if you were only focused on the labor market, then you probably wouldn't have guessed that most of the other major economic indicators have been deteriorating.

Here's your Monday Scouting Report:

Top Stories

• Job growth seems to be the only thing good that's going on lately. Job growth continues to surprise economists to the upside. But according to Bloomberg LP Chief Economist Michael McDonough, the same can't be said about housing, industrial production, spending, retail sales, and the various manufacturing surveys. The unexpected March plunges in retail sales and durable goods orders stand out as they reflect weakness in both consumers and businesses.
  
  This is all a bit perplexing considering all of the extra spending money Americans supposedly have thanks to falling gas prices. Rather than spending, evidence suggests they're saving that money.
  
  Late Thursday, Goldman Sachs' Kris Dawsey hacked his forecast for Q1 GDP growth on the concerns. However, he's optimistic that the consumer will spend some of those savings in upcoming quarters, which should get GDP growth back to 3%. Unfortunately, a recent NY Fed survey suggests that's becoming less and less likely.
  

Economic Calendar

• Personal Income and Spending (Mon): Economists estimate income climbed 0.3% in February as spending increased by 0.2%. Core PCE is estimated to have risen by 0.1%. From Credit Suisse: "A weather-driven surge in utility spending is expected to push nominal consumer demand up 0.5%, although spending outside of utilities looks soft (car sales were lower on the month, core retail sales were flat). Real personal spending will be a key input into Q1 GDP tracking estimates (our current estimate is 1.4%). Headline inflation should rise 0.2% after last month’s energy-induced plunge. The core PCE deflator is expected at a modest +0.1%."
• Pending Home Sales (Mon): Economists estimate the pace of sales increased by 0.4% month-over-month in February. From Bank of America Merrill Lynch: "The challenging weather conditions in parts of the country could weigh on activity since pending home sales track signed contracts and prospective buyers need to be able to go out and search for a property. However, it does not appear that new home sales, which also track signed contracts, were impaired. In fact, new home sales surged in February to the highest in seven years."
• Dallas Fed Manufacturing Activity (Mon): Economists estimate this manufacturing index improved to -9.0 in March from -11.2 in February. "Regional surveys are suggesting some slowing in output in late Q1," UBS's Kevin Cummins said.
• S&P Case-Shiller Home Prices (Tues): Economists estimate home prices increased by 0.7% month-over-month in February or 4.6% year-over-year. From Bank of America Merrill Lynch: "The Core Logic home price index, which trends with the Case Shiller data, climbed by 1.1% mom in January, suggesting some risk of an even bigger gain in Case Shiller. That said, the Core Logic data tend to be more volatile than Case Shiller - since Case Shiller is a three-month moving average change - and is also subject to revisions. We also think the data are currently biased higher by poor seasonal adjustments, similar to last year which showed very strong gains in the winter followed by weakness in the spring and summer months. Looking past the noise, it seems that home prices are still running at a solid clip, exceeding the pace of disposable income growth."
• Chicago Purchasing Managers Index (Tues): Economists estimate this regional activity index jumped to 51.8 in March from 45. 8 in February. From Barclays: "Last month, the index fell the most since the 2008 recession, as what looked likely to be a weak print was exacerbated by harsh weather and the West Coast port slowdown. The February reading overstated the degree of the slowdown, in our view, and we look for a rebound to 52.0 in March, signaling a slow pace of expansion."
• Consumer Confidence (Tues): Economists estimate the Conference Board's index of sentiment was unchanged at 96.4 in March. From Barclays: "The preliminary estimate of the University of Michigan index declined from February levels; however, we expect the effects of an uptick in financial market volatility and the rebound in gasoline prices to be buffered by lower monthly jobless claims."
• Auto Sales (Wed): Analysts estimate the pace of auto sales improved to an annualized rate of 16.9 million units in March. From Nomura: "Inclement weather in late February probably caused many consumers to delay their new vehicle purchases until March. Thus, some demand for vehicles may have shifted away from February to March."
• ADP Employment Change (Wed): Economists estimate US private payrolls increased by 225,000 in March.
• Markit US Manufacturing PMI (Thurs): Economists estimate this index climbed to 55.3 in March from 55.1 in February. "Manufacturing regained further momentum from the slowdown seen at the turn of the year, with output, new orders and employment growth all accelerating in March,"Markit's Chris Williamson said.
• Construction Spending (Wed): Economists estimate Spending slipped by 0.1% in February. From Bank of America Merrill Lynch: "Housing starts collapsed in February and a delay in new building will hold back overall construction spending. Moreover, we suspect that renovation projects will be delayed as well. Nonresidential construction spending is also likely to be weak, but perhaps the decline won’t be as severe given it is following a sharp 1.6% decline in January."
• ISM Manufacturing (Wed): Economists estimate this manufacturing index slipped to 52.5 in March from 52.9 in February. From UBS's Kevin Cummins: "Regional surveys have been a bit softer so far in March. In contrast, the Markit PMI improved slightly. At 52.9, the February reading for the ISM manufacturing index was down sharply from the peak of 58.1 six months earlier. However, the ISM index had looked somewhat exaggerated relative to more direct measures of manufacturing activity. The level still looks consistent with at least moderate growth in manufacturing output. More broadly, according to ISM officials, February's level of 52.9 is typically associated with a 3.1% growth rate in real GDP."
• Initial Jobless Claims (Thurs): Economists estimate the weekly jobless claims climbed to 285,000 from 282,000 a week ago. "Claims have remained low as the labor market continues to register solid improvement," Nomura economists said.
• Trade Balance (Thurs): Economists estimate the trade deficit shrunk slightly to $41.3 billion in February from $41.8 billion in January. "Higher oil prices should have boosted imports and we also expect a pause in exports after the plunge in January, although the trend is clearly lower," UBS's Cummins said. From BNP Paribas: "A labor strike at West coast ports was resolved in late February, but trade flows were likely still disrupted for most of the month."
• Factory Order (Thurs): Economists estimate orders fell by 0.4% in February. From Nomura: "Factory orders have been on the soft side since late summer, posing some concern for business investment. This is likely to continue into February, with the 1.4% decline in durable goods orders providing a low baseline for overall factory orders."
• The Jobs Report (Fri): Economists estimate US companies added 248,000 nonfarm payrolls in March, driven by a 240,000 increase in private payrolls. The unemployment rate is expected to be unchanged at 5.5% with the labor force participation rate sitting at 62.8%. Average hourly earnings are estimated to have increased by 0.2% month-over-month or 2.0% year-over-year. From Wells Fargo's John Silvia: "The absence of stronger wage growth has been a key concern for the Fed. Jobless claims continue to fall lower and point to further employment gains; however, the exceptionally strong pace we have seen most recently is unlikely to be sustainable. We expect that the pace of hiring moderated to a still-strong 240,000 net gain in March. Despite the strong gains, the unemployment rate should hold at 5.5 percent in the month."

Market Commentary

Volatility has picked up a bit in the stock market. The S&P 500 lost about 2% last week, and it's now up just 0.1% for the year.

"The equity market’s very recent retrenchment while rapid should not be that surprising," Citi's Tobias Levkovich said on Thursday. Here were some of the warning signs:

"The ECRI weekly leading index was dipping and the Citi Economic Surprise Index had fallen back but the equity market had just experienced a strong February rally taking stocks to levels we deemed more likely for mid-2015. The top 50 intra-stock correlation had dipped below 30% and that usually signaled some reason for near-term caution as well. Plus, valuations had become stretched especially in the biotechnology area as our model for likely performance had moved into unattractive territory for a good while and history has shown that rising bond yields could be a problem for the pharma and biotech stocks in the past."

Levkovich reiterated his expectation that the S&P would hit 2,200 by year-end.

BMO Capital's Brian Belski is slightly more bullish with a year-end target of 2,250. From Belski's Friday note:

"While stocks have enjoyed a remarkable run the past six years, the believability and sustainability of US strength is fervently debated based on our client interactions. We believe 2015 can be defined as “two great unwinds.” First and foremost, the drawdown in oil prices is the last straw in terms of prior-cycle leadership, which also included EM, credit, small cap and low quality. The second unwind are strategies built around QE – namely stocks go up as interest rates decline. Once and for all, investors desperately need to accept reality: the “anywhere but the US” fascination and QE are over"

With a 2,150 year-end target, Deutsche Bank's David Bianco is a bit more cautious than his peers. But he recognizes there is some upside risk. From Bianco's Friday note:

"We've argued, strong job growth and falling [unemployment] amidst still slow GDP justifies the start of Fed hikes from 0% in June or Sept. Hikes would boost the dollar, keep US inflation low and flatten the yield curve. If a strong dollar and initial Fed hikes stave off rising unit labor costs, then, in this world of scant long-term real interest rates, the [Fed funds] rate and 10yr Treasury yields should plateau well below historical norms this cycle at ~2% and <3%. This would support further S&P PE upside..."

By "PE upside," Bianco is saying that investors would be willing to pay a higher premium for stocks relative to earnings.

For more insight about the middle market, visit mid-marketpulse.com.

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Business Insider is looking for an Ad Traffic Coordinator in our New York office.

The Ad Traffic Coordinator will join an expanding Ad Operations team that is responsible for executing advertising campaigns for a growing list of advertisers and agencies. In addition, the individual will be trained and ultimately responsible for setting up new campaigns in our adserver, managing a reservations calendar, QA’ing client’s ads to ensure they work properly, and working with the Revenue Operations team to ensure campaigns launch without a hitch. This individual will be responsible for running campaigns on desktop and mobile formats.

This entry-level role is an incredible way to start your career at the fastest-growing business publisher. This role interacts with Sales, Account Management, Business Development, External Vendors, and BI Studios groups.

Duties include:

• Ensuring that all aspects of campaigns get scheduled properly so campaigns go live on time
• QAing the ads prior to going live; this includes making sure client assets work properly in all browsers and operating systems 
• Managing the set-up process for new ad campaigns
• Coordinating all creative elements to be delivered on time for new campaigns, and working with all team members to ensure creative deadlines are met 
• Updating a reservations calendar to ensure team members properly schedule sponsorships

Some of the characteristics you’ve got:

• BA/BS Degree with relevant internship experience
• Extremely detail-oriented, exceptionally organized, and have the ability to multitask and manage multiple accounts
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Solid computer/technical sills
• Thrive in a fast-paced, deadline oriented environment
• Must have basic HTML knowledge and be familiar with Javascript and Flash
• A basic knowledge of ad servers such as Sizemik, Flashtalking, PointRoll, DFP is helpful, but not required 

If you want to start and grow your career in an operational-focused role and love the digital media space, please apply online and tell us why you're a good fit for the team. Thanks in advance. 

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Business Insider is looking for an Ad Traffic Manager to join the fastest-growing digital business publisher’s Ad Operations team.

The Ad Traffic Manager will be an integral part of our expanding team that is responsible for executing advertising campaigns for a growing list of advertisers and agencies. The individual will be responsible for managing setup of Priority campaigns, executing on Programmatic setup, testing new Ad Products, and working with the Revenue Operations team to ensure campaigns launch without a hitch. In addition, she / he will be responsible for running campaigns on desktop, mobile, video, private marketplace, and other emerging formats.

In this role, the Ad Traffic Manager will work closely with Sales, Account Management, Business Development, External Vendors, Programmatic, Ad Product, and BI Studios groups.  

Duties include:

• Ensuring that all aspects of campaigns get scheduled properly so campaigns go live on time
• Working with external vendors on HTML5 ad conversion
• Managing Priority and International Ad Campaigns
• Mentoring Ad Traffic Coordinators and Associates on Business Insider and industry best practices
• Troubleshooting ad-related issues from both direct and programmatic sources
• Collaborating with Ad Product and Tech teams to test and approve new and innovative ad formats for our site

If this is the right gig for you, here are some of the characteristics you’ve got:

• BA/BS Degree with 4+ years of experience in digital ad trafficking
• Extremely detail-oriented, exceptionally organized and be able to work independently
• Ability to multitask and manage multiple accounts
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Solid computer/technical sills
• Thrive in a fast-paced, deadline oriented environment
• Solid HTML skills and have experience working with Javascript and Flash
• Solid knowledge of DFP or similar publisher-side ad servers, any 3rd party ad server such as Sizemik, Flashtalking, PointRoll, as well as VAST/VPAID tags and debugging tools

 This role reports into the Senior Director of Ad Traffic, and could be located in either San Francisco or New York. If this is the right role for you, please apply online and tell us why you’re a good fit for the role. 

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Business Insider is looking for an ambitious self-starter sales professional to help us build our business in the San Francisco market. We need a motivated individual who can work collaboratively, who is passionate about digital advertising and capable of increasing our presence in San Francisco for the fastest-growing business news site in the world. An insatiable curiosity combined with the ability to translate ideas into actionable marketing solutions is essential.

This is a great position for someone that is creative and passionate about storytelling, technology, and digital media. Success will be highly dependent upon the candidate’s willingness to understand marketing strategies, navigate prospective accounts, and articulate the Business Insider value proposition to regional clients and agencies, and closing deals. Knowledge of both B2B and B2C markets as well programmatic is important for all candidates.

The ideal candidate for this job will be familiar with BI's content, audience, and the constantly changing digital sales landscape.

Responsibilities:

• Achieve revenue goals on a quarterly / annual basis
• Drive early stage opportunities through the sales cycle
• Seek out and develop relationships with clients; build deeper relationships with existing contacts
• Communicate effectively in writing and over the phone
• Accurately manage and forecast sales pipeline

Qualifications:

• Extensive digital media sales experience, including mobile, digital video, social, programmatic, and data
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Great attitude and interest in learning new skills
• Attention to detail
• Ability to thrive in an innovative environment
• Deep network of advertiser and agency relationships with B2B and B2C clients
• Drive, determination, consistency, and passion
• Salesforce a plus
• 6 years of work experience and meeting quotas / sales goals each quarter 

If this is the right gig for you, please apply online and tell us a bit about why you're a good fit with this role. Thanks in advance. 

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Business Insider is looking to expand its Quality Engineering team with the addition of an associate-level QA Engineer. We spend our days building a product we love that is enjoyed by a fast-growing community of millions. We are looking for someone who strives to be a quality advocate that can evangelize best practices, research solutions to existing problems, and make confident suggestions on how to constantly drive process improvement. Business Insider’s offering spans desktop and mobile web, iOS apps, Android apps, and beyond.

Qualifications:

• You’re proficient at multi-project management and thrive in challenging, fast-paced environments. We are a fast-moving organization that often has multiple high-impact projects being developed concurrently.
• You're a pro at requirements gathering and risk assessment.
• You can clearly define and create a test strategy that’s customized to each project's needs and timeline.
• You're a creative problem solver that can think beyond the confines of a test plan. You should also be adept at testing for defects due to unexpected user behavior.
• You have a keen instinct for when a user experience can be optimized.
• You realize that mobile testing is a critical component of our business and not simply an afterthought.
• You should have a technical orientation and a strong understanding of the software development process. This means possessing a working knowledge of Git, PHP, HTML, CSS, and front-end Javascript. You should be committed to staying up-to-date on current technologies and industry trends.
• You have an eagerness to learn and specialize in one (or more) of the following: open-source automation testing; load testing; mobile testing; accessibility testing; internationalization and localization; security and penetration testing
• You love what you do and get excited to come to work each day.

This position is based in our New York City office. Business Insider offers a great work environment, great benefits, a collaborative team that has a lot of fun, and the opportunity to make a contribution on day one. To apply, please follow this link and include a cover letter and resume.

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Business Insider is hiring a VP of Audience Development to join our fast-growing Marketing and Analytics team. We’re a dynamic digital publishing company reaching the new generation of business leaders. You'll be joining a close team that works hard and has fun.   

The VP of Audience Development is responsible for driving innovative, actionable and efficient digital marketing campaigns that build awareness and drive traffic to support the growth of our businesses -- content, e-commerce, subscriptions, and events.

This role is responsible for collaborating with the newsroom in growing BI’s audience; for setting strategy and executing marketing campaigns in all digital channels (search, email, display, and social); and, work closely with analytics, research, and events to drive additional growth across the business.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute innovative, creative and effective marketing strategies that increase usage of Business Insiders content and products

• Build, hire, train and lead a high-performing team of digitally-savvy marketers to support the strategic goals of the business

• Develop and manage paid and organic marketing programs (paid search, SEO, Facebook, display, among others) for all platforms and products  

• Evaluate, hire, and develop relationships with existing and new platforms, partners and vendors; review, recommend, and manage tools, services, and vendors

• Extend and manage email marketing initiatives for the company   

• Develop and deliver regular and ongoing reports on program performance

• Partner with teams (editorial, business development, sales, talent) to develop and enhance the BI social media strategy

• Proactively identify platforms and tools that enhance the BI audiences

Qualifications

• 10+ years in marketing; at least 5 years in audience development and digital media

• Familiar with digital analytics tools (Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, ComScore etc.)

• Hands on knowledge of paid digital campaigns (PPC, display, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and  managing budgets, overseeing vendors, platforms

• Proven ability to promoting mobile apps and sites

• Experience growing and managing email programs

To succeed in this role, you will need

• A passion for the digital media space

• Ability to stay up-to-date on industry developments and competitors and to be active in the media community

• Extremely strong organizational skills

• Ability to closely manage budgets and timelines on concurrent campaigns supporting diverse business goals

• Solid experience managing a team of dedicated marketing professionals

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

If this is the right gig for you, please apply online and include a note about why you're a good fit for the role. Thanks in advance. 

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Business Insider is looking for an awesome digital marketing intern to join our events team this summer. The paid position is based in our NYC office and we encourage a 40hr work week. This is a 6 month commitment. 

Don't be fooled by the term "intern." Our paid interns spend their time doing meaningful work: researching, analyzing, preparing decks and reports, prospecting, and more. Our flagship event, IGNITION, takes place in December and you'll be an integral part of the team that makes it happen, gaining valuable experience on-site.

When it comes to qualifications, an events, digital media, or marketing background helps, as do strong analytic and writing skills. Excel and PPT are a must. Serious interest in the Internet, events, social media, marketing, or sales are required. We are looking for someone who is motivated, a quick learner and an excellent team player. 

If you're interested in joining the team, please apply online and tell us a bit about yourself.  

Thanks in advance.

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Business Insider is hiring a Market Director to join our fast-growing Marketing and Analytics team.  We're a dynamic digital publishing company reaching the new generation of business leaders.  You'll be joining a close team that works hard and has fun.

The Marketing Director is responsible for delivering creative and smart marketing programs for site and product launches that will build awareness and support the growth of our businesses.  This role will serve as a liaison with our external PR Department as well as internal teams to support all marketing initiatives with innovative branding, copy and design.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute marketing plans for site launches, product launches, and other projects

• Collaborate with external PR firm to secure coverage for Business Insider products and brands

• Provide art direction for internal and external design resources

• Copywriting for promotional and marketing campaigns and materials

• Support all marketing teams with branding, copy and design

• Key point of contact for agencies and vendors supporting the marketing function

• Build strong relationships with Audience Development, Analytics, Events, Product and other internal teams to achieve seamless cross-functional collaboration

• Collaborate with the Talent group fostering employee engagement and participation in the community

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of marketing experience in a consumer-facing role

• Demonstrated superb communications skills, particularly in writing and editing copy

• Experience launching consumer-facing digital products or sites, preferably in publishing/media

• Hands on experience setting creative direction and managing design

• Experience in conceiving and executing both traditional and digital campaigns

To succeed you’ll need

• A passion for the digital media space

• Strong organizational skills and detail orientation

• Ability to manage budgets and timelines on concurrent campaigns supporting diverse business goals

• Experience in building and managing a small team of marketing professionals

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and effectively work in teams

• Superb verbal and written communication skills

If this is the right gig for you, please apply online and include a note about why you're a good fit for the role.  Thanks in advance.

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Business Insider is hiring a Social Media Specialist to join our fast-growing Marketing and Analytics team.  Business Insider is the fastest growing news publication on the planet because we are built for the digital age.  You'll be joining a close team that works hard and has fun.

The Social Media Specialist is a highly collaborative position, working closely with our newsroom and analytic teams to strategize and optimize our non-editorial social media presence.

Responsibilities include the following tasks: 

• Manage non-editorial social media presence of Business Insider brands and sites

• Collaborate with the newsroom on social media presence, test, and strategy

• Experiment with emerging platforms and formats

• Track and report on social media mentions of Business Insider brands, events, employees, etc.

• Monitor social media presence and strategies of industry peers and competitors

• Collaborate with analytics teams on social media reporting that informs strategy and execution

Qualifications

• At least 2-3 years hands on experience representing a brand or organization on social media

• Excellent communications skills both on social media channels and traditional marketing settings

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing or Communications preferred

• Familiar with social analytics solutions

• Experience with social media monitoring tools

• Experience with web analytics solutions (Google Analytics, etc.)

To succeed in this position, you will need

• A passion for the digital media space and social media

• Exceptional values that support “doing the right thing” without close supervision in a fast-paced digital and social media environment

• Ability to stay up-to-date on industry developments, competitors, shifting consumer habits

• To thrive in a collaborative environment, working together with different groups (editors/writers, marketing, analytics, tech)

• Extremely strong organizational skills and detail orientation

If this sounds like the position for you, please apply online and include a note about why you are the right person for the role.  Thanks in advance.

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Business Insider is hiring Associate Digital Media Specialists to work in our New York offices. 

The Associate Digital Media Specialist will join a busy team that is responsible for planning digital advertising campaigns for an expanding list of advertisers and agencies. This individual will also manage available ad inventory, use site benchmarks to create smart client proposals, and work with the Ad Operations and Sales Development teams to ensure campaigns go off without a hitch. In addition, this individual will be responsible for planning cross-platform campaigns on desktop, mobile, video, private marketplace, and other emerging media formats. 

This ENTRY-LEVEL role provides an incredible learning experience for someone interested in planning and buying online media. This role works closely with Sales, Account Management, Sales Development, Ad Traffic, Programmatic and Editorial teams. 

As the Associate Digital Media Specialist, you'll be responsible for the following: 

• Creating efficient media plans based on client's budget and strategic objectives
• Communicating advertising specifications and creative lead times to advertisers and agencies
• Working in the inventory management system
• Creating Insertion Orders and adhering to defined business processes
• Collaborating with internal teams to create the best possible campaign for our clients

Qualifications: 

• 1 year of work experience / internship experience in digital advertising / marketing arena - this is an entry-level position
• BA/BS Degree
• Proven experience being detail-oriented, exceptionally organized and a multi-tasker 
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; solid technical skills
• Thrives in fast-paced deadline-oriented environment

We've got positions open in New York. Apply online and tell us why you're a good fit for the role. Thanks in advance.

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Miami (AFP) - Serena and Venus Williams advanced to the quarter-finals of the ATP and WTA Miami Open on Monday, the sisters each cruising to a straight-set triumph.

World number one Serena Williams, seeking a third consecutive Miami crown and record eighth title at the hardcourt event, hammered Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2, 6-3 while 16th-seeded elder sister Venus defeated fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 7-6 (7/1).

Between them, the Williams sisters have won the Miami singles title 10 times. The only players to win the crown three years in a row are Serena, from 2002-2004, and Steffi Graf, who did it from 1994 to 1996.

Serena, 33, took 73 minutes in beating 2006 Miami champion Kuznetsova, improving her overall Miami record to 70-7.

"I don't think I'm cruising," Serena Williams said. "I have my matches and I'm really focused in my matches because all these players I play are really good.

"When Venus is playing before me I'm always excited to see her results and hopefully (see) a win. But I don't usually watch her match because I'm trying to focus on mine."

Serena could face her sister in the finals. While Venus, who suffers from the chronic medical condition Sjogren's syndrome, has struggled in recent seasons, she has played well in 2015, winning her 46th career title in January at Auckland and making a run to the Australian Open quarter-finals, her deepest at a Grand Slam event since the 2010 US Open semi-finals.

"She's playing really well, she's playing really aggressive," Serena Williams said of her sister. "I have always said what Venus has gone through has really motivated me."

Venus Williams, 34, is playing her home event for the 16th time and owns three titles. The American took the win despite 37 unforced errors in a match riddled with a dozen breaks of serve. Williams has never lost to former number one Wozniacki, now 7-0 against the Dane.

"I'm persistent. I don't give up and I believe in myself no matter what the odds are and what you may experience," Venus Williams said. "I've always seen it as something to overcome and not something that could stop me.

"Having that perspective of glass half full helped me a lot."

Spanish 12th seed Carla Suarez Navarro upset seventh seed Agnieszka Radwanska 5-7, 6-0, 6-4 and will be the next to play Venus Williams.

- Nishikori advances -

In the men's draw, Japan's Kei Nishikori took just over an hour to defeat Serbia's Viktor Troicki 6-2 6-2 to secure a fourth-round berth.

Asia's top player -- who reached the semi-finals in Miami last year -- could not fault his performance.

"I played good tennis today, almost perfect. I'm excited that I'm playing good here. Maybe he was hurting a little bit, but still I was giving him a lot of pressure with my return," Nishikori said.

"It was a great match today. I felt great on the court, so very happy to win."

Nishikori, 25, sent down five aces and 16 winners, breaking 39th-ranked Troicki on five of six chances in a truly dominant performance.

Nishikori, who reached his first Grand Slam final last year at the US Open, beat David Ferrer and Roger Federer on his way to the Miami semi-finals last year only to withdraw prior to a match with Novak Djokovic due to a groin injury.

"It was really sad last year, but I had a great year last year," Nishikori said. "One of the keys was that I got a lot of confidence from the Roger win."

Nishikori cannot repeat that since Federer did not play at Miami this year, but he will next face Belgium's David Goffin, who beat Poland's Jerzy Janowicz 6-4, 6-3.

Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine also reached the fourth rond with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Brazil's Thomaz Bellucci.

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Russia is just about to unveil its latest armored platform, the T-14 tank. 

The tank, called the Armata, has largely been kept under wraps although technical details about the platform have steadily been emerging. The Armata is planned to feature considerable upgrades to the armor, engine, and armaments of the vehicle over previous Russian and Soviet tank models. 

Until the tank is actually seen in action, any claims as to the Armata's capabilities could be nothing more than propaganda, an overstatement reminiscent of Russia's improbable claims that it's working on a supersonic transport jet.

Still, the following graphic from the Kremlin Tass translated by US Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office provides insight into the kind of vehicle that Russia wants to add to its arsenal. 

One of the most important pieces of technology added to the Armata is the Afganit active protection complex, a system that uses Doppler radar to detect incoming projectiles such as rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank missiles. Once detected, the active defense launches an interceptor rocket that destroys the incoming projectile. 

Rossiyskaya Gazeta Online notes that this protection could hypothetically allow the Armata to survive an attack from a US Apache helicopter. But the US Army’s Foreign Military Studies Office takes a more realistic view of the tank's planned capabilities and writes that the Afganit system would likely only be capable of defending the tank from "shaped-charged grenades, antitank missiles, and subcaliber projectiles." 

The Armata is also equipped with counter mine defenses and a suite of high-resolution video cameras. These cameras would allow the Armata operators to have full 360-degree awareness around the body of the vehicle. 

Significantly, the Armata's chassis has been designed to support various other military vehicles. Moscow is reportedly considering using the chassis to also support a range of rocket-prepared flame throwers, self-propelled artillery, recovery vehicles, amphibious transports, and more. 

The use of a single, highly adaptable chassis will help Russia cut costs while it's in the process of modernizing its military. Supply lines could also run more efficiently as the Russian military would not need to order as many varied parts to keep a range of machines running. 

The first deliveries of the T-14 started trials with the Russian military starting in February and March. According to Interfax, large deliveries of the tank will start in 2017 to 2018. 

SEE ALSO: This chart shows all of the submarines currently in the Russian Navy

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Warning: Some spoilers follow if you're not caught up with "The Walking Dead."

"The Walking Dead" aired its season 5 finale Sunday night.

The episode revealed two members of "the wolves," a mysterious new threat to Rick (Andrew Lincoln), Daryl (Norman Reedus), and the rest of the community in the Alexandria, Virginia safe-zone.

The wolves, who have been teased throughout the season, appear to be a version of a group in the comics called the scavengers, who are introduced in the comic series in issue #75.

Now that the monthly comic series is at issue #140, a common question among fans is whether the show will catch up with the comic series, and, what would happen if that does eventually occur.

We caught up with Kirkman at New York Comic Con back in October where the creator assured us fans have nothing to worry about. There's plenty of material for the AMC series for seasons to come. 

"We have a huge head start," Kirkman told Business Insider. "We’re many many years ahead of them [the comics] and Charlie Adlard and I continue to crank issues out every month. So if we continue and the show continues, the material we’re working on right now would be season 11 or 12."

"And by the time we get to season 11 or 12, we’ll be like five or six years ahead of that," he adds. "Really at the pace that the show is going and the comic is going, they’ll never really catch up."

Not many series make it to 10 seasons and beyond. If its run does last that long, "The Walking Dead" would be in a select group with shows including "M*A*S*H" (11 seasons), "Frasier" (11 seasons) and "Two and a Half Men" (12 seasons). "The Simpsons" is now in its 26th season.

Kirkman's aware of that and the possibility that at any point zombie fatigue could in, but he says they're well prepared.

"The show could fade in popularity and end at some point," said Kirkman. "We’re certainly aware of that and we have game plans in place for that if it were to happen." 

"I would argue that our show isn’t solely a zombie show. It’s a survival show," Kirkman adds. "If you’ve been paying attention to the comics the zombies certainly fluctuate from being very in the forefront to being very far into the background and not being a very big part of the comic at all. And I think the show will follow a similar trajectory. So, I think as long as we can kind of be more than just a zombie show, we’ll hopefully be okay if there’s ever a big backlash to zombies but who knows what the future holds as far as the show’s popularity goes. We’ll see."

SEE ALSO: "The Walking Dead" spinoff may finally tell us how the zombie apocalypse began

AND: "The Walking Dead" creator debunks the show's biggest fan theory

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The NBA world hasn't seen seven-foot center Joel Embiid play competitive basketball since the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him with the third pick in the 2014 draft.

Embiid, once considered the No. 1 prospect in the draft, suffered a stress fracture in his right foot a week before the 2014 draft, and injury concerns caused him to slip the Sixers at No. 3.

Shortly after drafting Embiid, the 76ers said he would likely be out for the season.

Despite playing one, injury-shortened season at Kansas, NBA people raved about Embiid before the NBA draft. There was clearly a reason talent evaluators liked him even more than Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker before his foot injury.

Since January, brief highlights of Embiid working out have been sporadically popping up online. These videos are only a few seconds long and rarely feature actual NBA defenders (which are important), but they do offer exciting glimpses into the type of player the 21-year-old could be if and when he gets healthy.

Early in March, the 76ers posted a Vine from their official account of Embiid dunking between his legs during warmups:

Most recently, a video of Embiid practicing his post-ups surfaced, and though he misses the dunk, his physicality looks insane:

Here he is in the same workout working on his post moves:

In February, the 76ers tweeted a video of Embiid practicing three-pointers, with his form looking fairly smooth:

He appears to be practicing this a lot:

These are all encouraging after what has seemed like a rocky start to his NBA career. Embiid's injury history makes him a gamble — and the Sixers are right not to rush a seven-footer with foot issues back (see: Kevin Durant) — but there have been other troubling signs.

Midway through the season, a photo of Embiid surfaced that looked like he had added some extra weight:

A separate report from the Philadelphia Inquirer said that he was 50 pounds heavier than he was in college and was having behavioral issues behind the scenes:

Embiid has a weight issue. Although the Sixers wouldn't disclose his weight, a source said he's close to 300 pounds after being 250 pounds at Kansas last season.

His work ethic is being questioned by some inside the organization.

And a blowup with assistant strength and conditioning coach James Davis is one of the reasons he was sent home during the team's recent West Coast road trip.

In Embiid's defense, he was both limited in conditioning exercises while he recovered from his stress fracture and was told to bulk up. The combination of the two seemed to add some unwanted weight to his frame. 

As evidenced in recent videos, Embiid looks mildly healthy and in shape while still boasting a more filled-out frame.

There are still concerns about Embiid going forward. His injury history is troubling and he's yet to play a minute in the NBA. Furthermore, the emergence of Sixers big man Nerlens Noel since the All-Star break creates a question about Embiid's fit — something head coach Brett Brown even acknowledged early in the season.

Until Embiid gets on the court, which reportedly won't happen until this summer, the Sixers can only be hopeful about Embiid. He entered the draft last year as a franchise-changing talent, and if he can stay healthy and fit, he could still be one of the major keys in the 76ers' rebuilding plan.

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FA Insights is a daily newsletter from Business Insider that delivers the top news and commentary for financial advisors. 

A look at the revocable living trust (Investment News)

Famed North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith garnered headlines when in his trust he left $200 to each of his former players to have a dinner on him. Revocable trusts are becoming more popular these days as people look to keep the details of their estate private (details of Smith's generosity was only made public by players receiving the checks). Investment News notes, "The "revocable" part of the name means that if you change your mind and want to dissolve the trust at some point, you can do so without a problem." The publication continued, "Assuming you don't, whatever assets you transfer into the trust don't go through probate when you die, so they aren't frozen (and aren't available to be seen by the public)." Those considering a revocable trust still need a will to protect whatever is left out of the trust, and should realize setting up a trust is more expensive. 

Advisors are becoming more productive (Financial Planning)

Advisor productivity is on the rise as a result because of new technology, a more narrowed approach and the creation of robo advisors. PriceMetrix, a Toronto-based practice management software and research firm, concluded the average number of clients per advisor slipped 4% in 2014 to 150 while client assets jumped 11% to $628,000. Financial Planning notes, "Average advisor assets and revenue both hit record highs -- at $97 million and $655,000, respectively." However, not all of the news was good. "The average client age is now nearly 62, and increasing by roughly six to seven months per year. Only 23% of advisor's clients are currently under 45, a level that hasn't changed in five years," according to FinancialPlanning.   

Alternative investors are not diversifying (Financial Advisor)

While investors believe they are diversifying themselves by entering the alternative investment space, many of them are not. Speaking at the Insured Retirement Institute seminar Friday, Nadia Papagiannis, alternative investment strategy director for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, noted 20 of more than 600 alternative mutual funds contain over half of assets under management in the space. The differing opinion on the space is notable as professional investors look to alternative investments to help minimize risk while retail investors view the space as risky.  

The retirement picture is changing (Wealth Management)

The dynamics of retirement in America are changing. A BMO Private Bank survey showed 20% of respondents are retired, or plan to be retired, by the age of 40. Jack Ablin, CIO of BMO Private Bank, attributes the changing dynamics to the different priorities of the millennial generation. WealthManagement says, "A common thread that Ablin sees is young people who, for lack of a better term, sell out to the corporate world for a number of years in order to make their fortunes, then instead of doubling down and moving into upper management to comfortably accumulate further wealth, they quite literally take the money and run to pursue passion projects, do charity work or start their own companies. "

Wall Street's biggest spenders on lobbying (Think Advisor)

Americans for Financial Reform released its latest “Wall Street Money in Washington" survey, which showed the industry spent $1.4 billion contributing to political causes. According to ThinkAdvisor, for the 2014 election the financial industry "exceeded its rate of spending in the 2010 election cycle, when the industry was working to stop or weaken the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act as it made its way through Congress. The top 5 spenders during the last election cycle were: 1) National Association of Realtors ($108.6 million), 2) Bloomberg LP ($29.5 million), 3) American Bankers Association ($21.8 million), 4) Prudential Financial ($17 million) and Wells Fargo ($14.9 million)

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Jay Z is set to hold a press conference at 10pm UK time (5pm in New York ) where he will announce his relaunched music streaming site Tidal, as well as celebrity collaborations.

The press conference is taking place at the James A. Farley Post Office in New York. It's going to be a short conference, as it's currently scheduled to last only 17 minutes.

Here's an embedded livestream of the announcement:

And here's our preview of tonight's press conference, including a list of celebrities who are supporting Tidal, and what we might see announced tonight.

Tidal turned social media blue earlier today, as some of the biggest names in music changed their Twitter and Facebook profiles light blue in support of Jay Z's streaming site. Musicians such as Madonna and Kanye West shared a video showing the musicians meeting in LA to talk about streaming.

Jay Z acquired Aspiro, the company behind Tidal, in March for $56 million. 

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