CARISSA MARSH
Staff Writer
If you had asked Farhad Fozounmayeh what he would be doing after college graduation, he might have envisioned a job in the field of advertising. But even Fozounmayeh couldn’t imagine that he would be working for the largest and most recognized magazine publisher in the world.
Fozounmayeh graduated from Pepperdine in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in advertising, and since the last semester of senior year, his life and career have taken him places he never would have dreamed. Fozounmayeh’s solid education in advertising, as well as his hard work and determination, have culminated with his earning a prestigious job as one of Time magazine’s West Coast representatives.
Fozounmayeh, 30, was born and raised in Carmel, Calif., but he now lives in Agoura Hills with his wife Michelle (whom he met at Pepperdine) and two children, daughter Shirin, 19 months, and son Frederick, just 1 month. When it was time to head off to college, Fozounmayeh chose Pepperdine because he said it was the perfect place for him. The smaller university atmosphere, reduced class sizes, strong academics and comprehensive curriculum that set Pepperdine apart appealed to him, Fozounmayeh said.
He said he was also attracted to the university because of its location — he was just far enough away from his parents to really branch out, but at the same time, not feel disconnected from them. When Fozounmayeh entered Pepperdine he was interested in marketing and the specialized nature of the advertising program especially caught his attention. Not many schools have a program that focuses specifically on advertising. Usually students majoring in marketing just take a few advertising classes within the major. Fozounmayeh said he believes that the advertising major at Pepperdine is “phenomenal” because it is one of the few majors (along with journalism) that teaches from both an academic and real-world perspective.
He said he believes that communication majors in general are special because the topics taught are relevant to, and can be implemented in, real life.
While an advertising major, Fozounmayeh struggled to get an internship. Finally, in the last semester of his senior year, Fozounmayeh went to Dr. Kyu Chang, associate professor of advertising, for help. At that time, Chang had set up a tour at Chiat/Day, one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Given the renown of the company, Fozounmayeh signed up for the tour. While touring the company, Fozounmayeh talked with some employees, handed in his resume, and ended up getting and nailing an interview. And so began his eight-year career with Chiat/Day.
While interning at Chiat/Day, Fozounmayeh worked on a local-dealer account with Nissan Motor Co. for four months. This internship proved to be crucial for Fozounmayeh because it got his foot in the door to the advertising world. After graduation he continued to work at Chiat/Day, eventually being offered a position to work on Nissan’s national advertising account. Fozounmayeh went from being an intern to “one of the top media supervisors in a few years,” Dr. Chang said, and he was also evaluated as “one of the top hires in the company.”
While working at Chiat/Day, Fozounmayeh formed a close, five-year working relationship with Time Inc. When a position opened up at Time Inc. he jumped at the chance to work at what Fozounmayeh calls one of the “most well-known brands of the last 100 years.”
Fozounmayeh has now been working specifically with Time magazine for two years and said he loves his job. For Fozounmayeh, it is an amazing feeling to be a part of a company whose history elicits recognition, authority and respect from industry and society.
“Time Inc. has a lot of clout in the industry,” Fozounmayeh said, and it also is “a part of everyday society.” Instead of creating or planning advertisements for different companies, Fozounmayeh’s job responsibilities lie with his clients. It is Fozounmayeh’s job to get clients to advertise in Time and to make sure that they are happy with their placement in the magazine. He also works to get as many pages of advertisements as possible from a company and to get new companies to advertise in Time.
Of course there is more to Fozounmayeh than just his career. Not only is he a family man, he is also heavily involved in the Malibu Presbyterian Church. Although he is of Muslim heritage, Fozounmayeh grew up in a Christian home. Consequently, his faith has always played an important role in his life. Fozounmayeh serves as deacon moderator to the church, which means that he essentially heads up the board of deacons. His purpose as a deacon, and now deacon moderator, is to help members, deacons, and regular attendees of the church. He is also called to serve the congregation and the community and to meet any needs that need to be met.
Kevin Iga, assistant professor of Mathematics, a former deacon at Malibu Presbyterian and now an elder, described Fozounmayeh as “very personable, friendly, always willing to help, active in the church and very much a family man.”
Iga also said Fozounmayeh has a strong sense of integrity, a positive outlook on life, as well as a faithful commitment to serve others and the church.
Fozounmayeh’s said he believes that his faith has been key in helping him overcome life’s obstacles, helping him make right decisions (especially in business), and helping him ultimately become a better and stronger person. His faith helps him to focus on the important things in life, like family.
“Meeting and marrying Michelle was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Fozounmayeh said of his wife formerly Michelle Jordan, the daughter of Seaver journalism professor Dr. Mike Jordan. Fozounmayeh said loves his two children with all his heart and says his favorite sound is the way his daughter laughs.
Fozounmayeh’s goals for the future center on his family as well. He said strives to be the best possible parent, to set a good example for his son and daughter, and to provide “an environment that fosters growth.” He especially wants to see them succeed, he said.
Finally, when asked what quote Fozounmayeh tries to live his life by, he pulled out of his wallet a verse of Scripture. Written on the tattered piece of paper was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
“Don’t complain,” is how he summed up the verse. Fozounmayeh has found that he does not have much to complain about.
01-27-2005
