About
Guest Speaking
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
A frequent guest speaker and panelist on the topics of marketing, resume writing, and job searches.
Accomplished business leader with more than 30 years successfully building market awareness, increasing profitability, and delivering on brand promise.
Record of rapidly growing revenue, memberships, and corporate sponsorships for companies, including The Walt Disney Company, American Advertising Federation, The Humane Society of the United States, Pearson Television, and the American Red Cross; and sales at Fair Oaks Mall and Apple.
A frequent contributor of job search articles to Recruiter.com. A Certified Professional Resume Writer; and blogger advising job seekers how to stand out, land an interview, and get hired.
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
Adjunct Professor for 17 years at six colleges. Winner of 2022 College of Charleston's School of Business "Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Teaching Award."
Among the highest-rated by students on RateMyProfessors.com.
Inspired college seniors to learn about and appreciate Sales and Retail Management, Advertising, Principles of Marketing, Promotion, and Marketing Management.
Photography
Sharing Experiences by Teaching
Photography
Former professional photographer who now shoots primarily just to challenge himself.
Wildlife & Travel photography are favorites.
Has also shot for story assignments in: Charleston Post & Courier
Charleston Magazine
Charleston City Paper
Biography
Ferris Kaplan has more than 30 years of senior marketing experience at large for-profit and nonprofit companies. He was most recently a sales specialist and trainer for Apple Retail Stores. Kaplan continues as a business development consultant, and is an expert at writing resumes, having owned BestOfYouResumes.com.
Previously, he was the marketing and sponsorship director for Fair Oaks Mall in Fairfax, Virginia, for 11 years. Fair Oaks is among the top 40 largest retail shopping centers in the nation, featuring five department stores, 28 restaurants, and 190 specialty stores. He was in charge of all advertising, public relations, customer services, promotions, events, and the website.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in broadcasting, both from the University of Southern California (USC), Kaplan taught there at night for two years while working at the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) in Burbank.
Kaplan worked in Los Angeles as a network and studio executive, buying, selling and programming television series and movies. At The Walt Disney Company he was in charge of sales administration for the world’s largest home video company. Kaplan oversaw an office staff of 19 to process more than $600 million of video sales generated by a national network of 35 salespeople.
In 1992, The Humane Society of the United States hired and moved Kaplan to Washington, D.C., to establish their marketing department--its first in 45 years. After three years of licensing nationally-distributed merchandise, he was hired by the American Red Cross to establish their business development and marketing department--its first in 115 years. His team created and promoted new courses and products for the 1,600 Red Cross chapters nationwide. His favorite creation was “Pet First Aid,” a book that sold more than 250,000 copies.
Kaplan then worked as Group Senior Vice President for Strategic Planning for the American Advertising Federation, an association of the nation’s largest advertisers, advertising agencies and media.
He has been a panelist and workshop presenter for many organizations; is a Certified Professional Resume Writer; graduate of Citizens' Police Academies of Charleston and Fairfax.; was chair of Northern Virginia Community College’s Marketing Program Executive Board; on the Marketing Advisory Board for Fairfax County Public Schools; on the Marketing Advisory Committee for the Fairfax County Convention & Visitors Corporation; and a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for the Fairfax County Police Department.
Kaplan was an adjunct marketing professor at the College of Charleston from 2014 to 2022; American University in 2013; George Mason University 2008-2013; at Marymount University in 2011; and at Northern Virginia Community College 2005-2012. He is a frequent contributor of articles for Recruiter.com.
Kaplan is the past president of the Mazyck-Wraggborough Neighborhood Association in downtown Charleston, a district that consists of 300 houses and businesses.
