Andrea Doven was born and raised in New York City. Before starting her career as an actress, she was accepted into the prestigious performing arts program at SUNY Purchase; just outside of New York City. 3,500 actors applied, with only 30 of the best being given places. After completion, she was proud to have achieved her bachelors degree in performing arts.
After college, Andrea founded and produced theater in upstate New York and went on to help run one of the top ten catering companies in New York City.
For the next 19 years, Andrea was the Executive Director of Odin Productions, a company that is owned by Tom Cruise. Andrea ran the day-to-day operation of Cruise’s company, providing logistical support for the artists/producers engaged in film productions around the world. This involved carrying out an abundance of international travel, project management, location establishment, hiring and management of all personnel and daily coordination with all business management and PR professionals.
Andrea came to SCS, Inc. in 2005, as Vice President of Human Resources. At that time, SCS, Inc. was a growing, Gold Certified Microsoft partner specializing in ERP business software (Enterprise Resource Planning). ERP software implementation is one of the most technically demanding challenges in the software field. ERP personnel demands are unique, requiring not only technically astute individuals but also the ability to communicate, lead, and manage other professionals.
Over ten years, Andrea built the premier Microsoft ERP partner in the United States as SCS brought on and serviced clients including, just to name a few; Viacom, Warner Bros., Sony Music, Sunkist, Tillamook Cheese, and Seventh Generation. SCS grew to be the largest ERP company in the United States, specializing in its specific Microsoft ERP software. Andrea found, hired, and built the largest technical team of this type in the country. SCS’s meteoric rise was in no small part due to Andrea’s recruitment, training, and human resource management.
Hiring and training excellent talent and creating effective organizational establishments, became her area of expertise and niche. She is especially sought after for her recruiting abilities, but has been described as someone who can really make the trains run in any given situation or industry. If she is not helping hire talent for companies and small businesses she is in there backing up a very worthy entrepreneur or company to expand. It is what she really loves most, getting in there and making things hum.
How did you get started? What inspired you to do what you do?
After graduating from college, I was fortunate enough to land a job as Tom Cruise’s personal assistant. I moved up in his company Odin Productions pretty swiftly as its executive director. The experience I received over those 19 years was phenomenal. I interfaced with nearly every industry and was problem solving in my sleep. Dealing with people, all kinds of people made me who I am today. I learned how to get the most out of people, recriut the right people, the beautiful art of grooming people from the ground up and seeing them flourish years later at a job (nothing warms my heart more), and artfully getting people to get the job done.
How do you make money?
I have never taken a job for money. We want happiness in life. When you are driving to work in the morning going to a job you enjoy, that is happiness and if it is only money driven it’s just work. When you’re using all of yourself in a job and you’re happy and working hard, the money will come. I have never put effort or stress on it and have always done well.
When you were starting out, was there ever a time you doubted it yourself? If so, how did you handle that?
Actually, I always had faith and conviction that I was right and perfect for the job that I was doing and that they are lucky to have me on their team. I have always been a real team player. It’s vital to believe in yourself, and never invalidate yourself.
What is one marketing strategy (other than referrals) that you’re using that works really well to generate interest in your services?
Social media, definitely – it lets me reach a broad public with a variety of media formats. I’m partial to sharing videos on my own YouTube channel, and I love sharing my knowledge and experience w/ human resources and the recruiting side with blogging and articles.
What do you think it is that makes you successful?
Always surrounding myself w/ people who I can learn from. I have a high confront. I keep going no matter what, I am efficient with my time and energy. I can talk to anyone and I am always working to better myself and my conditions.
I’ve never been one to shy away from challenges. I really come alive when there is a lot to solve, when things are moving fast and I am able to multitask. Productivity is the basis of morale.
Who was your biggest influence and why?
Tom Cruise. Man, that guy! There is nothing he could not pick up and learn from scratch and then excel at it and his hunger for knowledge was infectious. His work ethic, his generosity with people, friends and strangers, He is an extraordinary self-taught businessman and has the funniest sense of humor of anyone I know. People rarely see that side. I attended the school of life with TC as my mentor and comrade and not a day goes by that I am not grateful.