After a twenty-year career spanning photojournalism, marketing, and communications, Brett Roseman was recently hired as the Digital Asset Manager for University Communications and Marketing at the University of Idaho. A key factor in his successful career pivot, Roseman said, was that he was already enrolled in the Digital Asset Management (DAM) Bronze Certificate Program prior to beginning the application and interview process.

“Deciding to invest in myself, with the Rutgers program, paid off,” Roseman said. “I'd been seeking to pivot to digital asset management roles for a few years and was offered my new job at the University of Idaho when I was halfway through the program. In the prior year and a half, I'd interviewed for two dozen DAM jobs. Deciding to finally join a cohort gave me the edge I needed to move beyond always being a finalist or second choice.”

As a veteran photographer, Roseman’s career included ten years as a photojournalist and multimedia producer for Chicago Sun-Times Media, followed by ten years on marketing and communications teams at two universities (University of Wisconsin-Stout and Des Moines University of Medicine and Health Sciences).

“Deciding to invest in myself, with the Rutgers program, paid off,” Roseman said. “I'd been seeking to pivot to digital asset management roles for a few years and was offered my new job at the University of Idaho when I was halfway through the program."

At UW-Stout and DMU, he established new photography, videography, and digital asset management positions, and led the successful implementation, development, and administration of their first enterprise-level DAM systems – both on the PhotoShelter for Brands platform.

Despite his solid experience, Roseman said, “I often felt that some hiring managers didn’t recognize my DAM experience, had a hard time seeing me as more than just a photographer, and questioned how serious I was about transitioning out of production roles. Enrolling in the Rutgers program helped show that I am indeed an experienced DAM professional, and that I’m ready to put the cameras down and focus fully on DAM-specific work.”

As his career has advanced, Roseman said his responsibilities with digital asset management had continued to grow, and he found himself increasingly interested in roles that were more creative operations-based and specifically focused on the important and valuable work of digital asset management.

“I had been following the DAM certificate program with great interest ever since it launched in 2019,” Roseman said, “and believed it would be instrumental in helping me transition successfully into new roles in digital asset management.”

"Enrolling in the Rutgers program helped show that I am indeed an experienced DAM professional, and that I’m ready to put the cameras down and focus fully on DAM-specific work.”

He was drawn to the program at Rutgers, he said, because “it is the first of its kind in the world. The DAM field is experiencing tremendous growth, with many organizations implementing DAM systems or creating positions focused on digital asset management. There’s a real need for formal education programs like this, and it's great that Rutgers not only recognizes that need but is also leading the way – assembling a team of industry experts as instructors, some of whom are internationally renowned.”

Several instructors and courses had a meaningful impact on his learning experience – and now his work, Roseman said. “Having no previous formal education in digital asset management, I think the Data Governance for DAM course might be the most valuable in the program. While I’ve followed good governance principles throughout my career - particularly in terms of consistency and standardization – I’ve come to understand that governance is much more than that. It was great to gain a comprehensive understanding of data governance, along with best practices that I can apply on the job.”

He also found the Metadata for DAM course engaging. “Digital Asset Management touches a lot of arenas, and I have substantial career experience and knowledge about metadata in the photography field. I enjoyed contributing to discussions and sharing my own knowledge with classmates who had no DAM background or came from other fields, such as GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives and museums). I also valued learning from classmates whose approaches to metadata differ from mine. My appreciation for metadata and its role in DAM made the course rewarding.”

Another standout for Roseman was Integration and the Content Landscape for DAM. “While I have led DAM implementations in previous roles, the platforms were mostly out-of-the-box solutions – relatively simple, not customizable, and with limited configuration options. Gaining a deeper understanding of what goes into a complex, large-scale DAM implementation is something I see as very important for my future work.”

Roseman said the knowledge he gained through the certificate program is already helping him succeed in his new role. “In the first six months of my position at the University of Idaho,” he said, “I led the implementation of our new Sitecore Content Hub DAM, which integrates seamlessly with the new Sitecore XM Cloud CMS we're using to launch the university’s new website next month."

Roseman said the knowledge he gained through the certificate program is already helping him succeed in his new role. “In the first six months of my position at the University of Idaho,” he said, “I led the implementation of our new Sitecore Content Hub DAM, which integrates seamlessly with the new Sitecore XM Cloud CMS we're using to launch the university’s new website next month. I began leading the DAM implementation on day one of my role, and we successfully hit every key milestone on time - including our planned go-live date - which had all been set before I was hired. It’s by far the biggest and most complex DAM and CMS implementation project I've been part of, and it included the migration of 100,000 assets from just the past five years. Much of what I learned from the course came into play during the Content Hub implementation - especially around preparing metadata mapping and system configurations. It was one of the most meaningful and impactful courses for me.”

Reflecting on his new job, Roseman said, “It’s an exciting time to be in this role. Our team is in the midst of a major multi-year initiative to transform the university’s entire digital experience – from content strategy to asset management to web delivery and beyond – and DAM plays a central role in that transformation. I’m grateful that the University of Idaho recognizes the importance of DAM as a dedicated practice, which made this position especially attractive to me. Too often, digital asset management responsibilities are simply added onto other roles, but the work is most effective when it receives full-time focus and meaningful investment.”

Looking ahead, Roseman is eager to build on the foundation he gained through the Digital Asset Management Bronze Certificate program by enrolling in some of Rutgers’ advanced Silver Certificate programs in DAM. “The field is evolving rapidly, and I want to stay on the leading edge – not just for my own growth, but to keep delivering strategic value in the work I do.”

Learn more about the Digital Asset Management Bronze Certificate offered by Continuing and Professional Studies at the Rutgers School of Communication and Information on the website.

Photo: Courtesy of Brett Roseman