About The Photographer

Dana Phillips – Owner of Your Publishing Link, dp Drone Photography

My name is Dana Phillips and I live and work just outside Charlotte in the Lake Norman community of Huntersville, North Carolina. I have been in the business of bringing buyers and sellers together through an array of media products since 1997. Please visit my contact page and allow me the opportunity to meet you and discuss how I can become a valuable asset to you and your business.

I will answer your calls and respond timely to any and all concerns.

I am deadline oriented – I have personally worked in a straight commission, deadline driven profession, since the beginning of my career and would not have it any other way. I am accustomed to performing on time, every time, and will meet all predetermined deadlines without question.

1997 – My marketing career began in the yellow page industry

My career began in the yellow page industry as a sales representative for an independent yellow page publishing company called Data National. This fortune 500 company, at the time owned by Volt Information Sciences, was my life-changing introduction in to the print media sales game. In my first year, I won three significant awards:

• Rookie of the Year
• Top Salesperson in the Carolina Region
• Most New Business Sales

I received amazing hands on experience in sales and marketing that set the path for my professional life.

I trained with a guru in marketing at the Leader Newspaper

I left the company in 1998 to work and train under a guru in the industry who brought radio to the Charlotte area in the 1950s. His name was Stan Kaplan and he owned a political newspaper called The Leader Newspaper. The training I received from this icon in the print media industry was priceless. Unfortunately, this newspaper was not a good fit for me, but I took the knowledge and experience I’d gained back into the field I felt I knew best, the yellow page industry.

More Yellow Page Experience Working With Yellow Book USA

I decided to work for Yellow Book USA, another independent yellow page publishing company, and found great success. Out of an office of over sixty sales reps, I was in the top three in most of the monitored sales categories. I had the pleasure of working with thousands of small business owners in publishing their yellow page programs. I found that many of them had great success with not only the yellow pages, but in direct mail programs as well. The flexibility of this medium really piqued my interest.

Introduction To Direct Mail With Valpak

In 2001, I chose to pursue a career with Valpak, an industry-leading direct mail company based in Largo, Florida. At the time, Valpak mailed to over 50 million households monthly, and again provided a tremendous opportunity for training and growth in the business. I worked in the Charlotte franchise, which was owned by the national Valpak franchisee president. Our office manager also had many years in the direct mail business.

I immersed myself in this priceless training environment. I won “Sales Rep of the Month” 16 of my 24 months there, and received many other interoffice sales awards. I soon realized that despite being on a straight commission pay structure for six years, I never had a week without a paycheck. I wondered how I would do in this business on my own.

2003 – I Founded Premier Publishing, Inc (The Premier Magazine)

In October 2003, the entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and I left Valpak with plans to succeed or fail on my own. I formed a company called Premier Publishing, Inc. My plan was to deliver to the Lake Norman area a direct mail magazine, The Premier Magazine, that was second to none in quality. I had no understanding of the necessary software used to build such a magazine, so I stayed up most nights until the wee hours of the morning reading instructional materials. I taught myself in detail, the industry-leading graphics software needed to create The Premier Magazine.

The first issue, released in February 2004, contained 71 small businesses. I personally sold and assisted in the design of each of these ads, and the response was incredible! My clients were amazed by the quality of this product and its ability to bring in new business. I successfully published this magazine for five years, and developed wonderful business relationships as I assisted in the growth of a multitude of businesses in the Lake Norman area.

The Founding Of Premier Publishing Group – Publishing 36 Direct Mailed Magazines Per Year (330,000 Per Quarter)

In October 2005, I took on an even more ambitious project. I joined with two of my former colleagues and formed Premier Publishing Group and Premier Graphics Services. In addition to publishing our own versions of these direct mail magazines in Lake Norman, Raleigh and Prince William County (VA), we built a system to publish this type of product in markets all across the US. We recruited other publishers and provided graphics and fulfillment for similar magazines in their areas.

In just under three years, we were publishing 36 quarterly magazines per year in nine markets. We represented almost 400 large and small businesses and distributed 330,000 magazines quarterly. In December of 2008, I decided to step away from what had become a tremendous workload and try to focus on a more balanced work/family schedule. I left PPG and PGS, and founded Your Publishing Link, Inc (the parent company of dpdronephotography.com).

My Interest In Website Development, Graphic Design, and Everything Related To The Computer Exploded!

As my technical responsibilities accelerated with my previous venture, I transitioned into managing the technical aspects of the endeavor. I needed a much broader understanding of the computer applications and software used in our business. Once again I immersed myself in acquiring a new knowledge base. I also developed and managed a variety of other proprietary systems needed for the flow of information in our business.

Pursuing My Passion In The Web Development Field Almost Exclusively

I perform web design and graphic design services for businesses Lake Norman, Charlotte, and surrounding markets. Using my broad design and computer related skill set, I help link businesses to their customers through a variety of print and web-based promotional products and services, as well as fill in any technology gaps. This in turn assists them in achieving their business goals.

I have developed a love for the technical aspects of the computer and related programs, and plan to remain at the forefront of the rapidly-evolving website and graphic design landscape. Using my extensive experience marketing businesses through a variety of media, I can provide any business with quality and timely assistance on multiple tasks at an affordable rate.

I hope you hire me as your “one-stop shop” for marketing, technology, and business development needs. I am capable of performing almost any design project that you or your business needs. Please visit my contact page and allow me the opportunity to meet you and discuss how I can become a valuable asset to you and your business.