Interview with Aaron Marks of NextGenGOP
Jessica Thompson: Aaron, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Aaron Marks: I am an undergraduate at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University. I study Technology Venture Creation, which is a track in business administration that focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and technology. Beyond serving as President of Carnegie Mellon College Republicans, I am also an avid blogger, political and new media consultant, web 2.0 and social networking guru, and entrepreneur.
I am President of Three Group, LLC, a Pittsburgh-based new media software and new media company. Three Group specializes in building political technology solutions. At Three Group, I conceived a software solution that we offer called Mission Control, which allows political campaigns and organizations to manage all aspects of their campaign.
I blog regularly at NextGenGOP, a blog of young, up-and-coming Republicans that I founded, and in addition I occasionally contribute to The Next Right.
Jessica: I know that you were involved with Rick Santorum’s campaign back in 2006. What was your role in the campaign?
Aaron: Like all of our staffers, I wore many hats on the campaign. I served as a staffer, focusing on new media and online outreach, but I also chaired our Students for Santorum coalition. Our campaign set the standard for political technology in 2006, recruiting over 50,000 volunteers and organizing one of the most effective voter outreach programs in ’06.