Ryan Wagner

Manager of Customer Narrative at John Deere

Teaches Introduction to IMC

Rw00022@mix.wvu.edu

Ryan Wagner is an experienced media development, storytelling and marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience in broadcast, public relations, marketing, social/digital media, management and leadership. He is passionate about pushing the envelope, storytelling, team leadership and development. Wagner prides himself on doing whatever it takes to create stories that engage and connect with consumers at all levels of the customer journey. This strategy and connection is what fuels his passion.

Currently, he is serving as the manager of Customer Narrative for the B2C team within Customer Connections at John Deere. Throughout his career, he’s won, lost, succeeded and failed, but never lost the drive and determination to continue to push forward.

His professional journey is outlined below:

Development Intern, Emmett/Furla Films, Los Angeles
Broadcast Journalist/Public Affairs NCO, US Army/82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg NC
Deployments: Iraq (2006), Afghanistan (2007-2008)
Digital Media Management Administrator, NBA Entertainment, New Jersey
Senior Producer/Writer of Promotions, Sinclair Broadcast Group, North Carolina
Creative Services Production Manager, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Wisconsin
Executive Producer/TV Station Manager, City of Charlotte, North Carolina
Production & Operations Manager, John Deere, North Carolina
Manager of Customer Narrative B2C (Customer Connections), John Deere, North Carolina

Wagner’s educational journey beyond high school began in 1998 when he enrolled at Ferris State University to study Television and Digital Media Production. His dream at this time was to be the “voice” of NFL Films, just like Steve Sabol. This wasn’t in the cards, so he chose to enter the TV industry through production. He earned his bachelor’s degree while serving with the 82nd Airborne Division in Bagram, Afghanistan. He then chose to take the next step in his educational journey by enrolling at Columbia Southern University and earned his Master of Business Administration in 2009. In 2021, he took the most recent step in his educational journey, by joining the first-ever DINFOS and West Virginia University cohort. He graduated with a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications in 2022.

Learn more about the DINFOS and WVU cohort here: Military | Marketing Communications | West Virginia University (wvu.edu).

Throughout his career, Wagner has had the pleasure of serving with many great leaders, and he has been fortunate enough to learn from many great teammates and peers. He is constantly looking for ways to learn, push the boundaries of what teams can do and set team and individual development as top priority. His other passion, on top of storytelling and strategy, is teaching. As a professional, his goal has always been to teach at the collegiate level. To share his experience and help those he connects with learn more (and learn from them). Serving in the position of adjunct professor is not only an honor and a pleasure but, a dream come true.

Ryan and his beautiful wife currently reside in Fuquay Varina, NC, where they are raising their three children (9, 9, 6), and two dogs (Rat Terriers).

Meet Ryan Wagner

Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
1:13 Why do you teach in the program?
2:32 How do you bring the real world into your online classes?
3:29 How do you engage with students?
4:29 Fun (surprise) question