Career Path Of A Social Impact Strategist At A Social Impact Agency
Gregorio's career path began with a political science degree from UCLA and early volunteer work in "donor Outreach" and "research on issues" for Southern California congressional campaigns. This led to opposition research for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a transition to private sector social impact agencies, and ultimately, business school to understand "how business works" and influence corporate social responsibility.
Political Science, Social Impact, Campaign Management, Business Strategy, Marketing
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Gregorio Gutiérrez
Senior Content Producer
Creative Marketing Agency
UCLA class of 2011
UCLA Anderson School of Management class of 2024
Political Science, American Studies
Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Creative
Disabled, Honors Student, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Gregorio's career path demonstrates the value of diverse experiences. He transitioned from political science and volunteer work to a role in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, then into the private sector with social impact agencies, before ultimately pursuing business school to enhance his corporate marketing abilities.
2. His experience highlights that a background in political science can be surprisingly relevant to a career in content production. His skills in research, donor outreach, and understanding political issues transferred well to the private sector.
3. Gregorio's decision to pursue an MBA shows the potential value of further education in career pivoting and advancement within marketing and content production. This demonstrates a proactive approach to career growth and development.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
I went to UCLA and majored in political science. Very early on, I was interested in learning about how systems work and making a difference in my community.
Upon graduating, I volunteered for a couple of campaigns in Southern California for Congress. Through that, I started doing donor outreach and research on issues. I discovered a passion for learning about the issues that affected each district where I was volunteering.
After that, I ended up going to Washington D.C. and worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. There I did opposition research for battleground campaigns, so campaigns that were either toss-up districts or very competitive.
After that, I decided to come back home and switch over to the private sector. In the private sector, I worked at two social impact agencies. We helped businesses, nonprofits, and philanthropists launch their pro-social initiatives or create partnerships that benefited people in the community on a host of issues from affordable housing to civic engagement.
I was able to continue applying what I was passionate about in politics into my private sector work. Then I decided to think about how I could affect change from within an organization at the corporate level. So, I decided to go to business school to get a better understanding of how business works. I wanted to learn how I could shape the way products are marketed, the way they're developed, and how businesses impact the places where they operate.