Career Path of a Producer at a Fortune 100 Tech Company

I decided to get a degree in marketing and business administration. I landed on marketing because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I saw my older sister and aunt in the early stages of their careers and thought a business degree would be broadly useful.

Marketing resonated with me as I considered myself a people person. I wasn't certain about my specific career path or the available options. I knew I didn't want to go into sales, which many entry-level marketing positions did, with the expectation of gaining experience and then moving into marketing.

I searched for internships on Craigslist, which is probably not common anymore. That's where I found my internship. I filtered for anything that looked interesting and paid, as I couldn't afford to not work for a summer.

I feel very lucky I found this internship at a boutique marketing agency called MKTG. This was after my fourth year of college, as I completed four and a half years. It was in the early era of guerrilla and grassroots marketing.

We did things like mobile tours, where we would build out a vehicle and take it to relevant events. The strategy involved deciding where to take the product or service and what to say to engage consumers. For example, with a new Nike track shoe, we'd build a cool truck to catch attention.

People could then experience the new footwear at their track practice. I loved this approach because, unlike sales, I wasn't pushing things on people. It felt organic, offering something beneficial in an environment where it was relevant, but without pressure.

We might offer a coupon for those interested in purchasing the shoe. I did a lot of work with Nike and was exposed to many cool brands. As an athlete myself, I could easily connect with these types of experiences.

I worked with Pete's Coffee, Jamba Juice, Nike, Apple, and Google, gaining significant exposure. I didn't fully understand what agencies did initially, but I learned a lot. The agency was small, with only five or six people when I started.

This allowed me to get exposure to senior people who founded the agency. I attended meetings with them, shadowed their work, and asked questions. This internship eventually became my first job.

I had one semester of school left and asked if there were any job openings. I really enjoyed my time there and felt I had a lot more to learn. So, I ended up working there for nine years after college, nearly a decade.

During that time, I met many great people, worked with even more cool brands, and traveled extensively, which I enjoyed when I was younger. The digital world also became integrated into our work.

The focus shifted to amplifying events and making them digital experiences. This meant exposing more people to what was happening at events, sponsorships, and various activities. We explored how to reach audiences who couldn't be physically present.

There were many components to the work: strategy, pitching to brands to secure business, execution, managing staff and budgets, messaging, and branding. It was a lot of juggling multiple tasks simultaneously.

I'm still connected to many of those wonderful, smart, and hardworking people. My current job came about through someone who previously worked at that agency. They left, moved to another company, and recommended me for my current role as a producer.

I now work in communication and marketing, digitally producing news for the world. Each digital story we release feels like a large-scale event from start to finish. We consider the process, timeline, responsibilities, and how different pieces intersect to meet deadlines.

To connect this back to my career journey, during my agency internship, I had a brief stint at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. There, I led their brand experiences and events. MKTG involved many events, but also other aspects.

Working at Sierra Nevada was a different experience, in a small town. After that, I did some freelance work, which was very beneficial. I believe it's important to discuss career breaks when they are feasible.

I had been operating at a very fast pace for a long time. Taking a pause allowed me to tap into my network. Jobs came to me, allowing me to pick and choose projects, doing one at a time instead of many simultaneously.

I often tell friends that taking breaks to reassess is important. It's a chance to look inward and determine if your current path aligns with your desires and if other opportunities exist. That time was interesting and helped me re-evaluate.

When the next full-time opportunity arose, I was able to recognize it as the right fit. I've been in my current role for over three years, including the pandemic. This involved a lot of remote work.

I also worked remotely at my agency job due to frequent travel. I could be in New York producing an event while talking to clients in Portland to plan an event in Los Angeles. I even met someone in an airport for an interview once, as it was the most convenient location.

I believe that's a good summary of my journey.