Like most twenty-somethings, I went into 2020 with a plan for success, which was quickly shattered due to Covid and a global lockdown. Pre-Covid and well before my time with Indicate Media, I worked in marketing and promotions for a local concert venue in my hometown. Like so many others, I was displaced from my job in March of 2020. As I was applying to jobs, I came down with Covid and right at the end of my quarantine, I was offered a first interview with Indicate Media. Before I knew it, I was entering the great big world of Public Relations. It would be fair to say that I briefly dabbled in PR during my undergrad before shifting my focus to digital and social media. But, they do say the best way to learn is to do, so what better way to learn the ropes of public relations than in my new positions from two seasoned PR professionals?
After refreshing on what I learned in the past and a whole lot of encouragement from my mom, I felt prepared for my first day. Since I accepted my position during lockdown and the team was working remotely, my onboarding was done fully virtual as well. Onboarding can be a nerve-wracking event normally, but doing it over video conferencing platforms and through email felt a little bit more surreal than other first days I’ve had. The transition from unemployed to employed full-time was a tough jump at first, but the team helped me quickly get into a routine and they have been helping me succeed ever since.
To say the jump from the entertainment industry to working in PR with high tech and venture capital clients was big is (personally) an understatement. If we’re being honest, I hadn’t even heard the phrase “venture capital” until my first day on the job. One of the greatest benefits of my career with Indicate Media so far has been getting to learn and encounter new things every day. We’re working with clients who are on the cutting edge of new technology that a lot of the population doesn’t encounter until it’s out in the consumer-facing market. As a child, science and technology were two areas I loved exploring, and getting to incorporate a sense of childlike wonder into my career continues to motivate me daily.
At my old position, I only ever saw the end product of PR/marketing collateral, which led me to not fully taking into account all of the work that went into planning and executing these strategies. It’s easy to think you know how things work but getting your hands into it is the only way to fully understand. I’ve been introduced to so many techniques, resources, and frankly incredibly smart and wonderful people throughout my time with Indicate Media it has been a little overwhelming. Something I’ve enjoyed is getting to interact with our clients and learning about what their goals are and working out how we can help them to achieve those goals. For as digital as we’re getting, I don’t think anything will be able to top human interactions.
As I’m writing this, I am closing in on my 10th month with the team (I honestly don’t know how time moves so quickly sometimes), and looking back at how much I’ve progressed since my first weeks is incredibly gratifying. I think it’s safe to say that absolutely nothing has been easy over the past 18 months, but being surrounded (virtually) by 4 incredibly brilliant people during the week has made working during Covid a little bit lighter.
Even though I’ve only been here less than a year, I’ve seen the team grow and change and I am excited to see where the rest of 2021 takes us. We are beginning to plan some exciting things and I am getting to incorporate skills from my past positions into what I do now. I don’t think I would have ever predicted that I would be working for a PR agency as my career, but after almost a year I am very glad to say that I’m enjoying this ride.