My Weekend in The Wonder City: NYC Digital

While most of my fellow dawgs spent the weekend watching UGA stomp on Kentucky at a bar in downtown Athens, GA, I spent my weekend immersed in the magic of  New York City.  However, this wasn't a normal 'touristy' trip, I didn't spend it being awed by the bright lights of Times Square or eating the famous quisines of the city.  I spent it with a group of 20 total UGA Marketing students touring several digital and advertising agencies! I've always dreamed of moving and living in the big city, and it was always just that to me, a dream. It never seemed like something that was capable of being real until last weekend.

We toured several agencies, both big and small.  The weekend started early as I departed for the Big Apple on Thursday morning.  The touring began Thursday afternoon as the group toured Ignition, an experiential agency, and 5 Loom, a full-service advertising agency.  I remember walking into Ignition and feeling my jaw drop a little.  It was all open with a big staircase off to the side.  Bright colors of red and an industrial feel with varying sized conference rooms throughout.  After Ignition, we made the trek to 5Loom which was one of my favorite stops on the trip.  5Loom was on the smaller side, but it was a really laid-back and informational environment, everyone was really friendly and not as intimidating as I initially thought they would be.   After our tour, we raced off to a cocktail party at Bourbon Street Grille, where we gathered with UGA alumni who are currently living and working in NYC in the marketing field.  This was a really great opportunity to network and also get an idea of what it might be like to make the move from the peach state to the big apple.  Friday was the busiest day of the trip and included a trip to JWT, Nielson, Media Kitchen, and Macy's Merchandising Group.  After absorbing my quick weekend trip, I find myself really gravitating toward the smaller agencies.  I fell in love with Media Kitchen. I've found that company culture is a quality that weighs heavy in my mind when it comes to choosing a company to work for, and boy does The Media Kitchen have it.  During our tour and Q&A I felt like I was hanging out with my friends, some of the employees even met us for drinks afterwards.  These people were so smart, yet so relatable and FUN. Below is Media Kitchen's variation of E=mc2 (via their website http://www.mediakitchen.tv) which is tailored to creating the best 'Brand Experience.'

 Every company we visited had and employee that graduated from UGA.  It was so cool not only to see alumni working and living where I see myself after I graduate, but also to be able to get their opinions, advice and to hear their story about how they made it to New York.  Throughout the trip I took notes on each company and jotted down pertinant points that seemed vital in order to break into a career in digital in general.  So, I've compiled a list of 5 takeaways from my trip to the city that never sleeps.

Takeaways from The Wonder City 

1: How you Write:

 This point was a reoccurring theme throughout my trip. Derek Lu, a Senior Strategist from The Media Kitchen, emphasized how necessary it is to continuously improve your writing skills because let's face it, communication skills are imperative in any career, especially digital. Someone who possesses the ability to carry themselves well when they speak and write will ALWAYS be a relevant asset to any professional career setting no matter what trends may come and go.

2: Network, Network, Network: 

Underline, make a note, and put a star next to this one!  If I learned ANYTHING while picking these superstar analyst's, creative's, strategist's, and account manager's minds it would be to network.  Patrick Murphy, a UGA Alum put it best for me, he said (and this is loosely based) if an executive has two resume's in front of him/her (one of them being yours) and he has some relative idea of who you are, you have the upper-hand in being hired.  This is where it clicked for me.  I think I'm sometimes weary to reach out to people, but everyone I talked to genuinely WANTED to help, they were excited about connecting and hearing about my job search or welcomed me if I had questions about anything.  I also found it surprising that many of the people we talked to found their jobs through a friend of a friend of a friend, which really stresses the importance of networking and attempting to keep your name at the top or near the top of someone's mind.

3: Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions:

I've heard both sides of this coin.  One being that you should always ask questions, always try to expand on things that you haven't yet mastered, and the second being you should ask some questions, but don't ask too many questions because you should figure some things out by yourself. I agree with both, but I lean more towards the first scenario.  Bob Cavosi, Senior Vice President of Financial Services for 5Loom, highlighted this point really well.  He said don't be afraid to ask questions.  It shows initiative, passion, and the fact that you're constantly trying to learn, learn, and learn some more.

4: Be Passionate, Continue Learning Always, and BE HUNGRY:

 I feel like this should be an understood characteristic when searching for your first 'grown-up' job, but these qualities will set  you apart from the normal, basic applicant in my opinion.  Someone who is always willing to go the extra mile, whether it be stay late, take on an extra task, someone who has that fire within them for their said career path, is the person who will go the farthest.  After my trip to New York, I feel the need for my thoughts and opinions to be heard in this industry, I'm constantly thinking about it, and am motivated and inspired through it constantly.  Once you find that one thing that really interests you, IMMERSE yourself in it fearlessly.

5: "Put yourself out there, be fearless":

 This was my favorite quote that my ears had the pleasure of hearing this past weekend which was said by Kate Reaves, an Account Manager at JWT.  What great advice for someone who is just starting to break the surface when it comes to a career in digital. It's becoming more and more apparent to me that you HAVE to take the leap and truly be fearless when it comes to doing something that you're passionate about, and if you work hard enough you will be rewarded within your career path.

All of the agencies offered valuable insight to breaking into a career in an ad agency and into a career in general, and while some companies were both big and small it was awesome to get a glimpse into both options of an ad agency.  I had the best time while I was in the city, and most importantly I feel like I was able to learn so much about what it takes to make it in digital and possibly even living in the city that will swallow you whole all while making you feel like there's no place other than NYC that will suffice. So, I will leave you with this quote that I refer to often when my mind wander's off to what it would be like to live in the most beloved city in America, if not the world.