Unknown Speaker 0:00
Trying to get people who didn’t report to me to give me something that I needed in order to make the deadline. It’s like trying to herd cats.

Unknown Speaker 0:08
Hey, it’s Nate Disarro and welcome to titans of industry, the podcast where I talk to industry leaders and innovators who are at the top of their game and leading the pack in their fields uncovering some of the best stories in today’s business landscape. In this episode, I sit down with Mary Elizabeth Davis, the former managing editor of Southern Living magazine, who is currently the Director of Creative Services for one of the most notable Marketing and Communications firms based in Nashville, Tennessee. Mary Elizabeth talks us through her journey to landing her dream job as the editor of one of the most popular magazines in the country. Why she pivoted to use her storytelling skills for brands all over the nation, and how she learned what it means to roll with a velvet hammer. Now, let’s get to the episode. But before we do, it’s important to know that whether you’re a small business owner or the face of a multi billion dollar industry, you’re Organization has a great story to tell, and content Titan wants to help you tell it. We are a digital content creation powerhouse built for the 21st century, providing all in creative strategic production post production and distribution services for at 360 degree 24 seven world. In our world Titans are passionate, creative doers. They have the experience to take your project from start to finish minimizing your involvement so you can focus on what matters most running your business. So if you’re ready to take your content, strategy and production to the next level, our Titans are ready to help. Now here’s my conversation with Mary Elizabeth Davis.

Unknown Speaker 1:42
Well, Mary Elizabeth, thanks so much for hopping on the podcast with us looking forward to hearing what you have to say about your time at Southern Living and then now here in Nashville as the director of Creative Services for quite the agency. So let’s just jump right in. Talk to me about how you got into this business of Southern Living magazine.

Unknown Speaker 2:04
Oh gosh, okay, I’m all for so thanks for having me. This is really fun. Um, so I got into the business of Southern Living because I went to school for graphic design and in Mobile, Alabama, small school, Spring Hill College, and then came back from like on Christmas break. And my parents my dad is an entrepreneur, small business owner and my parents have always been very career driven. My mom didn’t work, but my dad always did and they’re always like, pressuring us into like, Alright, so what’s your plan? You know, I came home one Christmas break. I think it was after my, I guess during my senior year, and there’s like, you know, you think you’re gonna go home and have like a relaxing Christmas break? No, not at the beginning house. Like, you’re going to go home, you’re probably going to work a little bit and then you’re going to figure out what your plan is for official Which is very because I’ve had a couple internships and like I had a feeling that like, I wasn’t ready to, you know, dive right into that. But anyway, so I was sitting near the kitchen counter, like googling internships knew I needed a graphics done internship. And I look over and there’s a Southern Living on the kitchen island, and I’m like, oh, that’d be cool. Like, I was like, very naive, obviously, and very brave and thought very highly of myself. I was like, looking at the milk agencies. And I mean, like, I don’t know who I thought it was like, which is a beautiful thing to be naive and really brave. Um, but so I googled it, and I’m like, oh, wow, they have an internship program. And so I applied for the internship, got the interview, which was very exciting. And I like wanting to and I think I interviewed for three or four jobs that day, I drove up from the old Birmingham interview for three or four. I mean, I was a nervous wreck driving up there because I like pulled over into a restaurant job changed into my hand. Have you outfit When interviewed and then drove back that day, which I thought I was like big shit, you know, I’m like, this college student coming in interviewing, like that just sounded so real life. Um, so then ends up I got the internship and said I’m living which was very cool it was in the production department which has no one in the world that was and started like right after school, the six month internship and move on move to Birmingham with the idea that I would be there for six months so like, my parents moved me and I got a futon like, very temporary situation. started my internship and which I should say that the reason I got that internship I asked when I got there like, hey, do you have any feedback on my interview? Is there anything I could have done differently or better for the future, which I think is good advice that my dad gave me always ask what you could have done differently or center, especially in the beginning of your career and The reason that I got I was like neck and neck with some other girl. And the reason I got the internship was because I wrote a thank you note. And so I mean, for girls who didn’t, you know, I clearly wasn’t raised by the right people, but it does go to show that really just like a personal touch, and I think some gratitude goes a long way. Yeah. So anyway, started the internship. And, much like any new job, you have no idea what your priorities are. It’s like everything is coming at you and everything feels like it’s a 911 situation, even though I look back and I was like stocking magazines or, you know, putting together tear sheets or whatever, but I was always volunteering for the next job. If there was a meeting with the editor, where he’s going to come talk to us, like, always go into that arriving early being on time. So I really worked my tail off and then it kind of turned into being at the right place at the right time. Obviously, that’s was like back in 2007. And publishing since then has not been the same.

Unknown Speaker 6:05
And I think I was cheap enough and naive enough and worked my tail off that they were like, that girl looks like she could do it, you know. And so I probably did the job of about four people throughout my time and I just kept growing in my career there. And so worked my way through the production department learned all about operations and magazine production. And then over time as our staff strong kind of evolved into more of an operations role in terms of like the editorial content. And so I made my way into the managing editor See, which was really incredible. It was obviously like a bucket list career moment for me, but it I can only say that looking back now, because when you’re in the thick of it, you’re like, Oh my gosh, how many peoples to have in mind Right now and you know, it just feels like so much. So as managing editor, I was working across all of our departments. So, travel homestyle garden, all of like the future stories, etc. to manage the content that was being created and to help develop editorial calendars or what are we what are we proposing work is going to be an age issue what what is our cover options? When are we shooting things? Who’s writing this? What’s our budget? Are we within that please say yes. All of that and you know, worked hand in hand with the executive editor there Chrissy, who is just amazing. She’s a longtime journalist and writer, and Wrangler of all the things but and we really kind of built what I felt like I was really proud of, and I really just started hitting my stride. It was a weird time because, you know, throughout my time at Southern Living, we went from Print focus too. We have to lean really heavily on digital and how are we going to harness digital? And how are we going to evolve the way that we’re communicating to our audience who are very traditional print people. So we introduced the tablet editions, which was that was an experience. And then we got into licensing deals with partnerships with dealers and ballers and working with them on what kind of products we want to produce. And that was very cool to kind of always look through the lens or the mind of a southern woman, which came naturally to me, but also, you know, think about my mom and my grandma, and what would they like? And really, it was extremely valuable to be at a brand like Southern Living because people like would write in and say, like, Oh, no, like, I have my Bible, and then I have my Southern Living. And it’s like, in what other industry does that exist? Sure. Do you know what I mean? Like we I think essence has a really strong brand equity investors. Like Southern Living, but these are audiences that are extremely passionate about the brand. And so I was really fortunate to be in that, you know, because we all we saw other shelter titles like cottage living rest in peace, coastal living rest in peace. You know, there’s other titles that that folded Southern accents, but um, the tried and true brands kind of stuck it out. But anyway, so that was kind of fun time and so they’re living it was great we got into like events where we were doing branded events, partnerships with cities where we were doing editor takeovers, and we would kind of come in and plan a big event in the city and get all of the readers and consumers to come out and join us and pay to be there with editors, which seems weird to me, but that kind of all goes back to the brand equity that people just love it so much and I still look back and think it’s pretty incredible.

Unknown Speaker 9:57
There’s so much to unpack from that but I think One of the things that stands out big time is the brand equity. And we’ll dive into that a little further. And then also the, you know, your personal path to becoming managing editor. You know, you started in the creative only world and then managing editor, there’s a lot more responsibilities other than just, hey, make it look pretty or, you know. So let’s go there first and talk a little bit about that, that sort of crossover between sort of the creative side, but also kind of the business side, the organizational side. What do you find as sort of the the challenge of balancing both of those worlds and what did you have to learn or how did you learn those things?

Unknown Speaker 10:36
Well, it’s so interesting, because when I started, when I graduated college and started in an internship, my goal was to be an art director and then a creative director. Like That was my career. That’s what I want to do when I grow up. And then I got into the production department who helps kind of put the files together on the back end, send them to the printer and make sure that it everything turns out the way we want it to be. And kind of help coordinate in a project management way with the designer. So not as much hands on design, but more post production. But since I was setting the deadlines for designers, I remember the lightbulb moment of being like, I don’t want to be the person answering those deadlines, and be the person under the gun because oh my god, how can you be creative when you have three hours to do it? And like to this day that stresses me out, you know? And so I do remember thinking, you know, what, like, maybe this whole, like Taipei, I’m a Virgo like maybe this is what I was made to do to kind of like, work in a creative environment, and have a freelance gig on the side where I can design whenever I want and kind of undermine own deadlines, but not but in my day job kind of be more structured and kind of a part of the The intercourse it of what makes this magazine come out. And so I do remember that that moment and it also made me way more creative outside of work. So in my freelance life, being surrounded by the content that we were creating every day and the kind of designs that we were doing every day, I just was so inspired. You know, it’s, it’s very difficult not to be inspired around those kind of people. And so I could take that outside of work and do it on my own time, which was great. And then as you know, my role evolved at Southern Living. It’s just it’s very much apparent in what I do every day here. I have a hard time staying in my lane. And I laugh because I know everybody that’s listening this is agreeing with me if they know me, and it’s just I love being creative. And I love spewing ideas and not in like an I hope it’s not obnoxious way but in a Like, what if we did this, you know, and kind of being a part of a collaborative brainstorm and discussion. And I’ve really learned how to harness that and leverage it for growth. So both personally and in my career, you know, for a long time, I would think, or hear the ideas being like in a brainstorm outside of what I was doing. And I remember being like, that’s, like, why, why would we? Why would they do it this way, and just sitting there, stewing and rolling my eyes, and then getting an opportunity to sit at the table where you’re contributing, and then watching those ideas. The positive reaction to those ideas and not like everything I say is genius. But the the times when it is it’s like, oh, okay, maybe I maybe I could do this. And maybe this is like, this is a path for me. And so moving towards that was really empowering and I think that attributed to my success, but also You know, one of the things that I learned a whole lot at Southern Living was through managing creative deadlines. So I was trying to get people who didn’t report to me. So this is like in the production world, trying to get people who didn’t report to me to give me something that I needed in order to make the deadline. It’s like work, you know, ruling with a velvet hammer. It’s like trying to herd cats. It’s like, you have to be nice enough and on their level. And like, as a designer, I totally got what they were going through. And it’s like, okay, just tell me like, so how much time do you think you need? And what if I gave you this day? And I turn this around and took this off your plate, and then you could focus on this? Like, how would you feel about that? And just coming at people with a sense of empathy, and on their level was like a game changer. And I know I mean, you totally get this and, and that something that people a lot of people don’t have, and I didn’t realize I said at the time, it’s way easier to see looking back on. But that’s been a career differentiator for me.

Unknown Speaker 15:09
Yeah, for sure. I think that’s crucial. First of all, the self awareness of understanding what how am I performing as a, you know, manager or even like you said, people that aren’t reporting to me, how do I get on their level? How do I make them feel like I get what they’re going through, but I stopped to get them to do what I need them to do. And I think that’s a huge thing to just when you come across that point where you understand that and then you can the psychology that goes into now how do I manage to that is a big deal. So switching gears now to the brand of Southern Living, like you said, You You went into it, thinking we can’t just cater to what I like or what I think of as Southern Living, but what is my mom what was my grandmother like and you kind of have to fill the void of all these different demographics, making sure it’s strong and in on brand, but it’s different. People who are generational and so how, how did you kind of curate that? How did you kind of keep that brand? such a strong brand, but also be able to continue to cater to, to a changing demographic? Yeah,

Unknown Speaker 16:14
that’s a great question. And luckily, with that kind of audience, they’ll let you know when you hit a soft spot. So we, because of advertising, you know, style, the dollars and still to this day, there is so much money to be had in the beauty market, L’Oreal Maybelline I mean, all of the, that’s where the ad dollars are. And so we pushed heavily into that market for us. So, I was there when we decided to create a style section of the book, you know, Southern Living had always dabbled on style, but it’s more like what do you know back in the 60s, what are you going to wear as you’re hosting your guests or the perfect test? This outfit, but it never It was more like about your tablescape and matching your tablescape or the prep going into it. But it was never a solo kind of section. And so we pushed into that because the ad dollars were there. But also that was a way to instantly reach a younger demographic. So we kind of created columns like you know, my mom verse me, so how this works for her and how it works for me and it could be one blouse or tunic and how I’m going to style it, how my mom’s going to style it and kind of bridging the gap. And so that was kind of an interesting way to appeal to a new audience. We lowered the price point a little bit in terms of how we were talking about tablescapes. So maybe it’s taking your grandmother’s China and using it you know her China for ways and it shows it with a really cool ikat tablecloth or how You can mix gold and silver or how use your silver, you know, take this over that you inherited. And here’s how to make a really cool tablescape for your Derby party. And so just taking what may be seen as traditional and uptight and like, Oh, that’s so my grandmother stuff, I don’t even know how to like, incorporate that into my day to day, and then breaking it down and giving them ideas of how to incorporate it. You know, when people think about their grandmothers and their moms, there’s instant, you know, heartstrings being tugged. And so it’s like, they want to be able to use that and they want to be able to like, oh, it does, it reminds me of my grandmother, but like, how can I make it cool? Like, what’s my take on this? And we tried to do that with this style section, but also Homes and Gardens and really breaking into one page or two stories. Instead of like, here’s an elaborate rancher yard that has like, incredible landscaping. It’s like, let’s create a container of the month. Here’s the container you should be making full of like, you know, container pot plants like it can be very easy. So taking this idea of Southern lifestyle and making it more approachable, and more realistic to kind of a younger audience was really a big part of what we did. That also came, you know, as the staff kind of turned over and we brought in younger people. There were a lot of people who had been there for 50 years, we celebrated the 50th anniversary while I was there, they hadn’t been there the whole time, but like who had been there 2030 years, it’s like, some fresh blood was great. Obviously, those people had brought Southern Living into what it was. And so there’s a lot to be said for that but also kind of evolving and changing and like I said, it is not all sunshine and roses. People will tell you like if you run a story on an art gallery, and there happened to be naked people naked statues when that one reader goes to visit. You’ll hear about it Although those naked statues were not there, when you did your story, if they are at any point, it’s like your Southern Living should not be promoting this,

Unknown Speaker 20:08
you know what I mean? Because I mean, that shows the power of an established brand, you know, when you maybe skew Outside the Lines creatively, your audience is gonna let you know very quickly. Oh, yeah, yes, that’s not who you are.

Unknown Speaker 20:21
Definitely. And it’s cool to also you know, look back at cover trends and you know, there’s a reason that they’re always there’s always the white cake and then December issue. tailgating will always be a September October feel pumpkin you know, like, you can kind of go through and it’s like, oh, there’s the white house because White House has always performed on the cover. Yeah, always perform on Instagram like put a White House on it will always perform.

Unknown Speaker 20:47
So interesting point. So you were kind of there to when the the transition went from published hardcopy, yeah, digital, and now this so recording this in 2020. Yeah. If you’re not digital first, then You’re behind. But what was that transition? Like, as you were seeing the trends of people not picking up a magazine? Yeah, but

Unknown Speaker 21:06
this is so fun to think back on. Because it was like, when we first decided we were going to launch our social channels. It was like taking what we did in the magazine and just putting it on social. And as you know, that’s not how social works. It’s like social as a total. I mean, I’m thinking Instagram particularly, it’s a totally different content, you know, it’s the same brand but different content approach. And so people want to be inspired by the photos that they see on the Instagram platform, and they don’t necessarily want to see the same article that they saw in their issue. And so if you go and look now, I mean, they do an amazing job running the channel now. It’s just inspiration after inspiration, but then they kind of like introduce, you know, dog photos or things that like are not In the issue every month, because there aren’t people love it. And so you kind of want their different audiences, you know, you look at your print audience, and it’s like, what are they engaging with. And we had a great consumer research department that kind of kept their finger on the pulse of what our readers wanted to see. But then now with social, we can look into the analytics and understand so much more of what our, you know, digital consumers want to read and want to see and, and it’s not so much LinkedIn profile or swipe up for this, but it’s just like making sure that the brand, the authentic brand is on those channels. So that was that was really interesting to look back at. Because, you know, in the beginning, it was like, Oh, this editor should just take over the page, whatever. It’s like, that doesn’t work, you know, and being able to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks was a huge lesson that I learned at Southern Living like it doesn’t have to stay forever. Just pivot realize when it doesn’t work and then move on, you know, so that was that was big. What are times People forget there’s a difference in social media and digital media,

Unknown Speaker 23:03
right social, you’re actually creating a social environment, something for building gauging something for people to think about and have an experience with, and then move on to the next one and the next one and the next one. And that’s what our social lives are like, we do a thing. And we talk about it. And then we do another thing. We talked about it, it’s constantly moving, and we’re engaging with the new thing. And digital media can be just putting something out there not expecting people to completely engage with it in the same way, maybe more informative, or whatever. But I think a lot of brands sometimes forget, there’s a difference between the two, and they want their social media to just be digital me, we just need to put this stuff out there. And, but I think it’s interesting from a publication standpoint, you know, you’ve talked so much about being on brand. And when you think about today in your current role, which we’ll transition to, as a Creative Services Director for an agency. Brands should be doing the exact same thing. They should really be a publication of their message and staying on brand. But also how do I engage that consumer with my social media with, you know, other forms of media? And so talk about now, as you transitioned out of Southern Living, you know, what did that look like? And where did you think you were going nuts? Was it another publication that you thought you were going to? Or did you think you would end up in the agency world?

Unknown Speaker 24:24
Yeah. That’s a great question. So we, my husband, was getting his master’s when we were in Birmingham, and healthcare administration. So we knew that that could mean a career change for him, which I was open to and you know, publishing and magazine life is not for the faint of heart. There was so many long hours so seeing the Devil Wears Prada. Yes. Yeah. No, really, though. And so he got an opportunity. Obviously, I grew up in Nashville, moved to Birmingham for Southern Living. And he got an opportunity here in Nashville. While we were We’re living in Birmingham to come and work here and an administrative role. And so it kind of was everything he’d been working towards with his master’s program. And so when that and it was obviously really nice to come back home for me, we had one child at the time and to be closer to family, it was a big a big deal for us. So I left Southern Living, which was really bittersweet. I love the people there they are still, I mean, I was, I guess, 22 when I started and I left there when I was 32 and 33. And that’s a lot of life in a lot of life change that you go through in one place, and those people are very much still my family. But so I left there and came to Nashville and had what I call my sabbatical because I was unemployed and didn’t know. I mean, I was like, burnt out from Southern Living like I just needed a minute and to try and figure out what in the hell do I do next. So I was doing the networking thing where you go to like four coffee meetings a day, and then you don’t play because you’ve had four coffee meetings.

Unknown Speaker 26:07
We’ve all been there.

Unknown Speaker 26:08
Yeah. So if you haven’t been still

Unknown Speaker 26:10
there for networking, please, right. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker 26:13
And so

Unknown Speaker 26:15
we, we came back and I started just talking to people and someone introduced me to somebody here at MP NF. And I came up and just, I don’t know, just to like, see what they do, how I could help, you know, I’m like, I could either, like, because what do you do with the managing editor? Like, I have all of these skills that you don’t realize that you have especially so soon after you just left and and so anyway, I didn’t know what in the world I was going to do. So that’s really hard to go into an interview with like, I don’t know, what do you want me

Unknown Speaker 26:48
to do? It’s It’s such a fascinating just just hearing you say that because you you’re managing editor of publication, there was like people’s Bible, you know, and so just the psychology that goes into like,

Unknown Speaker 26:59
yeah, Yeah, mission. Yeah. self confidence. And so it’s like I knew I didn’t want to get back into publishing because people kept trying to push me towards publications here or lifestyle outlets, or you know, and it’s like, I don’t really, how do you go from Southern Living to like a local magazine, or you know, and like, that’s nothing against the local magazine, but I just didn’t want I felt like I would always be comparing it. And it’s just, their advertisers are different. And their bottom line is different. And so I didn’t want to do that. And so I started talking to the folks here at mpns. I remember meeting with all the partners in them saying, you know, like, We need someone to run our creative department. And I’m thinking, Oh, well, like, yeah, I can totally do that. I mean, that’s what I did for 10 years of Southern Living, not directly overseeing the designers, but I oversaw a ton of Creative People and oh my gosh, I could totally do this and I just felt really confident but also I am a people person, and I like this This development and I like, you know, that’s another skill that I didn’t realize I kind of gained when I was at Southern Living was the ability to sell things, but in an authentic and meaningful way. And so they brought me on as creative director. So I have a team here of 10 designers, web developers, incredible folks, and very, very creative. And we work with our larger team of account staff and administrative people who we work across all different industries, healthcare, education, nonprofit, I mean all of the federal programs to kind of create really meaningful content. We also do a lot of crisis comms Media Relations all I mean, we’re a strategic communications agency. So we dabble in a little bit of everything data marketing, but I love it here. It’s awesome

Unknown Speaker 28:58
work. And I think there’s a lot of parallels that you’ve probably have have put together. But just the way I see it is, it’s almost like every month or every, however often you’re putting together a magazine, like there’s different sections. And each section is like a client and you have work to put out each each article is different. But you’ve got to make sure it gets done and manage the people that are getting it done. And there’s timelines and deadlines and budgets. And so it sounds like it’s kind of the perfect fit, kind of the perfect transition, get to use all those skills that you developed at such an early age and in for such an iconic brand and bring that to your current client base, which is exactly what they need.

Unknown Speaker 29:35
And I really in it’s been I’ve been at MPI for three years now, and done a lot of reflecting recently because, you know, I started my career and I mentioned this earlier, wanting to be a creative director. And then I took a totally roundabout way with three knots in it to get to where I am today and it’s kind of a full circle kind of situation, but also have those skills that I learned along the way of bringing new and fresh ideas to the table? And always asking questions and always wondering how we can do better. The communication methods that you use with different styles of people, making sure that they feel heard and all of their ideas are good, and how do we work together to bring those to a better place, and then presenting to clients, you know, it’s like, it’s just like going on a sales trip for Southern Living. It’s the same thing and creating these meaningful relationships with them that that you can then go back to a team of amazing people here and deliver on the work has been incredible. We are constantly learning constantly evolving our skill set and growing. As an agency. It’s like it’s all very full circle because it’s the same thing over and over, but in a new and better way, and like in a more advanced way.

Unknown Speaker 31:00
Ultimate. I think that’s such an interesting perspective.

Unknown Speaker 31:04
So I want to run through a few things really quick.

Unknown Speaker 31:09
What do you see as ways brands are standing out today? What are some of the things brands are doing?

Unknown Speaker 31:15
Um, I think that the, the way that people are getting back to their consumer and like cutting the crap, it’s like, just tell people what they want to hear. And, you know, you look at Instagram, for instance, there were so many brands that created beautiful content that was perfect. And that was, you know, the perfect table setting or the perfect, you know, whatever. And then now, people are like, Oh, no, no, no, just show them real life. People want to see real life. They want to see people that they identify with and I love that I think it is so much more approachable. It is like it resonates with people so much better. So I’m thrilled that that’s kind of becoming a thing again, I think that you know, it’s interest seem to see the pendulum of digital, you know, it’s like we become so addicted to our, our devices. It’s like so what happens when we swing the other way. And I hope that we keep swinging the other way and taking some time away from our, our devices, because I’m like very much guilty of all of that. But you know, the ability to like you go to weddings now and it’s like, oh, drop your phone at the door, or you go to a restaurant or certain restaurants who are like, we’re no cell phones down, you know, like, put your phone down and enjoy each other’s company. I love that. And I hope that we kind of continue to swing that way, which is cool.

Unknown Speaker 32:34
Yeah, I talk all the time about the idea of human human connection and how, regardless of how we get there, that has to be the Paramount piece of our digital interactions. It needs to drive us to have human human interaction. If we don’t use this platform to get face to face or even you know, digital to digital, but where there’s a human connection, then we’re What are we doing? You know, that’s where I mean we see people struggling with Depression all the time, because they’ve just they think this is everything. And and it’s just amazing that, that that still has to be kind of embedded in people’s mindset. Yeah. Absolutely. You talked a lot about teams and the teams you manage talk a little bit about just sort of the importance of teamwork in order to create a successful product.

Unknown Speaker 33:26
I mean, I can’t you they’re just without teamwork. It’s not a successful product period. And I think that we as an agency have grown so much in terms of the way that we’re pulling people into projects. It’s like we’re pulling creative people in on the very beginning in the pitch because it’s like, we’re just bringing fresh ideas in people who have not worked with the client for five years and they’re coming in with like, have you ever thought about this? You know, and chances are they haven’t thought about that. But it’s not just about bringing Creative People and it’s like about creative people bringing account staff into. So it goes two ways. And sometimes I’ve found that that the Venn diagram of perfection is when you have a meeting of the minds and really can collaborate together. I feel like I use the word collaborate ad nauseum. It’s just annoying, but it’s like, that’s where the magic happens, it’s never going to be my idea. It’s never going to be your idea. But together, we’ll come up with a really good idea. And you know, we have a great work from home policy here, which is awesome. But sometimes it can be really hard to collaborate and feel the energy of a brainstorm and create your best work when like you’ve got all these different remote teams. And that’s not to say that we do really great Didn’t we use zoom and all of the digital tools but sometimes there’s just a lot to be said about getting together in person and sketching it out on the whiteboard or, or even ripping the paper apart and starting over together.

Unknown Speaker 35:01
I’ve seen a fan of that just through social media that you guys put out seems like y’all really push, collaborating with teams and getting out and doing things. And I think that’s huge. I think not enough people put emphasis into that. And I know there’s a lot of brands out there companies, agencies that think it’s too expensive to win, you know, whatever, but doesn’t have to be monumentally expensive. It can cost 50 bucks for some pizza or you know, whatever. Or three, just take some Lacroix. So, yeah, get out and do things together. And it really kind of solidifies that team mentality. Who are some of your heroes Titans, as I like to call? Oh, gosh,

Unknown Speaker 35:37
oh, you should have told me about that question.

Unknown Speaker 35:38
Think about it.

Unknown Speaker 35:41
Deena IV at the CDC. I don’t know if you worked with her recently, but she is probably my mentor. If I had to pick one, she has no idea. So that’s that. But she is such a badass marketing genius. And I mean, she runs tight ship she is incredibly creative but also has that balance of get it done and she will do whatever it takes to do it right and do it really well and there is no other that well is the standard like you do it right. And so and she meets it every single time and but over there I mean they just run an incredible show but she also is an incredible mom and wife and so the way that she manages her family and her son who boy Mom, I just I really admire that and her ability to still find time to grab lunch or coffee or a drink after work or and still prioritize her marriage and her personal life and her children and but still be a badass in her career is very inspiring to me. So

Unknown Speaker 36:53
Alright, few rapid fire questions. These are the fun ones. best book or latest book that you grab

Unknown Speaker 37:03
oh my gosh

Unknown Speaker 37:04
magazine for that matter.

Unknown Speaker 37:05
Oh, well there we go veranda. I’m really into Miranda right now. I did read a really good book. I think it was called behind closed doors. And it was so creepy. I read it a couple months ago and it was a really good like suspenseful book. Other than that magazine junkie over here, country living is actually doing amazing things. They have totally reenergized the brand and so it’s really cool if you ever read country living which I don’t know if that’s really up your alley, but then and now to kind of look at the way the brand has evolved really cool. Gardening gun obviously Southern Living would be remiss if I didn’t say that. But yeah, definitely a magazine junkie. Also, podcast junkie and, and all of that. What’s your favorite podcast? Well, so I get in, I get down deep into industry podcasts. I really like Yeah, that’s probably an ad by Adweek. David Greiner kind of runs their podcasts and he does a really good job of not being annoying and really delivering content that is, that resonates with me, but also with I think everyday Joe Schmo. It’s just kind of like what’s happening in the agency world, but then also, you know, dissecting the Superbowl ads or, you know, the, what’s AI and how is it affecting our dating relationships or you know, stuff like that. He’s good.

Unknown Speaker 38:31
podcast hosts have a tendency of being really creative. So it’s good. Yeah. And also annoying. Yeah, he’s not annoying.

Unknown Speaker 38:37
I mean, it’s a fine line of like, I can’t listen to this no matter what the content is. If they don’t deliver it. Well, I just can’t. So yeah.

Unknown Speaker 38:46
daily routine. What’s that? What’s the one thing you have to do every day?

Unknown Speaker 38:49
I mean, I definitely have to have coffee.

Unknown Speaker 38:51
Are you like a first thing out of bed? drinker or when you get to the office?

Unknown Speaker 38:55
Yeah, no, definitely. First thing I’ve been trying to drink lemon water first thing which is Just wake you up for like it’s like oh wow, that’s tart. Um so

Unknown Speaker 39:03
there’s a cold shower but yeah,

Unknown Speaker 39:04
it’s not cold shower works to definitely coffee and then my husband and I both get up very early and kind of get our day started that’s like kind of our thing and it’s we kind of go into different parts of the house and it’s just we wake up and have quiet time before the boys wake up and that’s definitely starts my day off right? I don’t like being woken up by them because then I don’t have like any time to kind of think before we get started so do a 5am wake up. Yeah. It’s like 445 and but really like I am a morning person. I’ve learned that about myself and like at nine around 8pm like my brain is shutting down and so but in the morning, I feel so energized and I have the most creative ideas and I’m just like, on go mode. So

Unknown Speaker 39:54
love that best piece of advice you’ve ever received.