What’s your favorite part about working in Communications?
My favorite part about working in Communications is the opportunity to combine business with creativity. At the heart of any project is the goal of telling your client’s story while raising awareness about their brand, their mission, and what makes them different. How you achieve that can take on so many different forms. Because BackBay has such a collaborative environment, it’s always so cool to brainstorm new and creative ways to present our clients’ stories. This is especially true as you develop long-standing relationships with clients and come to understand their business as if you were a part of their organization.
What made you want to join the Communications industry?
I kind of fell into the industry by following what made me happy. I have always had a passion for reading and writing, so in college, I chose to pursue an English degree that allowed me to do what I loved most. I also fell in love with an Entrepreneurial Management course that I took through the business school and decided to get a business degree as well. After graduation, a career in Communications felt like the perfect cross between the world of writing/communicating and business development.
What topics are you currently interested in?
Being on the fintech team, I’m intrigued by the technologies transforming our banking and payments systems. Buzzwords like AI, machine learning, and cloud computing seem like daunting, lofty concepts at first glance until you see how they are practically applied to make investing & saving more accessible, mobile banking more intuitive, and managing money easier than ever before.
I’m also fascinated by the growing efforts around ESG and socially responsible business. No matter what division of financial services a firm operates in, opportunities to strive for smarter, more sustainable operations are always available. It has been really cool to see how different firms are coming together and inspiring each other to conduct business more consciously.
Describe your time at BackBay in three words.
Learning. Growth. Team.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
A National Geographic travel photographer. I wanted to live on boats in the middle of the ocean and cabins in the middle of the woods and capture the world around me. I also wanted to have a team of huskies. Not sure how I was going to travel with a pack of 8 sled dogs…
What has been your favorite project while working at BackBay?
I always really enjoy working with clients on their brand. I love working on launch projects and being able to watch the evolution of a brand built from the ground up. Especially in the early phases of ideation, there are so many great opportunities for collaborative brainstorming and bouncing ideas off your team. Then to see all of the messaging and design elements come together in a finished product is so rewarding.
What do you like to do when you’re not in the office?
Absolutely anything outside. Hike a mountain, run along the river, rollerblade, travel, camp. I’m happiest when I can be out in nature.
If you could give a piece of advice for new Communications professionals, what would it be?
HAVE FUN. Seriously. See every task as a fun challenge or opportunity and suddenly work doesn’t feel like work. Go out on a limb and pitch a reporter on a story that seems a little out there (after doing your research of course!) Do some digging and find cool, alternative angles to approach topics. It makes it that much more rewarding when your efforts pay off and result in a secured interview, piece of coverage, or content placement.
