What made you want to join the Communications industry?
This is kind of a trick question for me because I spent 20 years in various aspects of journalism. Even when I was between jobs, I was still freelancing and writing about sports (I started my career as a sportswriter). That said, the Communications industry in general is about telling stories. I love a good story. And I’ve been fortunate enough to tell some good ones over the years.
What topics are you currently interested in?
My bread and butter is always going to be fintech, particularly if it’s associated with the banking and payments industries. I spent almost 13 years analyzing, reporting and writing about banking and payments for a number of trade publications, most recently with American Banker. One area I’m familiarizing myself more with is wealth management since two of our fintech clients specialize in that industry.
If you could give a piece of advice for new Communications professionals, what would it be?
Listen and read. One thing I make sure to do is listen to the way BackBay veterans speak to our clients. How are they conducting the meeting? How are they reassuring clients that we can get the job done? I think that’s a primary way to learn the business quickly. Reading everything you can about your clients and their industries is a no-brainer. That’s easier said than done because there’s so much content to digest. But I think taking 30 minutes a day to read up on the industry so beneficial.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
I went through a few different phases here. When I was growing up, it was a toss-up between a pro baseball player and a paleontologist. I think I read every book about dinosaurs in our local library. The original Jurassic Park still is one of my favorite movies of all time. I thought the baseball thing would happen until I got to high school. That’s when you see just how much better people are than you. To this day, I think I actually would’ve made a better football player. I still have those soft hands that can catch anything, and I was a fullback for a short time in high school, but decided against it to focus on baseball.
Best way to unwind?
My favorite thing to do is go to a baseball game alone and just take it all in. Growing up in NYC, I often went to Mets games at the old Shea Stadium and sat in the cheap seats for less than $10. I did this a lot in college because I was working as well and had the disposable income to go more often. Now that I’m back living in the Boston area, I promised myself I’d go to more Red Sox games. Other than that, the gym is always a good standby, as well as just sitting in a coffee shop with a good book or novel. Video games are always nearby as well for a nice, immersive distraction.