on starting a new job…

I started my new job earlier this week at the infamous advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather (if you are unfamiliar with this agency, just think: Mad Men). I survived their orientation day (barely) and I’m happy to report that I’ve completed my first full week of work as one of Ogilvy’s interactive digital producers – a new breed at the agency if you will =P.

Starting a new job is always interesting, especially coming in as an entirely new “entity,” its almost like the first day of school again. Questions start running through your head like: What do I wear? What if they don’t like me? Should I be energetic? Should I not be tooooo energetic? Where will I sit? WHO will I sit next to? Where will I have lunch? WHO will I have lunch with? WHAT will I eat? (answer: SHAKE SHACK duh!) Etc. Etc. You get the point.

I like to go into the new playground with an open mind, no expectations, just take everything as they come. I’m the type of person who plays out every kind of situation in my head to mentally prepare myself for the unexpected… however, the unexpected always presents itself with a huge smile on its face as we all know lol.

The main objective is to walk in with confidence, not too much or they’ll think you’re a snob. Just remember, the company offered you the position for a reason, THEY want you there and they believe in what you can contribute to their company values, their craftmanship, their family.

So walk in proudly and be ready to work on some amazing shit that you can own and say, “Yea, I made that happen.”

Go gettum Tiger!

…on what i’ve learned so far working in the web industry

i’m such a nerd when it comes to interactive digital branding/marketing/development/concepts. i’ve been working in this industry, on and off, for about 3.5 years now and i have to admit, i’m hooked.

yea, i took a break for a few months to do sales and marketing in the fashion industry, but i always needed something to get my brain working. i first started off as a production assistant in print, then i got the chance to prove that i WAS a quick learner when i got hired as a producer at heavy.com. mostly dealt with ad campaigns and viral projects, but it was still digital media. after that, i went on to take a break to do the whole fashion thing and realized, damn, i miss the web. so then i got hired as a producer/project manager at my current job, rokkan.

lately i’ve been pushing myself to learn more of what all our teams (departments) do. i’m not ashamed to say “i don’t know what the fuck you are talking about… xml/php WHA?!” because the more i DON’T know, the more i WANT to learn about it. so lately, i’ve been trying to watch my flash and html/css developers do their jobs, asking them why this and why that? i’m sure i’m one of the few producers that ask these kinds of questions, but quite honestly, i’d rather know all the answers so i don’t sound like a dumbass when my client calls me randomly asking about a bug they just found.

i’ve also been wandering into more of our company pitches and brainstorming sessions. this is where all the juicy shit happens. i especially love when i know a lot about the brands we’re working with. being that a lot of my colleagues come from an interactive gaming background, its refreshing to share my thoughts on fashion, “lifestyle,” brands, or just the mainstream culture in general.

…well….uhm…

i had a lot more that i wanted to write, but now, i’m HUNGRY, which means i can’t think straight so i’ll end it on this note: i’m glad i can finally merge my multiple interests and get paid for it, but i know, i still have a LOT more to learn and i can’t wait!