How I went from production assistant to VP Partnerships at Jebbit Inc

It’s always important to reflect back on jobs/roles and think about what I learned from them and how did they give me the tools that have helped me throughout my career path. Without further adieu:

• TMZ Production Assistant – Taught me the value or networking and that in order to learn about specific roles or the industry, the onus is on YOU! People are always willing to share insight and help so long as you’re willing to ask and put the necessary work in.
• TMZ Director, Integrated Marketing – Allowed me to operate on both the business and production sides of TMZ’s business. I worked closely with sales teams from Warner Bros. to help close deals with globally recognized brands and then our executive producers to create content that brought those brands to life within the TMZ ecosystem. I also learned how to work with varying personality types and that even when things seem heated or unachievable, never take things personally and work to find the solution, not focus on the problem.
• Jebbit, Inc. – I’ve been able to learn something new every single day because the resources available at an established and public organization does not exist at a young, hungry company. When things need to be done, it’s up to you and your team to solve and tackle problems. And when something goes awry, only look back to find those areas to improve and use them as learning lessons for future efforts. When working at a private and young company, you get full-access into what it takes to build and grow a business. If you ever find yourself at a company like Jebbit, take it all in and learn everything you can – even if it’s not applicable to your day-to-day role. You never know, it might be you who is the CEO of your own company one day.

How to prepare for an interview? 

Preparing for an interview takes time! But you should always prepare and as a former coach of mine always said: “Have a plan. Work the plan. Plan for the unexpected.” I did my homework on both the company, the individuals I was interviewing with, and what problems they were looking to solve. By doing so, I was able to immediately make a personal connection with those I met with and even share ideas/thoughts on ways I might approach certain problems or business-cases if I were fortunate enough to land the gig. And of course, I was always quick to follow-up and thank them for their time and align on next best steps. Never be afraid to ask – only the squeaky wheel gets the oil. I also recommend coming into an interview prepared to talk about what you are good at and passionate about. Often times, candidates tailor their answers to be specific to the role they have applied to but if you can talk about what you’re really good at and truly passionate about, you might learn about another position within the company that better suits both you and the organization.

Here are some awesome books I recommend for anyone, regardless of what type of job they’re looking for:

• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss

Things in every industry continue to change very rapidly and it’s important to always stay up-to-date and educated on the ever-evolving trends. Here are some tools I use to stay in the game:

• Google News Notifications – Identify topics you’re most interested in and have relevant articles sent to you each day.
• Newsletters/Subscriptions –
  • Digital Marketing – DigiDay, AdWeek, AdAge, Inc., SaaStr, and Tomasz Tunguz email newsletter
  • Entertainment – The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Deadline
• Podcasts – The Tim Ferriss Show, ID10T w/ Chris Hardwick, Success How I Did It from Business Insider, and How I Built This from NPR

The fun stuff: CV’s and resumes! Because a CV is meant to be longer and allow you cover off on your entire career, it’s important to include relevant information from each job/position and be able to outline throughout the CV how each job/position allowed you to move into the next. In all honesty, I don’t think a CV or resume is ever a true gauge of what impact a candidate can make because it really all comes through during the interview process, starting with that initial screening call. If where you’re applying to allows, I recommend including a brief summary of why you are the person for this role and areas of your resume/CV to focus on that can back up your summary. If this is not an option, I recommend tailoring your resume/CV a bit so that it really stands out and speaks to the position you’re applying to and helps separate you from the rest of the pack. Always make sure you have some heavy-hitting references as well – these can go a long way (and always be polite and make sure these references are willing to speak on your behalf). Nothing is worse than getting a call as a reference without having context or foresight that you’ve been listed. And last of all, work with friends or mentors to double-check everything and help you make it the best it can possibly be.

Advice for anyone on the job hunt

• Come equipped with questions. But more importantly, be ready to tell everyone what YOU are good at (see above). Not what you’re okay at and how it can apply to a specific role, but what you’re really great at and how it can add value to the company.
• Be humble. If you don’t know something or need more clarification, that’s okay. Once something can be explained to you, then you can relate that to something you may have more experience in/with and discuss how it could translate into the role you’re interviewing for.
• Be honest and open – if you have another offer, lay it out on the table. And if you feel pressured or something doesn’t feel right, ALWAYS go with your gut.
• Before you ever say yes to a job, always make sure there is a clear understanding of your role and what the growth and development plan is so that you know what you need to do in order to continue advancing in your career path.
• It’s NEVER a straight path. It’s often jumping from one lily-pad to the next. I didn’t grow up thinking that I wanted to run partnerships at a growing tech company and my CEO was a pre-med student with no interest in digital marketing, but he found a passion along the way. To this day, I continue to identify the things that will help me do what I ultimately want to do after Jebbit, which is to start and run a media production company. I now know the business operations side, the production side, and the marketing side that can all be applied to this one day. And of course, I’ll work my butt off to hire people smarter than I am in the areas I don’t know quite as well.
• Have fun and be yourself. Always!

Why do you think you are selected for Partnerships at Jebbit?

It’s hard to say without sounding like rude as to why I may have been selected for certain positions over other candidates. So keep that in mind as I list our why I “think” this may have been the case:

• Confidence – This comes easy to me, which makes it a tough thing to explain. But even when I wasn’t confident, I did the homework and studying to gather the knowledge needed in order to feel confident in myself and convey that confidence throughout the interview process.
• Inquisitive – I always made sure to ask a ton of questions not only about the role but about the person I was speaking with and the company outside of just the role (culture, how problems are solved, what does the management team look like, etc.)
• Courteous – Look people in the eye. Shake their hand firmly. Sit up straight. Show genuine interest. Put your phone in your pocket and on silent. Always follow up quickly with a thank you and find out what next steps are. And if you really want to go above and beyond, send a hand-written thank you.

• Fortunately for me, I’ve landed every job I’ve interviewed for except one. Looking back, the reason I didn’t land it was because I did not truly understand the role and what it entailed. While I do think I could have still been successful if afforded the opportunity, it certainly would have required a learning curve on my end and also put me down a path that I now understand would not have helped me get to where I want to be in the future.