When I first joined Main Hill Media three years ago, I had no idea the impact it would have on my life. As the longest sitting staff member of Main Hill Media, I have seen this agency grow from a small staff of only twelve people, making cold calls and having one employee run multiple teams at once, to a twenty person staff that has grown its various departments in ways that allows our agency to flourish. Throughout my time on staff, I have served as an Account Executive, the Assistant Director of Influencer Relations, and now as the Director of Influencer Relations. Each role has taught me so much about client relations, working with a team, and creating a brand that you are proud of. I wanted to take this opportunity, for my last blog as a Main Hill staff member, to reflect on what I have learned over the past few years.
Three years ago during my sophomore year, I received a text from a friend of a friend suggesting I apply for an Account Executive position at Main Hill Media, even though I had no idea what the job entailed. To my surprise, despite already balancing a sorority executive board position and a part-time job, I was offered the position and have been part of the agency ever since. I went in blind, truly having no idea what I was getting into. In the beginning, our staff meetings were short, usually filled with updates and jargon that I nodded and pretended to understand. I spent my weeks cold calling and emailing local businesses, learning very quickly that rejection is a commonality in this industry. As the months progressed, I felt myself leaning into the role and seeing that a future in this industry could truly be something I would be a good fit for.
During my first year as an Account Executive, I also quickly became aware of how real this agency truly was. Differing from an internship in that I was truly doing the work, not as a shadow or assistant, but directly for clients. I learned how to manage accounts and relay important information from our staff to our clients. With the guidance of my peers, specifically Riley Atkinson, Lauren Beavers, Allie Villanueva, and Ella Miller, I learned how to establish professional relationships with clients that lasted for months and even years. By being assigned clients that I worked with all semester long, I was able to see what made these clients continue to choose to work with us, and it requires a large amount of work on our end. It requires consideration, hard work, and personable touches to ensure that relationships are maintained.
As I entered the second half of my junior year, I wanted to step out of the Account Executive bubble and transition into a different aspect of the agency, which was social media. As someone who has always loved the concept of influencing and social media marketing, I joined the Influencer Team as the Assistant Director of Influencer Relations, having incredible support and guidance from the Influencer Team at the time, Livia Burgy and Sage Buckwalter, the very first Influencer Team directors that Main Hill ever had. To hear from them in their wisdom and experience allowed me to blossom in the position, and has led me into now being the Director of Influencer Relations.
This position has taught me so much about myself as a leader, an advertiser, and a creative. I have been given a space where I can work with clients and help their ideas come to life. One of the ideas I am most proud of this semester was the collaboration between two influencers for a Trash Icecream campaign. They made content surrounding a ‘girls night’ featuring their signature ice cream cakes. Throughout each year, each position, each transition to a new project, I have seen myself grow into a stronger version of myself. Not only that, but I have created incredible connections and friendships with every team member throughout the years. Main Hill Media, a product of the evergrowing student media program at the University of Arkansas, has changed me for the better. It has brought me more confidence in my professionalism, real world skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, and irreplaceable friends that I cannot wait to see thrive in their future careers.
In the words of the musical Wicked, “So much of me is what I learned from you.” This staff consists of mostly seniors, many of whom I have had the pleasure to learn from over the past years, and I could not be more confident in the fact that they will all go on to do so many amazing things. I would like to thank Riley and Lauren, for taking a chance on me in the very beginning. And for Allie, who had faith in my abilities when I did not. For Ella, for supporting me unconditionally. For Livia and Sage, who taught me everything I know. For Parker, my fellow ‘O.G.’ and a true example of leadership. And last, but certainly not least, for my incredible influencer team. They are both so incredible, so driven, and so kind. I cannot wait to see what they accomplish and am grateful to have been a part of their journey.
My advice to anyone wondering if that should apply for a job, or an internship, or to take any leap of faith: do it. You never know how much it will truly change you.