After stints as a blueberry raker, dance teacher, waitress, YMCA lifeguard, swim instructor, waterfront director and canoe director, I made it out of college, moved across the country and landed my first “real job.” I was the Customer Service Director and Assistant Buyer at Cashco Distributors in Portland, OR. They supply trial and travel size products, as well as professional and ethnic hair care to grocery and drug stores around the US. I learned patience and organization, but knew customer service was not for me.

Then I moved to NYC in 2009 and started as a Sales Coordinator at IGN Entertainment (for anyone who is a gamer, you know what this is, otherwise you’ll think it’s ING), where I had a crash course in online advertising and media as a whole. I quickly learned how to work on tight deadlines with meticulous attention to detail. 

About a year and a half in, I got an opportunity for a trial position as the Promotion and Events Manager to build offline events for a big telecom client who wanted to grow their presence in the gaming world. IGN took a chance on me. I thankfully did well and it became a permanent position and the career path I knew I wanted to pursue.

I had been at IGN for about four years when they were sold, dissolving my position in the process. Obviously it was scary not having something lined up, but in hindsight, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I landed at BuzzFeed in April of 2013 and immediately knew it was a perfect fit. I work with insanely smart, talented and hard-working people that I consider not only coworkers, but friends outside the office. BuzzFeed fosters a creative, forward-thinking atmosphere. No matter where you are in the company, you’re always encouraged to share ideas and take risks. It sounds simple, but it’s not something you find in most offices.

I was in a sorority in college (go Kappa!) where every year I looked forward to participating in Homecoming and Greek Week. My junior year, I held the position that was in charge of planning both, which was when I realized planning events was something I liked doing and had a knack for.

At that point, I was studying for a BS in Nutritional Sciences, which for me is a joke because I can’t live without nacho cheese Doritos. People often say your degree doesn’t always dictate your career path, and that was especially true for me. I never thought about event planning until the opportunity arose at IGN. The role found me and I feel very lucky to be someone who can say that they truly love what they do.

I’m always looking for the next best thing and I try to attend as many events as I can to keep fresh eyes. To my fellow event planners out there, I can immediately recognize great work! I am the first to notice a great stage backdrop and lighting at a concert. I love when I see a great party layout with attentive staff.

As for when I’m in a creative rut, I look to my BuzzFeed coworkers from all different departments for inspiration. Everyone is so creative here that all it takes is one person to come up with an awesome idea that we can piggyback off of until it’s something tangible. I also constantly take meetings with vendors and production agencies to see what might be out there that I've never seen or heard of before. I was once told you should always take meetings even if they seem like a waste of time. You never know what you might get out of them. So far I've found that to be true.

I think one of the great things about corporate event planning is that you are the planner for one brand, so you know the voice, vision and objectives of the company. I've never worked at an agency, but I would imagine dealing with multiple clients might make it harder to have that kind of insight. On the flip side, it helps you flex different creative muscles at all times! 

Oh my god, I wouldn't be able to survive without working closely with multiple departments! BuzzFeed has a ‘church and state’ separation between business and editorial, but my role is one of the few that crosses over to both. Events are under the marketing umbrella, but I constantly work with the pre- and post-sales teams; PR, editorial, creative, design, video, finance—you name it. It’s always a group effort.

I think the benefit of having an in-house event team is that they have complete insight on company objectives. In my case, my focus is on what works for BuzzFeed. Having that knowledge allows me to seamlessly incorporate sponsorship elements. BuzzFeed events amplify brand awareness, and are a great way to create an interactive experience with our brand.

I do think the most challenging thing is not burning out. It’s important to keep a healthy work/life balance, surround yourself with good people and learn to leave work at work when you can. More importantly, you have to be excited about the company you’re working for, which I have thankfully found. BuzzFeed is growing so rapidly that it’s keeping me on my toes—that is exciting! 

After my struggle with the snooze button, the day is filled with meetings, calls, brainstorms and tons of emails. Some days there are site visits/walkthroughs, working on RFPs and building decks for sales. On a good day, I get out around 6:30 and usually go back to Brooklyn to unwind. Writing this makes me feel like I’m boring…maybe this year I’ll be cooler. 

Be prepared to get your hands dirty. No job is too small, and sometimes you’re a glorified event runner. Relax, let go of the things you can’t control and know that on an event day something will go wrong, without fail, even if you’re more prepared than you’ve ever been. Be able to think fast and always be solution-oriented. Sometimes your job is to make miracles happen, so do your best to work magic. And lastly, keep lists! I’d be lost without lists.