Grit, Perseverance and Opportunity: My Path to a Media Career

I wasnamp8217t wired to be a straightA student and I was the furthest thing from the teacheramp8217s petamp160 School was a constant struggle for me and I was told by many that I would never be taken seriously in the real world due to my lessthanstellar GPA amp160I knew at an early age that I would have to work twice as hard as everyone else in order to compensate for my terrible gradesamp160 I got my first job at a frozen custard store when I was 15 years old and Iamp8217ve been working ever since including three years as a receptionist at a hair salon while I also worked towards my bacheloramp8217s degree in marketingAfter seven long years I finally managed to claw my way out of Louisiana Tech Universityamp160 Yes you read that correctlyamp160 I spent seven years of my life working toward a degree that most people acquire in four years or less amp160That being said I will always be thankful for my education for it taught me patience as well as resilienceamp160 But I can confidently say that out of all my previous work experience nothing prepared me more for the workforce than running that hair salon in the small city of Ruston Louisianaamp160 I learned how to problem solve multitaskamp160and build relationshipsamp160 Ofamp160more importance I learned how to empathize with people I had nothing in common with and that is something that cannot be taught in a classroom Empathy is learned through experience and it is a fundamental component of what makes a successful salespersonShortly after I moved to Dallas I began my search for entrylevel positions in advertising amp160I had no idea how long the job searching process would be so I found a job waiting tables in order to pay my rent amp160I received a phone call from my cousin regarding a sales coordinator position at NCC Mediaamp160and I immediately jumped at the opportunity amp160It was my first real postgrad job interview amp160Needless to say I was overwhelmed with excitement once I received an offer amp160I couldnamp8217t believe they took a chance on me but I was ready to prove myself amp160This was my shot a real opportunity amp160I finally had my foot in the door of the advertising world and I was ready to make a few wavesMy first few weeks at NCC were eyeopening amp160I thought I knew a decent amount about the industry thanks to those seven years of college but my knowledge was only the tip of the iceberg amp160I was always so focused on the creativeproduction side that I never considered the logistics of how commercials make their way to the eyes of the target consumer amp160I was fascinatedamp160 I soon discovered that this job wasnamp8217t about selling air time to advertisers amp160It was about creating strategic customized ad viewing experiences derived from the complex science behind consumer behavior amp160Thanks to the help of my sales ops manager and fellow coordinators I became fluent in the language of mediaamp160 Words like amp8220make goodamp8221 amp8220hit listamp8221 amp8220trafficamp8221 and amp8220copyamp8221 were no longer foreign termsAfter my training was complete I began my role as an assistant for two of the hardest working account executives in the Dallas office amp160They remained patient while I adjusted to the fastpaced workflow and gave me advice and reassurance anytime I felt overwhelmed which was often at first amp160I had all of my notes from training taped along the walls of my cube as if I was trying to solve a conspiracy theory amp160I stayed late almost every night to study my account lists the names of the buyers I worked withamp160and the affiliate contacts for all the markets on my team amp160I was trained by the best and I was determined to be one of them amp160I was stressed but in the most exciting way possible amp160For the first time in my life I knew I was on the right trackIamp8217ve been a sales coordinator at NCC Media for a little over a yearamp160and I have learned far more in this office than I ever learned in a classroom amp160My prior work experience played a key role in my ability to adapt to the fastpaced maniacally competitive world of advertising amp160For anyone interested in this line of work know this is the antithesis of the mundane 95 job amp160It will not be easy amp160You will have to work much harder than you realize but rest assured that you will never be bored amp160This industry never sleeps as it is constantly evolvingamp160 I am so proud to be part of an organization that embraces new ideas and creative thinking amp160I was a Caverage student from a small town in North Louisiana amp160For years I was underestimated by so manyamp160and I landed one of the coolest jobs on the marketFinally the tables have turned and Iamp8217m only just getting startedClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Grit, Perseverance and Opportunity: My Path to a Media Career

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Stephanie Brazeel

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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Grit, Perseverance and Opportunity: My Path to a Media Career

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Stephanie Brazeel

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