Here at McBru, we like to surround ourselves with peers who are wicked smart. Taylor Long is one of those who we consider ourselves lucky to work with everyday. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Taylor to learn more about her background and her responsibilities here at McBru.
Q: How long have you been with McBru?
Taylor: Since December 2013.
Q: What do you like about working here?
Taylor: I would say my favorite part is working with the people—both coworkers and clients!
Q: What do you find most rewarding about this environment?
Taylor: I take a lot of pride in making sure our Influencer Relations clients get the best coverage possible, especially around product launches. Nothing’s better than seeing a client’s name in print!
Q: What do you find most challenging about agency work?
Taylor: Managing conflicting priorities for clients and working under tight deadlines is a challenge.
Q: How do you overcome those challenges?
Taylor: I make sure to meet with each team lead to confirm the deadline and priority for my projects. Then I use a checklist and calendar to order my tasks by deadline and importance. That way I don’t miss anything when work gets hectic!
Q: What are some of your favorite Portland hot spots?
Taylor: I’m going to throw in a shout out for my sister’s store, Crafty Wonderland! They support Portland’s maker community and always have fun handmade goods from local artists and crafters. [Here, Taylor pauses for a while….she has a long list of favorites and takes a little time to consult her Yelp bookmarks.] OK—for shopping, Betsy and Iya, Miss Meers, and Folly are at the top of the list. I’m super jealous of my coworker’s awesome Betsy and Iya rings.
Q: Favorite food cart?
Taylor: Taco Pedaler…mmmmm!
Q: Top brunch?
Taylor: Broder. Hands down.
Q: Favorite dinner spot?
Taylor: Ava Gene’s!
Q: What else do you really love about Portland?
Taylor: I really like the Hollywood theater, because it supports independent movies and comedians. The fact that it’s biking distance from my house is a bonus. I also love Portland Story Theater! It’s live storytelling for adults—kind of like The Moth. The stories you hear are real—sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always amazing!
Q: You’re a U of O graduate. Tell me a little about your time there.
Taylor: I began as a business major and quickly realized that was not what I wanted to do. At the time, I was taking journalism classes as electives, and really liked them, so I decided to change my major to journalism. I graduated with a public relations major and minors in communications studies and art administration. My original thought was that I wanted to work in PR/marketing for nonprofits or the arts, so I pursued internships in both those fields. One that I especially loved was at the Hult Center.
Q: What was that like?
Taylor: The Hult Center is a performing arts venue in downtown Eugene. I helped with social media, public relations and email marketing.
Q: What made this internship stand out more than some of the others?
Taylor: It was my first communications internship and the first time that I got to experience what working in PR is like. I decided that it was something I enjoyed and wanted to keep pursuing; It’s what cemented my love of marketing and PR.
I want to make a plug for the U of O Career Center and Public Relations Society of America for giving me guidance on resume writing, job hunting and networking, which are all skills that can be more important than what you’re learning in class. Knowing how and where to network and how to present yourself in a cover letter, resumé, and on LinkedIn helped me get noticed in the crowded Portland job market after graduating.
Q: You started with nonprofit and arts internships; what led you to Tech B2B?
Taylor: The school of Journalism and Communication at U of O runs a program called the “Portland Senior Experience” out of their Portland office. As a student, you apply for the program, and in your final term they place you at an internship in Portland. I was placed at LaCie, a technology company that makes external hard drives. I never in a million years thought I would want to do tech PR, but I kept an open mind and interned there for 6 months and then moved to full time. I was given a lot of responsibility right off the bat, which made me feel valued. As an intern, I got to go to some great trade shows—such as CES—and I helped grow their social media program from little to nothing to running quarterly campaigns with advertising. I also got to develop my press release writing skills. And I took on the role of writing releases that were more B2C focused for cool products like designer hard drives and USB keys!
I was ready to make the next move career-wise, and then someone from McBru reached out via LinkedIn. It was a great fit, so I made the jump!
Q: How do you feel this move is supporting your professional development goals?
Taylor: At McBru, I’m honing my project management skills and diversifying my skill set. I’ve taken part in projects that are unlike anything I’ve worked on before. I’m also learning about client management and strategic thinking. In short, I see a lot of room for professional growth at this company. I’d like to be a manager some day because I love mentoring young professionals. That is a big part of the culture at McBru—everyone is supportive and willing to share his or her experiences and knowledge.
To learn more abut Taylor, and other McBruvians, keep an eye on our blog to see what comes next!
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