Career Paths of MCMP alumni
On Tuesday, November 8th, MCMP was joined by four Michigan Alumni! Our members welcomed Amina Fishburn, Madelyn Kantor, Eli Scheinholtz, and Sarah O’Donnell. The alumni have a wide range of roles. Amina, a Film Publicity Manager at Netflix, works hand-in-hand with the marketing team at Netflix to promote films through earned media, specifically focusing on press and talent. She started out working at Lionsgate and moved to Netflix after 4 years where she currently is working on Matilda the Musical and Glass Onion. Madelyn, or Madi, started at Dentsu in advertising and always wanted to work at an agency. Now, she works at DEPT, a global digital agency, on sales and new business as a Business Development Manager. Eli, a Public Affairs Communications Manager at DoorDash, helps to communicate DoorDash’s story to elected officials and stakeholders as it relates to policy. He works to see how bills and policies will impact their business as well as highlights the stories of dashers and restaurants. Lastly, Sarah, an Account Strategist at Google, assists small to medium-sized businesses with their strategies within a consultative sales role. Sarah began her career journey at Kraft Heinz in a rotational leadership development program before switching to Google.
The panel began with a set of questions MCMP board members crafted for all of the panelists to answer.
What is your favorite project that you have ever worked on?
Amina: “I had the amazing opportunity to work with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jonathan Larson on “Tick, Tick... Boom!,” an autobiographical musical. I enjoy working on and bringing awareness to projects around the world. I have even worked with Broadway press and influencers, as well as had success in the awards space. The biggest campaign I have worked on is Glass Onion.”
Eli: “I like seeing where the DoorDash platform has an impact. For example, Project Dash is an impactful campaign where dashers take food from food banks and deliver it to people who need it. I find telling powerful stories of people helping others and people that are help very rewarding.”
Madi: “I got to develop a tagline and social media comps on the Spotify Kids Launch.” I worked with 3D and AR artists that came up with Spotify characters for kids. I enjoy the quick turnaround of projects.”
Sarah: “I would say mine is less project-based, but I enjoy any time I make an impact. I had the opportunity to work with a construction company out of Nashville and helped them increase revenue and advertising goals, which was rewarding to make an impact on a customer.”
What are the most challenging and most rewarding aspects of your position?
Amina: “For challenging, I’d say working with challenging people and navigating those relationships to get work done despite differences. There are always interesting characters to navigate, but I’ve learned to just kill with kindness. For most rewarding, I’d say working with passionate filmmakers and bringing their visions to life and to global audiences. It is also a challenge to work with a large company that always has a target on its back.”
Eli: “A big, public company has many different challenges each day. I’d say getting up to speed quickly with positioning while juggling multiple other things. The most rewarding thing is helping people and passing on knowledge with coworkers.”
Madi: “The most challenging is working with crafts that I have no expertise in and trying to understand and learning how to mold my learning structure with other people. When working at an agency, you get a lot of experience super quickly and a lot of ownership on different things, which is very rewarding. I ran my own team at 23, and am now a manager and team leader.”
Sarah: “Client-facing roles are challenging with external people. You always need to be on your A game and be knowledgeable and prepared. Also, making the transition from school organization to work organization and working 9-5. It’s rewarding finding something you enjoy doing and don't mind getting up early and going to work.”
What are some ways in which students can find their passions within the giant landscape of Communications?
Amina: “Dive into any opportunities that come your way, observe everyone around you to see what catches your eye, ask questions, and vet the people you talk with in interviews”
Eli: “Think about what you're doing that you find interesting that you could turn into a career”
Madi: “You will fall into different topics and verticals where your skills are applicable, so focus on what you like to do and try out different positions. Follow people who interest and inspire you and keep connections open”
Sarah: “Stay open-minded. Just because the position is named something, it may be something else. Your interests can change over time. Vet your opportunities by people, culture, and mission statement. Take fun classes that are different and unique.”
What is your number 1 interview tip?
Amina: “Prepare. Research the company. Read news about the company. You can't over-prepare. Ask thoughtful questions. Research the role.”
Eli: “Listen to the question being asked and be able to address their questions while highlighting what you want to.”
Madi: “You can take pauses. Take a moment to think thoughtfully in order to position yourself in the best way. Know the background of your interviewer.”
Sarah: “Be prepared and remember your interviewers are people too. Don't be nervous. Fake it till you make it because you’re more qualified than you think you are. Always follow up.”
Give us an important piece of advice that you wish someone had told you in college.
Amina: “Your early 20s are really hard and no one talks about that, so give yourself some grace because it's a wild time.”
Eli: “Do as much writing as you can while you are still in school, it’s the most underrated skill. It’s so evident when someone is a good writer and can articulate their ideas well.”
Madi: “Know your value and worth at work, be proud of your work and feel valued not valuable. Don’t take on too much at once, work shouldn't take over your life.”
Sarah: “This is such a time of change. Everyone does the same things at first and then it tapers off. It’s okay, it's a marathon, not a sprint and you don't have to have the perfect job right out of school. It's okay to change jobs. Be honest with yourself and everything will work out in the end.”
Then, the floor was opened up to the MCMP members. Our members were able to ask questions to one, multiple, or all of the panelists.
For Eli: Did you have to have a solid political background before getting your role at DoorDash?
“Yes, because before DoorDash I was at a small public affairs company that had a political bend to it. Once I got there, I was doing all sorts of things across different industries. It opened the door, but once there the options were endless.”
For Everyone: When conducting interviews, what qualities do you think make a candidate stand out?
Amina: “Eagerness and willingness to learn. You won't have much on your resume when leaving college, so be a sponge and demonstrate that you are ready to dive in and learn.”
Eli: “Authenticity jumps off the page. You can tell when someone is passionate. Be confident and don't be afraid to show your passion.”
Madi: “Show your human side. Know what you're passionate about with side projects and interests as well.”
For Everyone: Are there any resources at Michigan that you recommend taking advantage of?
Sarah: “Handshake and LinkedIn. Message alumni. Coffee chats.”
Madi: “Don't be afraid to reach out to people on Linkedin, people are more willing to help than you think.”
Eli: “Sweetland Center for Writing”
For Madi: Did you need a specific skill set when going into advertising?
“I knew I wanted to work at an agency when graduating. I tried PR but didn't like it. They don't look for a super narrow skillset, so show applicable project management skills and experiences being a team leader.”
For Sarah: Is your role at Google similar to a Customer Success Role?
“Google doesn't have a set customer success team. My job is to make sure customers successfully use google products. It’s more consultative. You learn a lot of skills that are applicable across the board.”
MCMP wants to give a huge thank you to Amina, Eli, Madi, and Sarah for joining us!
—- Kristina Gurgone, November 2022
