Briana Campbell started Unemployed Brooklyn two years ago as a way to vent her frustrations, insights and inspirations about being an unemployed and single girl in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. She is now juggling the following roles: 1) Head of Social Media at full service digital agency,Zemoga 2) Co-Founder, Producer, Community Manager of Work It Brooklyn 3) Member of The Domino Project Street Team 4) Blogger, curator of A Precious Environment. Here she talks with us about her new direction for Unemployed Brooklyn, how she got her current gig, and the importance of asking for what you want.
What inspired you to start Unemployed Brooklyn?
I had been laid off from a job as Operations Manger for a cosmetics company, when the recession hit, at the end of 2008. I started Unemployed Brooklyn at the beginning of 2009, to share my feelings of being unemployed and to hopefully connect with others in the same boat. I wasn’t sure anyone would read it or respond, but I knew that I had to get it out there.
What are your goals with Unemployed Brooklyn?
Since I’ve become employed, my goal for Unemployed Brooklyn has changed, but just slightly. I want to have UB be a place that unemployed and underemployed people can come to for inspiration, advice and to feel connected to something bigger than they are. With the 2012 presidential election approaching, I also hope to rally people to think about what they as citizens can do to help themselves. When you’ve been laid off, you feel helpless, alone and depressed – I want those people to feel like their voice matters and they can make a difference in their own lives. I want them to see that I made change happen in my own life, that I’ve been where they are, and they can do it, too.
How did you get your current job as the Head of Social Media at Zemoga?
I applied for a listing on MediaBistro for a position called “Special Ops.” It’s rare these days, I think to find a really great position through a job listing, as opposed to through contacts, but this happened to work out for me. That job had me juggling a lot of different jobs – one of them being our social media outreach. I was promoted to head of social media a few months ago, after running it, alongside the other duties for about a year. I know that my social media savvy – the skills I had used to promote myself, Unemployed Brooklyn (and Hire Me Martha, another blog I used to write) and Work It Brooklyn – gave me a definite leg up in getting the job atZemoga. I was hired almost immediately after my interview.
You are also the Co-Founder of Work It Brooklyn. How did that come about?
My two co-founders, Aja Marsh and Joann Kim had met through Joann’s now-defunct Greenpoint Food Market and were talking about how it would be great for people in our community to have a way to meet other creatives – so that they could trade services or get jobs or help each other out. Joann knew that I had a wide network of unemployed and underemployed people that would be interested, and that I had organized Unemployed Happy Hours for my readers many times, so she asked me if I would be interested in helping make it happen.
Every success and connection that people make through Work It Brooklyn makes me feel really excited about how great it is when people are able to come together and help each other out.
What advice do you have for students looking for internships or entry-level jobs?
Be confident. Just because you’re still in school or just out of it doesn’t mean you don’t have a ton to offer. Reach for the dream internship, the dream company. Be open to opportunities. Every person you talk to, especially in a place like New York, is a new connection in your network. And ask. If there is something you want – ask. If you know a person works at your dream company, ask for their help. If you know you’d be great as an intern at a certain place, reach out. You won’t always get what you want, but every request gets you one step closer.
What do you wish you knew when you were in college?
This is something I think about a lot. Here’s the big one: I wish, when I was at school, that I had known it was OK to follow my gut. I listened to a lot of advice from a lot of people, including some who told me I could never be more than I was – that I wouldn’t make it – and I wish I had known it was OK to ignore those people. That all advice should be taken with a grain of salt. We [Zemoga] just had Brian Wong speak at Social Media Week Bogota and this is one of the cores of his presentation on “8 Tips for the Young Entrepreneur.” I think it’s a big one.
Anything you would like to plug?
Aside from he fact that Zemoga is always looking for smart interns – especially in design and marketing? Just to keep reading and commenting on Unemployed Brooklyn and keep an eye on@WorkItBrooklyn for upcoming Fall events.
Marny Smith is the Community Manager for NY Creative Interns. You can find her on Tumblr, Twitter and LinkedIn. This post originally appeared on NYCreativeInterns.com on September 25th, 2011.
The ChallengePost Blog: Making strides against breast cancer -
If you read this blog regularly, you know that ChallengePost’s mission is to bring people together to solve problems and accomplish goals collectively. So when we heard about the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk happening in New York City on Oct. 16, we knew we wanted to do our part.
This 5-mile walk is a celebration of survivorship, an occasion to express hope, and a shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love.
We’re walking to:
- Educate and empower men and women to live healthy lives and reduce their risk for breast cancer, and to get screening tests such as mammograms to find breast cancer early, when it is easiest to treat
- Provide people facing breast cancer with information, day-to-day help, and emotional support to guide them through every step of their breast cancer experience
- Invest in and conduct research that leads to groundbreaking discoveries into breast cancer’s causes and cures
- Work with legislators to support laws that help fight breast cancer and help all people get access to screenings and careWant to join the fight against breast cancer? Learn how you can help.
You can also support us by making a donation at the ChallengePost Team Page.
By Marny
There is no question that Start Something: Why Every Creative Needs to Be an Entrepreneur at The New School (my alma mater!), was one of our best events yet. We are so grateful to The New School for hosting us and we plan on doing another event with them in the Spring.
Here’s a recap in case you missed it:
Nicole Wolfrath, Associate Director of the Office of Career Development at The New School, kicked off the evening by welcoming the 150+ crowd of students, recent grads, and professionals pursuing everything from writing to product development. Next, Sarah Rapp, Community Manager for our sponsor Behance, got a chance to speak to the crowd about Behance’s mission and latest initiatives. (Many thanks to Behance for graciously donating notebooks and free trials to The Action Method to our attendees).
Then it was time for the panel to get started! NY Creative Interns President and Co-Founder,Emily Miethner, was the host and moderator of the evening, leading the discussion and asking probing and insightful questions.
There was a great energy in the room, which seemed to prompt our panelists to feel free to share their advice – and speak openly and honestly about the joys and struggles of being a creative entrepreneur.
Some key takeaways from night:
After the Q&A, we opened up the floor so that attendees could ask questions. When all was said and done, the panelists were kind enough to stick around and talk to students one-on-one. It was an incredible night and everyone walked away with some amazing lessons and insights.A huge thank you to everyone who came out, our panelists, The New School, Behance, and nextNY Digital. We can’t wait to do it again.
Is there a tip or moment we missed? Comment with your favorite tip from the night or ideas for another panel.
You can also check out more photos on the NY Creative Interns Facebook page. Don’t forget to tag yourself!
My alma mater! RSVP here.
(Check out The New School Careers Blog where this interview is now up!)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
The Office of Career Development is introducing another new feature to the blog: New Frontiers!
New Frontiers aims to see where alumni of The New School have traveled, metaphorically, in their job search.
Alumni of various programs will be sharing their experiences of their time at The New School and beyond, discussing things such as the internships they’ve done, looking for work after completing their degree and will be giving advice to current students.
If you have seen one of the many blog posts for the events hosted by the New York Creative Interns, you might be interested in knowing one of the people behind the group. Marny Smith is the Community Manager at NYCi and is an alumna of Eugene Lang College.
Career Development: What was your time at The New School like?Marny Smith: What I loved about my time there was that the school is structured in such a way that students have an incredible amount of autonomy when it comes to their studies. Lang makes it easy to concentrate on the topics that most interest you while also giving you the freedom to explore many different subjects.
CD: Did you ever use the Office of Career Development? If so, how did the office help you with your career goals?
MS: I visited the Office of Career Development often during my time at Lang. I loved the internship program and did several internships as an undergraduate. I interned at FOX, ABC, Playbill, and for a number of independent casting directors.
CD: What were your internship experiences like?
MS: Doing internships was an invaluable experience. The lessons I learned as an intern are still with me today. I learned the importance of having a good work ethic, how to act in a professional manner, and that attitude is everything. Be positive, be humble, work hard, and good things will come to you.
CD: What was your post-college job-hunting experience like? What was your first job? What was it like working there, and why did you decide to move on, eventually?
MS: Since I had so many internships while at Lang I had a lot of casting experience and it was fairly easy for me to get work after graduation. My first full-time job was working at a casting assistant for the casting company Hopkins, Smith & Barden where I had previously interned. I learned a lot working there and was given a lot of responsibility. I worked on multiple feature films including World Trade Center (dir. Olive Stone) and Che (dir. Steven Soderbergh) as well as several independent films. I spoke with agents and managers to set up auditions, checked actors’ availabilities, and taped auditions. I eventually left to get into publishing and to work as the Publicity Manager for the book publisher Ryland Peters & Small.
CD: What is your current job and what is it like?
MS: I currently work as the Customer Support Manager for ChallengePost, a privately funded start-up based in New York City. ChallengePost powers challenges that drive new ideas and creation and fosters participation around compelling goals. ChallengePost’s clients include First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA, the City of New York (and the NYC BigApps challenge), Thomson Reuters, Samsung, and more.
I love working at ChallengePost because everyone’s opinion is respected and everyone’s ideas get heard. Everyone is dedicated and hard-working, but the environment is relaxed and creative too.
CD: How did you become involved with NY Creative Interns?
I worked at a book publisher for 4 years before I came to ChallengePost and during that time I met a lot of amazing publishing professionals, including Emily Miethner, the Co-Founder and President of NY Creative Interns. We became Facebook friends and one day she posted that she was working on starting NY Creative Interns and she was looking for people to help her. I emailed her, told her I thought the idea was amazing, and the next thing I knew, I was the Community Manager.
CD: What does NYCi hope to accomplish?
MS: NY Creative Interns is dedicated to enabling college students and recent grads to find internships, mentors, and inspiration through networking and meetups. In addition, we are a resource for companies and organizations, helping to alleviate the interview process by creating cool, unique atmospheres for creatives to interact and connect.
CD: What do you hope to accomplish at NYCi?
MS: My goal is to provide young people with the tools they need to transition into the “real world” and get the internship or job of their dreams.
CD: What role do you think social media plays in the modern day job search?
MS: Social media is now a crucial part of any job hunt. One of the most important things to know is that every potential employer will Google you. The good news is that you can decide what they will see. Start a blog and write about things that interest you, events you attend and articles that intrigue you. Create a profile on LinkedIn and make sure it is 100% complete. Create a Twitter account, follow professionals in your field, and participate in Twitter chats.
CD: Is there any advice you would like to give to current students looking for internships and entry-level jobs?
MS: Do internships and stay in touch with everyone you meet. Ask professionals you admire to have coffee with you. Create an account on Meetup.com and join meetup groups that interest you. Use social media to get your name out in the world. Go to gotprint.com and create business cards for yourself – you don’t need to list a job title – just put your name, email, phone number, and website.
Come to the NYCi event at The New School on Wednesday, September 21st:Start Something: Why Every Creative Needs to Be an Entrepreneur (Details here).
I’ll see you there!
You can connect with Marny on her Tumblr, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Zach Klein's Blog: I'm offering $1000 in Skillshare scholarships -
Skillshare is a service founded by my friends Malcolm and Michael that allows people to host and take classes with each other. Anybody can register to teach a class about virtually anything, you can offer it for free or charge an admission fee if you’d like.
I haven’t taught a class yet (it’ll go up in a couple of weeks), but the first class I took was organized by a guy whose family runs a small bag company — they design, source manufacturing and market their bags. He taught us about running a small family business and how to design and produce physical goods in large quantities. His most interesting anecdotes involved going to Asia to build relationships with factory owners to find just the right partner to assist with material decisions and produce the bags. What I found most fun about the experience was meeting a couple dozen of other people interested in the same esoteric topic. I have this feeling that Skillshare classes could become a very dependable way to make new friends, collaborators, or for some people to find dates. The evening cost me $10, a better experience than going to the movies.
I’m optimistic about peer to peer education. On behalf of Founder Collective, I led investment in Skillshare’s seed round earlier this year, and it’s thrilling to see just a few months later hundreds of teachers and thousands of students participating in NYC, and the service nearing its launch in San Francisco and Philadelphia.
To kickstart Skillshare’s adoption even faster, I’m personally committing a thousand bucks to compensate anybody for fees related to taking a class. I’m certain that this investment will eventually pay dividends back to me in the form of a wider community of teachers and students for me to learn with and from.
I’ll pay each individual up to $20 for any class they pay to attend. If you want to participate:
- Browse Skillshare, find a class you like, and register to attend (this may require you to pay for a ticket, some classes are free)
- Once you receive your receipt, email it to skillsharescholarship@gmail.comand I’ll promptly Venmo you up to $20 for the cost of the ticket.
The offer is good up until Aug 19 or until I’ve contributed $1000 in scholarships, whichever comes first.
One last thing. If you’re interested to teach a class, do it. It’s great way to supplement your cost of living, to meet people passionate about a similar subject, or to promote the services of your own business by sharing knowledge and skills. Create a class here.
[video]
1) It’s the “Find a Better Job” issue.
2) This profile on: Rachael Chong, 29, Tribeca
Founder and CEO of Catchafire (catchafire.org)
The company: Catchafire aims to match busy professionals with nonprofits and social enterprises in search of volunteers. Participating companies pay an annual membership fee, which grants them access to an extensive database of pro bono help.
How she made it: Chong was frustrated by her inability to serve the greater good while keeping her day job as an investment banker. In the fall of 2005, she helped kick off BRAC USA, the U.S. foundation of the world’s largest nonprofit. To grow the company at no cost, she called on friends with a variety of skills and backgrounds. Not only did she raise $40 million for BRAC in its first nine months, the experience inspired her to start Catchafire in 2009.
Best tip: Chong recommends working at a company similar to the one you’re interested in launching, preferably a start-up: “If you want to create a social-good fashion company, choose [a place ] like GreenSoul Shoes, so that you can learn more about the ups and downs of beginning something new,” she explains. Chong may create an apprenticeship at Catchafire, so that impassioned entrepreneurs can benefit from observing her company’s progress.
