Meet Carolyn, the newest account coordinator at ASC! Little known facts about Carolyn? She attended the National Ballet School as a child and was once featured on Holts Muse. Find out more about more about this dynamic social media star on the rise in our Q&A below!
Where did you go to school and what did you study?
I completed my undergraduate degree in Sociology at The University of Western Ontario. After that, I did a post-grad program at the Academy of Design in Toronto to study Fashion Marketing/Merchandising.
How did you decide to pursue a career in Public Relations?
I always knew I wanted to work in a creative industry that involved working with people. After taking a Public Relations course during my post-grad program, I immediately grew a passion for it and my internship helped solidify my career choice.
Where was your first job and how did you get it? How did it lead you to your current position?
While I was completing my post-grad program, a friend of mine connected me with a buyer at Holt Renfrew. He submitted my resume to the PR coordinator and after interning for about a year, I went on-contract in the department. An employee at Holt Renfrew then referred me to a director at ASC PR, which lead me to my current position!
What is the best advice you would give to individuals aspiring to get into PR?
I think that building connections and maintaining relationships are extremely important for people first getting into PR. My internship at Holt Renfrew was the perfect starting point for me because I was able to meet so many people working in the industry such as editors, stylists, photographers and buyers to name a few. Internships give you the foundation to create connections, leading you to possible job opportunities.
What is the best advice you would give to individuals looking for internships?
Most post-grad programs require you to complete internship hours. I would definitely suggest to take advantage of your school’s resources and talk to your career counsellor. Be proactive and ask others in the industry for information sessions- everyone starts somewhere and through my experience, have always been open to talking to students about their career journey.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned to date?
Don’t stay too comfortable. When you start to feel like you’re in an easy and safe position, you can lose sight of your end career goal and remain in a static role. Take new challenges and if you make mistakes, you only learn from them.
If you were on a desert island what is the one item you could not live without?
Granted there are no satellites (i.e. My obvious answer would be a cell phone–what would we do without social media?), I could not live without my notebook! I organize my life and write everything down from lists for work, to groceries and places I want to go to (i.e restaurants, travels, music festivals) and shopping, of course.
