13 November 2014
A Few Weeks in the Life of a Marketing Co-op
by Zack Freeman
As the first-ever Marketing Co-op here at Gaslight, I’d like to share my experience with the company thus far in the form of a blog post, and as it turns out, I enjoy blogging so this shouldn’t be a problem.
My journey with Gaslight began in late July when I was invited to the office for an interview here in Blue Ash. (We’re moving downtown soon, which is pretty awesome and exciting stuff for all of us Gaslighters.) Anyways, Chris Moore and Michelle Taute invited me in for an interview, and once I arrived, I instantly knew that this was the place I wanted to be for the next four months. I should note that I had a nice offer with a company down in Atlanta before coming in to the interview with Gaslight. It was urgent that the process went quickly because I had to tell the other company my decision within the next day or so.
Upon arrival to HQ (that’s what I like to call it), the first thing I noticed was that this place had a nice coffee shop aroma to it, and if you don’t know what I am talking about, then just visit your local Starbucks and take a big waft of air to get a sense. Yet, this was just the beginning of the pleasant atmosphere that I have come to realize is everyday life for all of us here.
During my interview, Chris and Michelle grilled me with questions, and I didn’t think I was going to make it through. Not really. They were as accommodating as they come and not to mention a couple of the kindest people I have met. That was just another step on the proverbial staircase that led to my decision about wanting to work here. At this point, I was just trying to impress them any way I could, and I guess it worked?! Later that same day, Chris gave me a call to formally offer me the position. I was ecstatic. Not only did I not have to leave the city I enjoy so dearly and miss ALL the University of Cincinnati football games, but I wasn’t going to have to pay two different rent payments!
So fast forward a little bit, and it was suddenly my first day here at Gaslight. I felt like part of the team almost immediately, no exaggeration. From the culmination of the meetings with my bosses, the daily stand-ups and of course all of the welcoming people, I felt like I had been working here for a long time after just a week.
When it comes to the work I’m doing, I feel as though it is meaningful to the company as a whole. Some of the bigger projects include a content audit of our blog and an ongoing sales history project. For the latter, I’m interviewing and talking with high-level executives to learn why they made the decision to hire Gaslight and identify trends in their language and business context. The takeaway from this project: It’s supposed to help better foster our marketing message as well as help us learn more about our target audience.
Anyways, that is enough about the work. I forgot to mention that after only three weeks of working here they took me on an awesome adventure to Hocking Hills in Ohio for our annual company retreat! I never knew the older folk could drink so much bourbon then turn around and be extremely productive the next morning. Jokes aside, that was an excellent experience and I learned more about the people of this awesome company than I ever thought I would. To add to that, the company as a whole seemed to take a huge step forward afterwards, and I believe it will start showing very soon.
Overall, Gaslight is a company that thrives on building the best relationships with clients and taking care of its people. I couldn’t have imagined it being this awesome, and I am so happy that Michelle and Chris gave me the opportunity to work and learn in such a fun environment. I mean we literally have never-ending pretzel nuggs filled with peanut butter. What more could you want?
I’ll definitely be writing another post at the end of this co-op semester to further explain my amazement, but for now you can check out any of our other posts right here!