Category: Mason Culture

With the holiday season fast approaching, the team at Mason Interactive is getting ready for the busiest quarter of the year. In the midst of preparing our clients’ campaigns for the holiday sales rush, we have also had the pleasure of welcoming two new members to our team! As our client roster continues to grow, so does our team of digital marketing experts. Meet our two newest team members; Melina and Surina.

Melina Jorizzo, Performance Marketing Analyst

Melina is our newest team member to join us virtually and will be starting in the North Carolina office when it is safe to do so. Adding to Team Turbo as well, Melina works mainly with skincare, fashion, and jewelry clients writing ad copy, analyzing data, and creating ads. 

Melina graduated from Wake Forest University and worked for another NYC-based agency before starting at Mason. When she is not working she enjoys reading, spending time outside, and staying active!

“I really enjoy the fact that there are two company-wide Zoom meetings daily. I think this helps everyone to feel connected although we are not in an office together.”

Melina Jorizzo

Surina Seetha, Performance Marketing Supervisor

Surina has been with us for a few months now as part of Team Turbo, a media team. Her days at Mason Interactive include optimizing and implementing strategies for eCommerce clients and emerging fashion brands. Surina came to us from a larger agency, and after taking a short hiatus to teach English in Thailand.

In her free time, Surina enjoys drawing, meditating, watching Netflix with a glass of wine, and working out. Even though Surina has yet to meet her coworkers in person, she enjoys our morning meetings and thinks everyone is very funny. 

Once again, we welcome Surina and Melina to the Mason family so we can continue to provide our clients with the highest quality digital marketing services.

At Mason Interactive, we pride ourselves on our company culture, and on our close-knit team of digital marketing specialists who collaborate together seamlessly to deliver best-in-class digital marketing solutions. Since we began working remotely in March, we have maintained the same level of collaboration through daily all-hands Zoom meetings, weekly team challenges, virtual team building exercises, and well, Slack of course.   

As we are all embarking on this new way of working virtually together, we want to give you an opportunity to meet the digital experts of Mason Interactive. This month on spotlight is SEO Account Manager Molly From who shares what her days are like at Mason Interactive, and what she thinks of working from home. 

Who is Molly From?

Where do you live and how long have you been at Mason?

I live in Westwood, NJ and I have been at Mason about 3.5 years now. I started as an intern and after I graduated I started working full-time.

What do you do at Mason?

I am an SEO Account Manager for Team Rocket and I also help out the sales and marketing team (Team Killer). I graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a Bachelors of Arts in Communication. Working at Mason has really taught me so much about the advertising industry and everything I do today as an Account Manager, I have learned at Mason. 

What is your favorite thing about Mason?

My coworkers 100%. It has been a shame not being able to see everyone in person but I am glad everyone is safe and healthy. I miss going for drinks after work and having our bullpen debates! It is also great being able to work with clients. At bigger agencies, not everyone gets to do work on accounts AND talk to their clients. At Mason, since we are a boutique agency, I love being able to work on the accounts and speak to our clients directly. The diversity of our client range definitely keeps everything interesting and fun!

Do you have any hobbies, pets, etc?

I do! I love fragrance, photography, cooking, working out, and hanging out with my dog Jarvis. I just recently adopted Jarvis from a rescue organization. He is about 6 months old, and he is a Labradane (half Labrador, half Great Dane). Growing up with small dogs, it definitely is a change to now have such a big dog, but he is such a sweetheart! And if you are wondering, yes – he was named after J.A.R.V.I.S. from Iron Man. 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

Wake up, have a cup of coffee (a repeating theme throughout my day), get a workout and shower in, and start my day with our all-hands zoom meeting! Depending on the day, there will definitely be a few meetings, sometimes client facing or just internal meetings. I usually take a few small breaks throughout the day, sometimes to grab lunch (or coffee), walk my dog, or just move my body a little bit! A typical day on the SEO team consists of LOTS of content writing, keyword research, and technical audits. When I am on Team Killer there is also more content, social media management, and more meetings!

What are your must-have WFH essentials?

A DESK! Trying to work from the couch or bed is so difficult. When you live with others, you may try to sit in the kitchen or at the dining room table, but there is constant foot-traffic and noise. I chose to get myself a desk and it literally changed my workflow. ALSO a yoga ball because I have horrible posture.

Do you have a specific WFH “vibe?”

My work from home vibe consists of a constantly burning candle, ample coffee and water, lo-fi music playing, and a clean room. I find that my vibe (and productivity level) is off when my room is a little cluttered, so making sure I stay on top of it is key.

What are your top 3 tips for WFH that have helped you?

1. Have a dedicated work space. I started the pandemic moving to different areas around my house which was nice, but once I realized we would be here for a while I knew I had to have one space. I finally got a desk in my room and having the dedicated work space where I have privacy and quiet has worked wonders for my productivity levels.
2. Stay active! I love to work out and stay active, but sometimes it is not as motivating when you cannot go to a gym or a group fitness class. Going for a walk during your lunch break or before work is a great way to stay active. I am very lucky to have gotten a Peloton at the beginning of the pandemic, and I love it so much. 
3. Remaining social is so important during this time. Some people may still be wary of leaving their houses, but that is what Zoom and FaceTime are for! Humans need interaction, and it is just as important to remain mentally healthy as it is to remain physically healthy.

What do you think the biggest change has been since quarantine?

Just one? Well, I did get a dog, so that’s a big responsibility. I guess the biggest change I have noticed is how often we have to go to the grocery store now that we are having three meals a day at home. I always meal prep on Sundays, but it does not last as long as it used to!

What has been your cocktail of choice during quarantine?

I am a big wine drinker and I love red wine, but I came across a recipe for something called a “Red Moon Over Manhattan”. It has red wine, bourbon, and simple syrup and it is so delicious!

Nice to Meet You, Molly!

The recent pandemic has changed a multitude of things in what seems like most facets of our life. Routines that had previously seemed essential have all but disappeared. Parts of our home that were previously overlooked have suddenly become valuable work from home spaces.

Within the past months we have had to reimagine the concept of a workplace and adopt new ways of working, communicating, and embracing company culture. We took a moment to list five everyday work routines we look differently today than we did in the pre-pandemic world.

Slack and Zoom: The New Essentials

The days of casual conversion over the water cooler are over (for now). With the majority of companies electing to have employees work from home; many people have been tasked with becoming masters of channel-based messaging and video communication platforms, such as Slack and Zoom. For the most part, however, this can largely benefit the business world as a whole. Those that had previously been uncomfortable setting up video meetings or interacting with clients via channel-based messaging will now have the confidence to navigate these platforms. 

Of course, there are some obvious drawbacks when you eliminate face-to-face communication from the equation. Answers that could previously be obtained by strolling over to your co-worker’s desk now takes longer to get a response; among other things. However, as we keep adjusting to the new remote workplace, we become more accustomed to the virtual communication. 

Are We Still Taking Breaks?

It can be very easy to find yourself head down in your laptop, not knowing what day it is, because you were “trying to finish something.” Taking breaks is ok. Back in 2019, it was routine to get up and refill your water, make a coffee, or just go on a quick walk to get some fresh air. It is obvious that COVID has made more work more challenging for everyone (shout out health care workers). Between the increase in workload and the reduced amount of social interaction; people working from home are taking fewer breaks because they have less of a reason to. 

The bottom line, taking time to clear your head throughout the workday is important. Not just for productivity, but for mental health. It’s easy for stress to build-up, especially during times like these. You may be able to get away with forgetting your pants, but definitely, don’t forget to take breaks.

Coffee For Lunch

If you find yourself working from home, closer to more food, but eating less… you’re not alone. Just like your average, every day breaks, “lunch breaks” have started to seem to all but disappear. As previously mentioned, the pandemic has increased the workload for many, and so paying more attention to your work and less to your lunch is not unexpected. This combined with the convenience of having your laptop two steps from your home fridge makes it easy to work while you eat. Don’t work while you eat. Separating time from your day for a lunch break is more important than muting yourself on Zoom when blowing your nose. 

Incorporating a lunch break into your daily routine is incredibly beneficial. Lunch breaks can be used as valuable time to organize thoughts, plan your day, and for most people at the moment; enjoy a home-cooked meal. 

*HR Appreciation Section*

The pandemic has put the health of employees at center stage, and as a result; the role of HR has been put under a microscope. For the most part, people will be working remotely for the foreseeable future. Overseeing a multitude of employees in an office setting is one thing, but supporting teams of employees virtually is vastly different. Moving forward, HR will play a key role in the long road back to a new normal. On a long list of obstacles they will need to overcome, HR will be tasked with strategically integrating employees back into the physical work location. This decision can greatly impact employee satisfaction and overall company success.

WFH FTW (For the Win)

Hesitating to work from home out of fear of being less productive is a thing of the past. The pressure that COVID-19 has put on employees who previously worked in an office is tremendous. But, it has provided them with a valuable new skill set. Knowing how to work remotely yet efficiently is a great skill to have, and as a result of the pandemic, many will have that quality moving forward. Additionally, knowing how to be your own IT person, your own Chef, and your own Janitor are all valuable experiences that many people will benefit from.

While things may be changing by the day (or even the hour), one thing we know for sure; within the last 6 months the concept of a workplace has changed for good. We have learned a lot about staying productive and healthy, managing our workloads, and collaborating with team members even when working remotely. However, as much as we like tracksuit bottoms as an everyday work uniform, we can’t wait to reunite with our team in the office again soon.