Associated Content Producers Spotlight

Last week I had the pleasure of talking with Associated Content’s Public Relations Manager AC_Laura.  Our phone call was supposed to be an audio interview but due to my inadequacies with recording equipment I wasn’t able to capture Laura’s voice.  She was so kind though to answer my questions through email.

She tells me that the photo she gave me to post isn’t “professional” but it doesn’t really matter, she’s still adorable.  Here’s a look at our AC_Laura.

Me: The content producers haven’t had much of a chance to get to know you so can you tell us one very specific thing about yourself that you think the content producer’s should know?

Laura:  I’m always looking for interesting stories to share with the outside world. One of the things that makesAssociated Content a great place is the huge number of Content Producers with amazing personal stories. I’d love to get the word out about those people and groups. Please contact me anytime you come across something that strikes you as noteworthy and worth sharing.

Me: How old are you?

26. I’ll be 27 in January.

Me: Did you move to New York to work for AC or were you already a resident of the Big Apple?

Laura: I moved to NYC in 2004 for my first job (as a publicist at a book publisher) after 4 month post-graduation stint at a dude ranch in Wyoming. I grew up in Pennsylvania and now I live in Brooklyn.

Me: Are you a college graduate?  If so what did kind of degrees do you have?

Laura: I graduated from the University of Richmond in 2004 with a BA in History & a minor in Religious Studies. My concentration was in Eastern European history.

Me: Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments.

Laura: There are many. My most recent embarrassing moment was when fell flat on my face walking across a busy intersection two weeks ago. It was raining and my shoes were slippery and my stuff went flying everywhere. People asked if I was ok (which was surprising, considering that this is NYC and you’d expect them to step over you and be annoyed that you got in their way) but I know everyone else was laughing at me since it was a cartoon-style pratfall.

Me: Are you married?  Got kids?

Laura: Not married, and no kids or pets. I wish I could have a dog but my schedule is not pet-friendly and I even have trouble keeping plants alive. Someday I’ll live somewhere with a lawn and space for a puppy (and kids).

Me: What’s your favorite genre of books to read?

Laura: I love fiction, especially historical and magical realist. I like nonfiction if it has a narrative that reads like a novel and I’m in a book club that is reading entirely post-apocalyptic fiction which is awesome, if a little scary. The best books I’ve read recently are The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz andLiberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America by Brian Francis Slattery.

Me: What kind of music do you listen to in the car?

Laura: I don’t own a car but my iPod on the subway features a lot of classic rock with a healthy serving of pop music. I especially like The Black Crowes, the Cold War Kids and will happily own up to loving 80’s and 90’s pop music.

Me: What kind of personality do you have?  Are you bossy, happy go lucky, mean, driven etc?

Laura: I just took an informal survey of my coworkers Darnell and Brenna (we all sit in the same area) and they both said “bubbly,” so I’ll go with that.  I’d also add blunt, social, motivated and a little sarcastic.

Me: What moment in your life are you most proud of?

Laura: Getting a book onto the New York Times Bestseller List. And getting my own apartment without having to ask my parents for help.

Me:  Is working for AC your dream job?

Laura: Yes, it’s awesome. My coworkers are a real inspiration to me. Every one of them is smart and dedicated to making Associated Content the best it can be.  The community of Content Producers and AC’s story in general are so unique and exciting that I want to spread the word about them because I think it is a story worth sharing, so it makes my job easy.

Me: Were you drawn to the written word all of your life?

Laura: Absolutely, I’ve been an avid reader since I was little. I remember reading my first chapter book (which I still own) in the back of the family van on the way through a national park.

Me: What made you decide to start up AC’s blog again?

Laura: It was one of my goals when I started here to revive the blog and make it a part of the Associated Content experience. The blog has always been of great interest to AC but it was difficult to maintain consistently without a dedicated blogger.  I get help from other departments because maintaining a blog is hard work. I hadn’t tried blogging before this and I have tons of respect for bloggers now.

Me: What do you hope to accomplish with AC’s blog?

Laura: The purpose of the blog is to keep CPs abreast of developments at the company, to highlight exceptional CPs and content on the site, to address events and developments in the world that affect the AC community and to be a public-facing platform and voice for all things AC. How am I doing?

Me: Do you think we’ll ever see any posts by guest bloggers, specifically from the top content producers?

Laura: That’s a great idea! Yes. Would you like to write one soon? If anyone is interested, please message me. I’m AC_Laura.

Me: If this were your last day on earth what would be your one final statement to the content producers?

Laura: Success in the Web 2.0 world is all about self-promotion. Drop your modesty and get out there and get your story heard!

Thanks you Laura for an enlightening conversation and a great interview!

You can visit AC_Laura’s AC page here.

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