“Advertising is What You Pay For, Publicity is What You Pray For”

The last two and a half months have been nothing short of a whirlwind for me. After an extensive job search, I received my offer letter from Caster Communications in early March. Since then, I left behind the security of my job and home in Connecticut and readily embarked on my newest chapter here in the Ocean State.

I developed a pertinent interest in Public Relations during my senior year at Pace University but never really had the opportunity to use it in my career, until now.

Thus far, my professional background has been predominately established in the paid advertising field. I spent the first two years of my career in a support role at a media buying agency where I assisted the senior level team in the placement process of advertisements across all media channels. My responsibilities ranged from order processing and creative trafficking in the beginning of a campaign, to invoice reconciliation and campaign analysis upon completion of a campaign.

Most recently, I was the Marketing Assistant at WFSB-TV, the local CBS affiliate station in Connecticut. I was hired by Channel 3 to back the local sales team with proposal development for existing and prospective clientele. In a short amount of time, I attained the evolving task of optimizing the department’s digital revenue via email marketing, programmatic targeting, lead generation and social media tactics. I also played the part as the station’s Community Outreach Assistant, collaborating in the coordination and execution of various philanthropic partnership events.

With that as my background, the concept of Tech PR is unquestionably new to me. Upon my arrival at Caster, I was completely naïve to the notion of a fourth Industrial Revolution, the term “AV” had been known to me as an acronym for Added Value (all that time in paid advertising), and Boolean Theory research references were a concept I had hoped would never find me after high school.

Despite the verbiage barrier, the Caster team has made this transition considerably smooth for me. My coworkers are extremely patient and knowledgeable, making them excellent resources for absorbing information.

I am looking forward to all that is still to come as I continue to learn and evolve into my role as Account Coordinator here at Caster Communications.

Have you ever relocated for a job? What was the most difficult part of your transition? I’d love to get your advice! Connect with me on Twitter for future updates, @ashcollazo.