And Now for Something Completely Different

For the past several months I’ve settled into the role of Director of Social Media here at 10e20. I got to work with and get to know an exceptionally talented group of people, and I’ve worked with some truly pleasant clients. It’s been a challenging and rewarding environment, so it’s with some sadness that I announce my departure from 10e20. My new gig isn’t nearly as follicly awesome as Chris, but it should still be exciting nonetheless.

Since joining the 10e20 team in July, I’ve been so impressed by 10e20′s professionalism, work ethic and encouragement to each other and to our clients. Greg and Jake are two of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. Patrick’s design skills are so fantastic that I’ve threatened to clone him on a regular basis. Victor and PJ pretty much define “cool as a cucumber” and never seem to get frazzled or overwhelmed. Rody is like the Wolf from Pulp Fiction — she always seems to get everything done and make sure all is in order. Steph is very smart and headstrong, and in my short time working with her I can already tell that she’s an invaluable addition to the team. Danielle is nurturing and encouraging, never being too busy with the baby to make time for her employees. And Chris has by far been one of the best work mentors I’ve ever met. He’s straightforward, tough but fair, expectant but encouraging, and knows when and how to get the best possible performance out of his employees.

So why would I leave such a tight-knit family after less than a year? Believe me, the decision was a tough one. While I loved working with everyone, as is the case with many people in this industry, I wanted to transition away from client consulting. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve worked with some great clients at 10e20, and I hope some of the friendships I’ve made extend far into the future. However, after doing some variation of client work for the past four years, I wanted to change things up and bring my strengths to a different table.

I bet you’re wondering what that table is…well, I can’t really divulge too much because the company’s in “stealth mode” right now, but basically I’ve accepted the role of Director of Marketing and Community Relations for a start-up that’s working on a soon-to-be launched media website. There’s no more client work; instead, I’ll be working diligently on testing and improving things until the launch date, and from there I’ll be marketing the site and building up its community. I’m very excited about it and can’t wait to share more with you all, but for now you’ll have to wait until we get our beta rolled out.

If I could take the entire 10e20 team with me, I would in a heartbeat. Our clients would probably be bummed, but I would selfishly keep them all to myself if I could. I really couldn’t have asked for a better work environment and group of coworkers. I’m really going to miss working with everyone — hopefully I’ll get that New York Marathon entry so I can visit NYC (yes, I still live in Seattle, and no, I never relocated) and run with Jake while our peeps cheer us on. Until then, I’ll still be contributing to the 10e20 blog every so often, plus there will still be great content courtesy of the rest of the team, so keep checking the website and the 10e20 Twitter account for updates.

As for me, I’ll still be around on Twitter, Facebook, email, and my personal blogs (one of which I promise to resurrect and update on a semi-regular basis), plus I’ll continue to guest blog on various industry sites every now and then, so don’t think I’m going into stealth mode along with this new gig. I’ll also be speaking at Searchfest next month alongside Matt Inman (and by “speaking,” I of course mean rushing through my crappy presentation so everyone can hear how awesome The Oatmeal is), so if you’re attending or will be in the Portland area, be sure to say hello.

That’s it for now. Keep 10e20 in your hearts and minds, as they’re one of the best (if not the best) social media marketing companies that exist today. I’m going to miss everyone, but rather than say goodbye, I’ll settle for a “See you soon.”