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I joined BURKE in October of 2017. Before relocating from Upstate NY to Charlotte, I was part of an in-house marketing team for a pest control company that had been in business for about 25 years. Prior to my arrival in early 2012, that company had generated some big sales through traditional marketing avenues – tv, radio and print. The idea that a pest control company had assembled a team to self-produce and author content was pretty incredible and this was a trend that I had read about and was curious to see how sustainable it was.

It was a pretty great opportunity, loaded with tons of on-the-job learning and responsibilities. I was able to hone my craft and produce timely and high-quality content. I’d grab a beer after playing softball and spread across a number of tv’s would be a commercial I shot and produced. Naturally, my ego would be boosted – especially if we had won the softball game we had just come from.

But, that self-promotion approach did have its flaws. First of all, it was difficult to estimate project timelines. There were countless occasions when the owner would approach us with ideas and deadlines that were a bit unrealistic. We were always up for the challenge, but that would often sideline other projects that were previously deemed ‘top priority’ – the constant flux would sometimes become overwhelming.

A second drawback was the handcuffing of creativity. More often than not, good ideas were tossed simply because we knew the owner wouldn’t go for it. If a script wasn’t written in such a way, or a particular tagline wasn’t always used – no matter the context – the entire pitch was rejected. The same ideas would be recycled over and over. Things would become stale and, honestly, boring to produce and the content would become background noise to other, newer content being put out by competitors.

I couldn’t hold those downsides against them. That company is well-respected in their industry. The content we created was useful at the time, and it was an amazing opportunity for me. Now, I’m seeing how BURKE operates and creates relationships with its clients. I’m learning how to educate partners in how our marketing services can help boost their company in the various ways our services can all be implemented. I’m able to learn their story and help come up with ways to tell it so they can grab the clientele they are targeting.

Every day it’s something a little different. Various industries, interactions and avenues are brought together here and – as a creative – it’s honestly refreshing. It not only excites me about the work I’m doing, it helps me build upon my inner competitiveness and gain confidence in myself, my work, in BURKE and – in a way – I feel as though I become a brand ambassador for our clients.

My journey has taken me from a microcosm of the marketing/media industry, onto a playing field where opportunities to create can be endless. An arena where my video passion can partner with graphic and website design to create an all-inclusive experience. When a client relies on us to help bring their ideas and visions to life on-screen with beautiful design or a flawless site experience, we work hard to collaborate and deliver the best work we can. BURKE’s capability to bring together ambitious individuals in a creative and collaborative environment offers up the chance to build relationships with companies in need of fresh and functional marketing.