The Female Boss

The boss's boss's boss gets a promotion...

2007-02-12T22:55:00.000-05:00

Is it so wrong to be sick? I never take a sick day and I had to take two last week. Of course, when you’re out sick it just means your phone rings and rings. One of my co-workers who recently joined the company decided that even though I was out sick she would call me in the middle of the afternoon to announce that a project I was leaving until Monday needed to get done and she was just “scrambling” to do it. My response. “Sweetheart”, yes I used the “S” word, “there’s no need to scramble honey…I can do it on Monday. No rush.” Hint: If someone is really bothering you at work and just getting under your skin Honey, Sweetheart, and Sugar are the worst things you could ever call them. Remember this, I reserve this for rare occasions but when I pull out these guns they never fail to ignite the reaction I was hoping for.

Anyway, it’s Monday. Again. However, today is different. At approximately 3:15 pm (eastern standard time, of course) I was told that the one person who keeps me sane, the one man who I truly respect in my company has decided to accept an offer as the General Manager of a major television channel. While everyone was floating on cloud 9 for having worked with him, I wanted to burst out in tears!!! He was my sanity. The boss’s boss’s boss. The door I knocked on to reveal all. And now he was leaving. The questions flooded my mind. Will the boss’s boss be promoted? What happens to the boss? My brief moment of potential salvation of having the boss possibly restructured was killed when she strolled by my desk, plopped down and said “Do you have any worries about him leaving? You shouldn’t. I’ll always make sure you work for me.” Great. The chicken soup for my soul. Exactly what I needed.

MTV Layoffs

2007-02-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

I found out by reading the trades this morning and by noon I was bombarded with aims from friends at Viacom. If you ever asked me what scares me I would probably say nothing. But the truth is an article like this freaks the shit out of me. Why? Because in entertainment what’s in one day is out the next.

MTV Nets terminating 250 staffers

The wannabe MTV...

2007-02-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

I should have known that this interview was going to be disastrous. I mean the first interview they said would be four hours long. It's not like I'm interviewing in the finance industry where they try to break you. I mean it's entertainment and events, not brain surgery. I should have turned it down then. Unfortunately, the theory I live by is interview, interview, interview even if you don't want to because you get to meet important people you may otherwise not have met this way. So I sucked it up, called in sick, and went. That was my first mistake

Interview Person 1 - 45 mins:

The first woman I met with never finished a complete sentence or train of thought. I didn't know if she knew the lingo or not but she just kept nodding and her comments made no sense. She was the head of the department and she jumped from thought to thought staring at me or to right or left of me...I couldn't tell if she couldn't focus or was drifting off to sleep (hello, anyone there)...I couldn't help but picture her weekly team meetings...everyone drinking a coffee chatting about their weekends and her sitting there picking her nose. The thought I had as I walked to the next person's office was: Drugs?

Interview Person 2 - 45 mins:

There was no question, this woman was on drugs for sure. But at least she was cool. Completely into what she did, loved her responsibilities, but I could tell that she was somewhere much cooler before this company and she missed it. I mean seriously, she was going on and on about how cool it was to meet Hulk Hogan. Honey, you used to work with superstars and now you're raving about Hulk Hogan. Next.

Interview Person 3 - 1 hour of torture, no I don't want to see what you did last month, no I don't want to ooh and aah over the the December powerpoint, kill me now:

She could have been my little sister and I'm supposed to report into her. Next.

The HR interview - 1 hour:

By far the coolest woman of the 4 and the most informative. No, they don't have a tuition reimbursement policy. No, they don't have bonuses. oh, yeah, this one is the best. No, they don't have a set vacation policy. We trust our employees. After this interview, I totally understood why everyone was on drugs.

The headhunter

2007-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Would you say it’s a sign when a headhunter knocks on your door? I’m going with yes. A week or so ago I received an email from a headhunter who received my contact info from a friend of mine. She didn’t know if I was looking but she wanted to meet up and see what my interests surrounded. Well little did she know my interests were surrounding a new job!

Headhunters are interesting people. They get commission from the company for every person they place and for them it’s all about relationships. It isn’t like a staffing agency where people tend to flow in and out of companies. It’s about placement that works because their reputation is on the line. I wasn’t really sure what a headhunter should look like. I guess I imagined someone who wore all black, read the trades targeting people who were the subject of various articles, oh and I guess I thought they could appear and vanish in the blink of an eye. I mean you hear about headhunters all the time, but you never really know who they are and where they work/live.

The initial meeting with this woman was quite interesting. It took place at a random Starbucks in a random part of the city on a random night. Needless to say our conversation was sooo random. She was short and round with a laugh that shook our table and spilled my coffee every few minutes. Most of the night we spoke about her pet puppy. This was actually kind of sad. Her puppy has diabetes. I won’t bombard you with the gory details as she did for me, but the whole conversation was kind of awkward. I walked away thinking, what could this woman really do for me?

Well, I have an interview today because of her with a film based company. Cross your fingers.

The Big Boss...

2007-01-30T20:00:00.000-05:00

I decided I couldn't take it anymore. Today, I went to the big boss. The boss's boss's boss. Everyday for the past few months I've been looking at the clock. I've never left before 8 or 9 pm at night but the last few months I've been leaving by 6:30- at the latest! Usually by 6pm I've already mentally checked out. You see, this is what happens with you have a bad boss. The lady boss has been awful. Needless to say her indecision and inability to understand process has taken its toll on me. I was scared to death, but I realized that it was time to talk to the boss's boss's boss - the "big" boss.

See the big boss is probably the person I respect most in the company. He's intelligent, quick, and most importantly he's a visionary with the necessary skills to execute (plus I know he has a soft spot for me). He's usually in his corner office guarded by his assistant. She purposely stares over her glass desk one eye on the computer the other on his door so she can intercept anyone who may try to sneak past her. The assistant is probably the nosiest person in the company and when I set-up the meeting last week to meet with him today she was insistent. What for? Can I help you? I need a subject for the meeting request? Is 15 minutes okay? Seriously! You would think this guy was the American President.

Well my fifteen minutes was this morning. I knocked on his door and very logically went over my points/problems. I was scared shitless but it went really well. He insisted that if I started looking for another job I should tell him. He doesn't want to lose me and would move me to a different department. A born leader, he said. Commands attention when I walk into a room. Probably the biggest compliment I've ever received but the truth is my company is fairly small and my lady boss would still find a way to make my life miserable. know he's going to do everything in his power to keep me, but what else can they do? They've given me more money, they've given me a title bump. And the truth is I would give both back not to have to work with/for her. So it may be time to start looking. Don't get me wrong, I love my job...but if it's about FIT maybe it's just not right anymore.

Eeerrr, this is going to suck...

Today was a good day...

2007-01-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

...Today was dessert day. What is dessert day? Dessert day is when the company caters a variety of desserts to all the employees just because. This happens once a year. I look forward to it all year and somehow I forgot that today was dessert day!!!!! How could I?!

I got the email in the morning and all day I asked people what they wanted for dessert? Were they skipping lunch for dessert? (you get the idea) I even blocked off the half hour on my calendar so I wouldn't forget when they would arrive (thank goodness for Outlook reminders). The past few weeks have been pretty harsh but for some reason - dessert - I was on cloud 9!

Of course, when the dessert actually gets here there's a line down and around the hall. I work for a small company but when it comes to "special" HR activities that involve food everyone seems to turn out and when it means there's more than a dozen people between me and my dessert, watch out.

Of course the on-air editors and the print designers are in the front of the line...they wear jeans and flip flops to work, stroll in around 10:30 and have the excuse of "creative brainstorming" for the hours they spend out of the office coincidentally around lunch time. Despite all this I do love them and if it weren't for their creative minds my party invitations would fall flat...so I'm willing to let them slip ahead in line. It's the accountants that bother me. These are the 9-5 hard core junkies...they don't seem to care about getting my checks to me on time to pay my party vendors but when it comes to leaving work at 5 o'clock they already have their coats on. These are the people ahead of me that annoy the hell out of me. It's 4 o'clock, don't they have a check to cut before they leave?

The bobble head...

2007-01-16T18:01:00.000-05:00

Dwight has a bobble head of himself in the show the Office…I often wonder what it would cost to have a bobble head made of my boss. See she sits in meetings all day bobbing her head at whatever anyone is saying even if she has no idea what it means or what it takes to get what they’re asking for done. So what do I do? I sit there shaking my head as I jot down the list of items that need to get done. Then I somehow make my way back to my desk, fall into my chair, and rewrite my “to do” list.

Today is no different. See, I’m planning a major event in another city. Every time I propose a budget it gets approved but as we sit in meetings and people start brainstorming ideas for additional items, the boss lady nods her head, says great idea, and worst of all finishes with “we’ll do it”. Of course “we’ll” do it. Of course the budget doesn’t get any bigger. And though it’s always my best intention to not have my girls sitting in the office at midnight placing stickers on water bottles or sealing envelopes with wax, it seems that because of all these new “ideas” we’re constantly scrambling to get things done in a smaller budget. While I don’t mind the scramble, what I hate is when she laughs and shakes her head as she walks out the door at 6 o’clock and says “why don’t you hire a freelancer to do that”. Well I would, really I would, but somehow I don’t have enough money in my budget to hire additional staff even when I purposely put in a request for $5k or $10k for pre-event help.

So what do you think I’m doing today. Yes, you guessed it…this thing that we have so conveniently termed as “stickering”. I’m stickering boxes with my girls to send out these gifts that we have coincidentally also had to sticker to executives who will probably never see the gift and if they do they’ll just toss them in the corner or give it to their assistants. So my stickering will then be peeled off (because really, who wants something that’s branded with a company logo anyway) and the gift will be given to some secretary’s niece or nephew.

Maybe the thing I need is a bobble head of myself, so that when boss lady is bobbing and looks at me like I’m the black plague because I’m shaking my head, I can just turn back to my computer as she screams and hit my little bobble head, bobble, bobble, bobble…

The Birthday...

2007-01-15T22:31:00.000-05:00

Make a wish…you only get to do this once a year. It’s when you close your eyes and blow out your birthday candles. Some ages are in theory “bigger” than others – 16, 18, 21, 30. But what about 25? I remember what I used to think I would be and be doing by the time I turned twenty-five. Engaged, with an amazing apartment, visiting are galleries and trendy new lounges, and living the Sex in the city dream. Well, I’m not engaged but I do have an amazing apartment and do have to say that when I think about it – I am living the Sex in the city dream…going to art galleries, hitting up some hot parties, painting on weekends, and meeting some very interesting people…so what about this year is so different? Why does it feel like I’m not where I should be?

I think it’s because I’m thinking too much about the future. When I’m supposed to get engaged, when I’m supposed to open my own company, when I’m supposed to be sending my parents an luxurious vacations. I’m thinking too much about the amount of time between here and there instead of thinking about the now. It’s like planning a big after party and you’re all caught up in the details and before you know it, it’s all over. You miss the late night laughs together in the office, the crazy coffee runs at 5:30 in the morning, and the sense of power you have by turning people away from the door. Suddenly everything becomes a blurry memory and you’re body is an automatic because you’re mind has checked out. I guess I’m in a weird place right now. I’m not being. I just need to figure out why so that I can again, take pleasure in the small things again like sending my intern out to find the perfect size box that I know doesn’t exist just to see how hard she’ll try.

I know birthday candles don’t really mean anything and a wish is just that – a wish. But this year I want my birthday wish to be a forecast, a promise, a statement for where I am instead of a wish for where I want to be.

A New Year...

2007-01-10T13:22:00.000-05:00

There’s a moment I hate. It’s the moment when you exit your apartment and when you look up your standing in the elevator about to exit on your office floor. That’s the moment I hate. It means that you’ve been at your company long enough so the morning commute there is like second nature. It’s the moment when you realize that it’s just another day at work. Just another day. I hate that moment. It’s been a while since I’ve written. Do I have an explanation? Of course. But I’m not going to go into all the details. You’ll learn about it over the next few weeks, but for today it’s just another day.

A New Year mean’s new resolutions. What is a resolution anyway? I asked my girlfriend what her resolution was and she said to try harder. I liked that. Try harder at everything. Try harder at work. Try harder at love. Try harder at life. So I started thinking about my New Year’s resolution. The typical work out more often (yes, I joined a new gym), eat healthier, floss more (I actually think I can do this one)…I had them all. But now I think I’m changing it. Yes, I’m stealing her “try harder” but I’m also adding “balance”. Balance my work time & play. Balance my bitch & sweetheart personality at work. Balance ambition with reality.

Life for me has been all about work and it isn’t changing anytime soon. Since I was 19 I’ve been on the fast track in entertainment. Now that I’m settling into management roles, I need to evaluate what else I want to do. Keep obsessing about work, but yes go to the gym more. Yes, choose days that I do nothing at. And Yes, most importantly choose when to say No to a company. This year’s going to be interesting. The situation with the boss lady has only gotten worst. And to think I was giving her the benefit of the doubt. I think it’s time for me to have one last conversation with her.

Two strikes for the boss lady...

2006-11-16T00:18:00.000-05:00

Twice...count it, that's one plus one, that's two.  TWICE, that's twice in the
less than two months I've been working for her, that my boss lady has sold me
down the river while I'm standing there in front of her boss.  What does this mean?
It means she blames me for her neglectful behavior - and I have the emails to prove
it.

In the most recent incident, the boss lady turned to me in front of the boss's
boss and said "I don't know anything about this, I didn't even know it was going
on."  My mind clouds for a sec in a moment of panic, then I remember the numerous
meetings that were held and the numerous meetings that the boss lady decided not to
attend.  Then I remember the numerous "fill ins" I gave her as well as multiple
follow-up emails, and my priceless 9am status report meetings with her. Hmm, I gue
ss email, phone and in person doesn't seem to stick - I guess I should try
telepathy.

As I stand there as she blames me again, I breathe and think about how my
job is to make my boss look good (a task that gets harder every day.  maybe I can
just change her haircut to cover the horns...no, that won't help).

Here's the frustrating part.  I stand up for my girls every time.  I hold
myself accountable for their mistakes as if they were my own.  My boss does not
do this.  She would rather take a sharp knife, make it dull,  and stab me in the
eye.  I could still work but it would make my job a little harder if I only had
one eye.

Someone once said, "Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on
me."  I used to live by this theory, unfortunately, it seems like there's nothing
I can do in my current situation.  So what do you do when you have a boss who
blames you publicly for her mistakes?  Learn how not to be when you're in her
position and learn to deal with her "kind" out in the work force.  And most
importantly, take a minute to breathe when you get back to your desk and remember
that she is the type of person to get into a lifeboat as her cruise ship sinks and
row away leaving her children on the deck crying "mommy, wait..."

Monday...call in sick

2006-11-13T21:07:00.000-05:00

It's Monday...again. It's raining...again. And half the company has called in sick...again. But not me. Here I am sitting at my desk, listening to the hum of the rain drops on my window and forcing myself to get work done. Why? Because I'm not sick. But something tells me that my co-workers who aren't in are also not sick. I should, now that I think of it, actually consider myself sicker than them for being at work. Even my coordinator called in sick, so I have no one to torture today.

I actually spent some time this morning doing a little research and found this web page "How to Beat the Monday Morning Blues". Please take a minute to review. Okay, now steps 1-6 are gibberish and step 7 is just stupid!

Step 1: Sleep an extra hour?! If I had an extra hour to sleep, I wouldn't be getting up at the time that I get up.
Step 2: ignore this it will be 30 seconds of your life you cannot get back.
Step 3: Hope out of bed, lingering will draw out the agony. Oh please, lingering isn't the agony it's the getting out of bed after I'm done lingering that's painful.
Step 4: End your shower with a jolt of cold water - no thank you.
Step 5: Get out in the sunlight. Great work, Einstein. If there was sunlight today I would happily frolic outside.
Step 6: Drink coffee or another caffeine beverage. Although it's not healthy to drink caffeine to the point of addiction...this is blasphemy. addiction? caffeine?
Step 7: Anticipate your Monday morning on Friday afternoon. This is where I started laughing. The last thing I want to do on a Friday afternoon is anticipate Monday morning.

Here is my "How to beat the Monday morning Blues":

Step 1: Get up a little earlier and take your time getting ready. By the time you walk out the door you'll feel refreshed and energized.

Step 2: Dress for success. Fight the urge to wear those worn in slacks and flats. Instead toss on a pair of sexy lace stockings, a flowing skirt, and layered top. Don't forget the heels. A full face of make-up will also make you feel like a million dollars. The cuter you are the better you'll feel.

Step 3: Spend a few dollars and stop at Starbucks. There's no excuse, you probably pass over a dozen on your way to work. They have a great gingerbread latte out and even carrying the cup can up your happy factors.

Step 4: Read all the fun mail in your inbox first. Daily Candy, Short List, trade emails, notes from friends. Get a smile in before the tornado of Monday morning hits. You'll also clear half your inbox this way so you can sort of feel productive.

Step 6: Leave on time. Do not under any circumstance work past 7 or 8pm. You have at least 4 more days of work left. If you can't get it done on Monday, everything will be okay. Working late should happen Tuesday - Thursday.

These are just my thoughts on Monday morning as I battle my blues.

My devil doesn't wear prada...

2006-11-11T21:53:00.000-05:00

...if she did I may have a little more respect for her. If my devil looked anything like Meryl Streep (see picture on left) than at least I could stare at her all day in awe. Unfortunately my devil looks more like my least favorite aunt - the one who told me I was too fat as a kid and too skinny as an adult. You know which one I'm talking about.

Anyway, the boss lady has been keeping me quite busy which is why I've been lacking on the postings. The promotion meant more meetings and more work. Unfortunately, the more meetings part meant I didn't have time to do the more work part. After taxes, I think I ended up with the short stick. *Oh well*. While I may be in misery, there is no need for the girls of the department to be in the same misery. Our coordinator made a suggestion and I agreed - we needed a bonding experience. The ultimate decision: the marketing team that strips together stays together hence Sheila Kelly's S Factor. Haven't heard of it? Well, it's pretty much a striptease and pole dancing class.

The great thing about the intro class is that it forced everyone to leave work at 5:30 so we could be on time. We walked into the dance studio and was told the intro class was held across the street. My draw dropped when I saw the building. Sheila Kelly had transformed an old church into a strip dancing studio!!! Sacrilege - exactly what I need. It was almost like being a part of a secret society. Someone asked us what meeting was being held as we opened the large church doors. "A woman's meeting", our assistant giggled as she attempted to hide behind her yoga mat. (Oh god, I'm tainting her!)

The room was dark and filled with women of every shape and age. Our teacher looked like she had a full time job at Scores but sounded like she was 16 - did I write 16, sorry I meant 14. "Like, now, when I strip it's totally an emotional experience." (okay, if she had stopped there I would have just nudged my manager and smiled, but she went on) "I totally can't strip for people without crying and I do it 6 hours a day." (this is where she scared me a bit and the nudge became a grab with a quick glance at the door) We spent half the time stretching and the other half learning a pole trick. I actually got the hang of it. By the end of the night I was wishing I had some more pole time.

As I walked out of the class I wondered whether I could expense the $480, 8 week course. Hmm, that would be an awkward conversation. I wonder if I could change her mind if showed her my new pole split move.

Maybe I'm better off trying to convince her to let me expense a retractable stripper pole as a stress reliever. Yes, they do exist and according to my teacher "I couldn't live without one..."

My Cubicle...

2006-11-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

While this doesn't necessarily apply to me, I thought it was funny...I love my job because I'm not bound to my desk, but I can see how people could feel this way and this video does a much better job than my previous post "My One Year Anniversary"...so here goes...Click Here...

Vendors who won't let you down...

2006-10-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

When it's the day of an event and it's "do or die" - trust me, you want to die. Somehow that wish never comes true, sooo instead you do, do, do. When it comes down to the last minute you have to be able to rely on your team. Over the years I have worked with a variety of vendors. If you're just starting out or if you're tired of having vendors weigh you down check out my top five...

1) Security - Barry Meyerson: when you're working with talent or you just need a reliable team, then hit these guys up. Yes, they are certified fire guards (see previous post). Yes, they have their own set of security headsets. Yes, they are the best in what they do and they look good while they're doing it. Hiring them surprisingly won't kill your budget but are better than any one else you can pay more for.

2) Staff - Anytime Party Events: (waitstaff, bussers, bathroom attendees, coat check - anything you need). This team is amazing. First the staff is guaranteed to be beautiful. Second they will accommodate any need you have even if you have a request minutes before the event. They're also flexible with pricing. This team made my life ten times easier. I wouldn't hire anyone else.

3) Red Rope and Misc. items- Metro Office Furniture Rental: quick and easy to deal with. They bring whatever you need. They're also great on email and follow-up quickly. The website is deceiving (trust me), these guys are my go to for all my misc. items. The best part is that it usually only takes 1-2 emails and everything I've ordered from them is on its way.

4) Staff - Anytime Party Events: (waitstaff, bussers, bathroom attendees, coat check - anything you need). This team is amazing. First the staff is guaranteed to be beautiful. Second they will accommodate any need you have even if you have a request minutes before the event. They're also flexible with pricing.

5) Catering - Chef & Co: Beautiful display, resourceful with time/staff, and amazing with theme parties!!!!

I've yet to find a reliable/quick furniture rental vendor who has enough variety in stock to create every look that I've ever needed. I've had to jump around quite a bit on this vendor but if you have one you recommend definitely let me know.

Lingo...know the inside language

2006-10-29T09:46:00.000-05:00

There is nothing worse than looking like an idiot in front of a bunch of people. Fortunately for me, I'm not referring to myself. I'm actually writing about one of our liquor sponsors for a recent event. I was stunned by the beautiful, young woman that emerged from the elevator for a final walk through at a recent event. I was discussing the branding options for her company and showing her the bar space. I thought I was speaking to a young, ambitious woman who had worked her way into this company...you know intern, assistant, coordinator, and now pr manager...but the minute she opened her mouth I realized I was speaking to Daddy's little girl who got the job straight out of college. As you will come to learn, in this industry, you will run into this type of PR professional quite often. In this case, it was obvious that she had never worked in PR or events before (she probably majored in some general study program and decided that she did in fact want to do something when she graduated - just like her friends. It's called a job, honey). She stared at me as I repeated words that seemed to fascinate her. She repeatedly asked me to remind her what certain things meant. All respect for this woman was lost. I made a mental note to always ask for this rep because she won't ever ask for any additional signage at an event (if she even knows what that means).

The quickest way to spot an fake is if they don't know the lingo. So now you're thinking, do I know this inside language? Well, whether you do or don't let me go over the basics so at least you can try to hold your ground and know your options when someone is whizzing you through a venue...

Red Carpet: Almost every major event has one, even if it is small. The red carpet is the entry that all VIP/celebrities must walk. Red Rope/Stanchions go hand in hand with the red carpet. You've been to a club so you know what red rope is, the stanchions are just the poles that hold them up.

Step and Repeat: Most of the time this is the backdrop to a red carpet (see picture on the right). This usually runs the length of the red carpet and is where photographers/interviews take pics. It always has the logos to the major sponsors so that when a photo runs in People (for example) the image of the celeb will also have the logo of the companies sponsoring the event.

Branding: Put your company logo, image, icon, name, or URL on something (cocktail napkins, glasses, rugs, anything).

Sponsors: This word refers to a variety of things. Paid sponsors either pay a large sum of money to be connected to the event and in return they get their logo on signage, banners, table toppers, program, credits, step and repeat, etc. The second type of sponsor is a barter sponsor. This sponsor provides something to you for the event (liquor sponsor provides vodka, wine, etc.). Generally you negotiate with the sponsor as to what they will receive in return. A mention in the program, signage, step and repeat, web link, or nothing. Often times a sponsor simply gets to show their product at the event or simply gets to brand what they give (such as a print sponsor can brand the tickets). Note: the term sponsor and what you get/give really depends on the event. Trade shows/conferences usually have set sponsor opportunities and clearly delineate what you will receive for what you sponsor (aka the breakfast break, the gift bag sponsor, etc.)

Gift bags: This is the item everyone speaks about before the event (in anticipation) and after the event in excitement or disappointment. A company hosting an event generally never pays for the items in the gift bag. Usually consumer product companies are dying to get in gift bags in order to get their products into the right hands. However, recently there has been a crackdown on gift bags and taxes. It's good to keep on top of this new information - click here.

GOBO: This is when a light projects your company logo/image on a wall (see pic on left). Typically it is the company logo but Gobos can come in all forms, event if it is a pattern or custom textured lighting. This is cheap way to brand an event and it looks great. You can project on a wall, floor, or pool.

Sanitation Area: This is the area that the caterers/bartenders desperately need. When scouting a venue make sure that this area can be created or exists. This is where waitstaff swap out dirty glasses for clean ones, where god forsaken nasty trays are stored until the end of the night. Extra everything is kept here: ice, soap, cups, napkins, etc.

Fireguard or Fire Marshal: Know this word and know it well. This is one of the quickest ways to get shut down. I try to save costs and make sure ahead of time that the security that I hire are also certified Fireguards or marshals. The number of certified peeps that you need at an event usually depends on the number of people attending an event.

Evite: you probably know this word already too. Most companies are opting to send evites as opposed to or in conjunction with hard invites. Some companies actually send hard invites to VIPs and evites to GA.

VIP area: Everyone knows what this is. There should always be some area for celebs/execs to escape to.

Pin Point Lighting: basic lighting term that is down lighting on a specific area to call attention or highlight that area.

Passes: There are different types of passes. These allow people access to different areas. There are usually crew passes, all access passes (you can often cut these out if you need to save $), VIP passes, press passes, and security passes.

PA: I've said this before, but this is a production assistant. If you haven't hired them for your event/show yet, then get on the phone. They're not expensive, it's a learning experience for them, and they do anything you need them to.

Room Drop: I love this word. It gets me excited every time I hear it, especially if I get to be a part of it. Room drops usually occur in hotels that you have talent, celebrities, or attendees staying. It's either a thank you gift (bottle of wine and card, etc.) or a general branded item. It can be anything. You pay the hotel ($2-$4) per room to leave a basket, item, letter, etc. in a particular place in the hotel room between particular hours. I love to drop unique, fun, yet luxurious items.

Other words you probably know by now:

Caterer
Coat Check
Bartenders
Bathroom Attendees
Contracts
Vendors

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.

The Promotion...

2006-10-27T11:47:00.000-04:00

P-R-O-M-O-T-I-O-N! Okay, I knew it was coming but I'm still excited. A promotion at a company in a year is great...not to mention the 30% raise and the $13,000 bonus (this is the part I'm really excited about...this was unexpected...though taxes are going to be a killer). It was also a great review (if they only knew the truth). Embarrassing to say this, but it was almost a guarantee...what I've done for the network in a year is pretty crazy. All it took was a handful of words - "I can do it" - and I was able to launch new initiatives, add a fresh perspective on promotions, and received a ton of work. The 96 hour work week peaks around events was a bit much, fortunately for me the security is so tight there was no way for them not to know how long I was working.

Word to the young working woman - not all companies are as grateful or ethical as mine (even mine isn't as grateful or ethical as they may sound). I actually think most companies would have taken advantage of the work ethic and given me a slap on back, "Good Work", and a 10,000 pennies. At some point when you're working the crazy hours you need to step back and take a look. Do they care? Are you happy? Is there a point to working these hours at the company you find yourself at? I did this numerous times during my quarterly "I don't have a life" breakdowns. Fortunately for me, I knew there would be a reward at the end of the year. At least I made it so that there wouldn't be an option for the company not to recognize my work and I was prepared to release myself to a headhunter if they didn't see it the same way.

So what does a promotion really mean...it means the end of life as I know it. I was always accountable for my work and the work of anyone working on an event/promotion, but now I'm really really responsible for everyone's work - and they're adding one more body to the mix to help out with the website promotions and new media initiatives that I've been charged with. *Sigh* Today is my day off to relax and reflect on the year that just passed (despite the one meeting I had to attend off-site even though it's a vacation day), but Monday is back to, well back to Monday...

The PR Agency From H-E-double hockey stick...

2006-10-25T21:50:00.000-04:00

How can a communications agency be sooo bad at communicating? If you can answer this question I will send you my favorite New York hand made chocolates. Seriously?! We hired a PR agency to promote a recent event. Now, everyone knows that PR agencies are worse than politicians when it comes to false pitches. At least with politicians you have a chance to vote them out after a few years, ignore them because they ignore you, or at least try to start a scandal so they get kicked out of office...but with a PR agency your bound by contract. Let's start from the beginning.

My boss's friend recommended this PR agency to me (clue number one). They had done an amazing job with other events (supposedly) and talked talked talked about their clients - but they didn't have a brag book and sent us online to see their outdated website (clue number two). Their vice president of sales is a twenty-four year old former Lizzie Grubman intern who can't seem to ever find her way out of our elevator (clue number three). Now, I occasionally play softball during the summer and you would think that with three strikes they would be out of the ball game...instead I willingly walked up to the plate and gently threw them ball - again. They then proceeded to miss and hit me in the head with a steel bat. Ouch.

Through the entire party planning process I had to harass them for information and status reports on where they were with sponsors for the event. I had to explain clauses in contracts that they worked on. And here's the real kicker. I had to request a list and clippings from the press placements that they managed to scramble together after the event. You would think a PR agency would be happy about the photos/mentions they managed to get a client especially if it's in US, People, Page Six, Life & Style, the Daily News, and the New York Times. Maybe they didn't want to send the clippings because they realized they spelled our name wrong in the tip sheet they sent out to these journalists (yes, yes they did).

If I were my boss I would fire me for listening to my boss and hiring them. Unfortunately I'm not my boss and I'm stuck with this agency for another three months - damn contract retainers! So what now (besides attempting to get sick so that I can take a leave of absence)? Deal with it. First, I've managed to sweet talk the assistant into patching me through to the publicist every time he won't answer the phone because he sees my number. I've also finally, and I mean finally, managed to get them to send me information in a word document and not just in the form of a choppy blackberry message. These are big steps.

We have another event next week and I just got back from scouting a venue (yes, it is 10 o'clock at night). It's supposed to be low key - 100 people, very specific target, easy set-up/break down. Let's see how much damage they can do in a week.

10,000 pennies all for me...

2006-10-24T23:04:00.000-04:00

Well they finally recognized my one year anniversary at the network with a $100 dollar gift certificate. Woohoo! $100 dollars! That's 10,000 pennies. I'll try not to spend it all at once. Now back to work. It's been a long day and will continue to be a long night.

The event diet - types of event jobs in NYC...

2006-10-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

I was looking in the mirror this morning and realized that I’ve been on the event diet for over 3 months. The event diet: you’re too busypre-event or you’re still in “post-event follow-up mode” that you only have time for one meal a day (dinner at 11 o’clock at night). While I don’t recommend this diet to anyone I do have to say that for some reason I feel like I have more energy during the day if I’m on “go” mode. “Go” to me is “cranky” to my staff. Around 3 in the afternoon they’re collecting money to buy me a Snicker’s bar from the vending machine. By 7 they’re hiding their Sergio Rossi heels and trying to sneak out the door barefoot. And by 9 they have their car vouchers in hand, ready to leave me at my desk looking like the picture on the right (hmm…by 9 at night I would feel that way about my boss too, whether she ate or starved herself – the latter being more likely).

At the same time when we finally do walk out the door there’s a sense of satisfaction to completing a day’s worth of work (actually it’s a day’s worth of work for 12 people being completed by 5 people but that’s what happens in the events world). While I like to think that most companies are understaffed as mine, the type of events and the hours you work will really depend on the type of event job that you have. While I love to execute and thrive on the event diet not all companies run this way. Below are some basic breakdowns of the type of event companies in New York and some pointers on the different types of events.

Types of event positions in New York:Event departments: by interning in an events deparment it's possible to get a job offer but don't bet on it. These departments are infamous for using interns as full time employees. The more interns the better - this is also known as slave labor. One good thing about a working for a department in a company is that you'll be exposed to other areas. It's possible that they'll also freelance you for specific projects if they like you and if they get additional head count they're often loyal to people who have worked with them in the past. In my opinion the larger the company the better. For this type of job, contact the companies directly.

Promotions/Marketing departments that puts on events: These events are often a different type of event. There's strategy behind this department and the events you'll throw. This means it isn't just flowers and lights - you'll have to have premiums, branded placements, work with various departments to make sure you're meeting your goals (ad sales, pr, affiliate marketing, intergrated marketing, etc.). There's a point behind the event - usually the event is the end or the realization of a bigger plan. And the event is one aspect to the marketing plan. You'll also probably get paid more than other places and you're job is a little more stable. You need to be interested in more than events to work for a promotions or marketing department. You need to be somewhat professional and a marketing degree or experience is key. Again larger companys (Sony, MTV, NBC, Time Warner, Disney) are all great. If you're interested in a job with this company contact the companies directly. They all have great career websites.

PR departments: PR departments in companies are not event departments. You will go to quite a few events but you will go because your company is sponsoring an event, your company is throwing an event, or you're invited to events other companies are throwing. You will not go because you're putting on the event (at least not the cool events). This is the key difference between a PR agency and a PR department. PR agencies often throw events, PR departments in larger companies primarily work the phones, send out press releases, and develop relationships. The events/marketing department of a company will actually throw the event.

Promotion Agencies/Fulfillment Agencies: working for one of these agencies will expose you to various industries, various types of events, and you will get to travel (a lot). I think this is probably one of the best ways to explore different areas. You'll never get bored. Note: these agencies tend to be smaller. They often hire freelancers and guerilla marketing staff who are willing to travel. If you're not on staff here, you're probably in and out of work. This usually is not a permalance gig (think mobile marketing, trips to NY to escort winners, any type of sweepstakes prize you've heard of they do, etc.).

Marketing agencies are similar however they often offer a variety of marketing services including events.

1) Don Jagoda & Associates If you're not quite ready for the harsh life of events but want to ease into it with a friendly staff, here's the place to do it. You must also be willing to commute for an hours outside of the city.
Contact: Kara, 631.454.1800

2) POP2Life - one of the best agencies to work for in New York City. Highly recommended! Cutting edge.
Contact: Eric Murphy, 247 Centre Street, 6th Floor, NY, NY 10013; P: 866-767-2533

3) Graffiti Communications: Think young and fun. Not sure if they have an office in New York but they're here often enough. Bad website, really great shows. They did a great show a few years ago for Elle Girl and Kodak.
Contact: Barbara Graff, 310.589.9300, barbara@graffiticommunications.com

PR agencies: Similar to event departments in major entertainment companies, PR agencies are known for working their employees to the bone. Yes, the perks are amazing...you're cool just to be on the team...but starting salary for someone immediately out of school - $23,000.

1) Harrison Shriftman - be prepared to be tortured. I've heard horror stories about this agency. They do throw great celebrity filled events, a great "in" to the industry, but you'll also be sitting on the floor typing on a lap top for most of your time there and working late nights at every event (almost every other night of the week). They have a great closet with designer pieces (where they'll hold your interview) but not so great benefits or pay. I've heard that one of the two bosses calls just to test the employee answering the front desk phone. Viewer beware yelling will insue. The best thing to do is call the front desk - if you can get past this snotty 22 year old then you're golden. fashio

2) Full Picture: Classy and on-point. You'll learn a lot be the stereotypical PR girl (tall, blonde, etc.) is necessary for a job here.
Contact: Jesse Parker Stowell, jstowell@fullpic.om

There are numerous PR agencies out there. Don't be taken advantage of.

Event companies: Event companies often specialize in specific types of events. Know what you want to do: parties, corporate events, weddings, fashion shows, etc.

1) Funky LaLa Productions: really bad website, really great fashion shows. They did a great show a few years ago for Elle Girl and Kodak. A little easier to break into then the following two.
2) Benarroch Productions: Serious business. Cutting edge. Stunning. You need to be on point for this one.
3) Publicis : Be ready to do anything, go anywhere, and smoke cigarettes.

Radio Stations: Radio stations are great to work for. You will get a ton of hands on experience in the promotions department at most stations. They're looking for people to work for them. They also often sponsor club nights, concerts, and local events. Even though you won't be planning these events you'll get to see how they are put together.

WHTZ - Marc Rivieccio

WFAS - Janine Spadaro

WAXQ - Eric Lemieux

Hotel:
Work for a hotel. There are quite a few hotels that host amazing events every day. If you work in the entertainment sales department or even the catering department you’ll be able to learn how to plan for larger events (from food, to flowers, to set-up). While not terribly exciting, it is a great way to develop contacts across numerous industries. Try W Hote in NYC. Ask for the Complex Entertainment Sales Team Manager.

Favorite Job Search Engines: www.mediabistro.com
Outside of New York?

No worries. Do the same thing you would do in New York. Try radio stations (these are generally your best bet), hotels, event spaces. Have a particular city or question let me know and I'll see if I can get you an answer.

Where not to find a job:

Craigslist (seriously) - from a woman to a woman, if you are desperate and choose this route to find a job please be careful.

Staffing agencies - when I first came to New York I interviewed with quite a few of these and found nothing but empty promises. Most staffing agencies (from my experience) push you to do something you don't want to do. If you're in New York and you are desperate for a job the one agency I would recommend is: Jemstone Associates, ask for Jeff or Russell (212.551.1154)

The most important thing to remember is that you want to get your foot in the door. You want the chance to show them what you can do. Once you're in, you're in, it's getting in that's tricky.

The Internship - Your way in...

2006-10-22T13:09:00.000-04:00

in.tern also in.terne (in-turn)

a. A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training. (this is what people say an internship is meant to be)

b.One who is interned; an internee. (duh)

v.tr. also (n-tûrn)

a. To confine, especially in wartime. (now this is more like it)

Internship Expectations
A couple of you have asked a similar question - how to obtain the coveted internship in events/entertainment? The fact that you're even asking this question is important. I believe that internships are key to opening doors and creating valuable contacts. But I think if you're smart enough to be asking this question then you're smart enough to face the reality of an internship. The intern is the lowest form of life at the office. It's important to realize this. When you think you're above basic research, filing paperwork, logging tapes, and running around the city on errands - then you've made a fatal mistake. You'll never get more responsibility until you accept this. Let me share some horror stories I've witnessed first hand.

Case 1) I was interning with the largest music television channel in the country. There are hundreds of interns at this company each summer. It's hard to get noticed. But this intern managed to do it. Every year there is a major executive retreat where the "higher ups" go to a Caribbean island and meet to discuss the company. Of course talent shows up and the execs have a good time. A handful of interns are asked to go down to help out - to do the grunt work. One intern went down and near the end of the week there was an end of the day karaoke party. I guess she had one too many drinks and before anyone could save her life this intern was crawling on a bar singing "Like A Virgin" to the president of this multi-billion dollar company. Now while Madonna may be able to look and sing like this - no one else, let alone an intern can do the same. The next Monday there was silence in the office. Everyone knew. On Tuesday this intern mysteriously disappeared.

Case 2) I was working for a talent agency. A major rapper was working on a deal with the company and got friendly with one of the interns. The rapper then asked the intern to join him on his tour for the next week. The intern dropped off the face of earth. Didn't tell his supervisor and went for a week with the rapper. Needless to say he didn't have a job when he got back, didn't get the school credit, and has since been black balled. Did the week really pay off? Not really. Do you know how many groupies these rappers have? Do you really think he remembers this intern's name? I think not.

Case 3) Your boss wants you to have a good experience. Work hard and they'll reward you. Interns who have worked extremely hard have had the opportunity to work the events they helped plan including red carpeted events. I know several interns who have worked the VMAs even flying down to Florida over the past few years to work the event. I know I have had interns babysit talent, set-up an event, work a red carpet, and help with after parties. Note: work hard before hand. Don't assume you'll work the event. But when momentum begins to pick-up (about a month before the event) let your supervisor know that you're willing to work the event if you they need your help. I have never turned down an intern who offered up help (unless they failed the I'm more than a pretty face test) and the truth is sometimes I won't ask an intern if it's going to be a late event because technically they shouldn't be working that late. But if they ask I'll put them to use. All major events need interns (award shows, launch parties, etc). Just being there is a learning experience for you.

So what does this mean? It means if you're going to accept an internship don't act like an intern.

Don't dress like an intern. Dress like your boss even if it sucks.

Jeans if she wears jeans. Sneakers if she wears sneakers. If she's in heels you need to find the comfortable median because you're running around and she's not. You get the picture.

Always be early. Earlier than your boss. Choose to stay late - if you have work to do get it done early.

A few weeks after I finished my internship in New York City my former supervisor called me at school. She called just to say that she missed me and the girl who had taken my place as the fall intern left at 6pm everyday to catch a train home to Jersey. While interns are never really asked to stay late and aren't expected in theory to stay late, I spoiled my boss by making sure I left the office when she left and had everything done before she got in the next morning. I eventually accepted my first job offer from this woman.

Do anything and everything to make your boss's life easy and don't necessarily tell her.

I was working on giveaway items for an Adam Sandler contest that needed to be embroidered. My boss's boss at the time finally spoke to me and asked for samples to choose a color. The embroiderer was in Long Island and couldn't send samples in time. He actually had a man at Bloomingdale's because it was Father's Day that weekend. So what did I do? I took my lunch hour ran up to Bloomingdale's, bought a pair of socks, and had him do sample color pieces on it. I never told the boss's boss that I did this. Never told her I spent the money. When the project was done. The embroiderer called the boss's boss to follow-up and mentioned the incident. A few days later my boss told me that the she knew and was impressed. It's the little things that matter. As a boss who has interns and staff, trust me - this is true. If you don't do it, then I'm going to have to do it during my off time or send someone else to do it.

Now that I've gone through some dos and don'ts, the hell and the heaven - if you're still interested in working as an intern then read ahead.

Timing and Focus:

Think about the industry you want to work in, not just the type of job. For me it was always about entertainment. I then listed out the television channels, movie studios, and record companies I would one day want to work and went directly on their websites to apply. For internships in events/entertainment you need to do the leg work yourself. The career centers at most schools fail to acknowledge this industry exists.
Do not apply too early for these internships. Timing is everything. Here is the almost perfect timing breakdown for a summer internship:

December break: research where you want to apply, get your resume in order, and cover letters written.
End of January/Beginning of February: send out your resumes. If you apply too early your resume is tossed to the side because the company is stilling trying to find interns for the spring.

Resumes and Standing Out:

Sending in a resume isn't enough. An intern is actually going through the resumes/cover letters and putting them in piles for her supervisor to look through. The yes pile, the maybe pile, and the no pile (this pile is directly into the trash bin). You need to have something that will make your resume stand out. I truly believe that my resumes stood out because I used a different color paper (a soft rose color).

Use a larger envelope or a slightly different color paper (not anything neon, subtle but different). Southworth is my favorite paper. I use their fine granite as a substitute resume paper (fine granite rose colored). You can buy it anywhere. But resume paper is resume paper.
Do not use perfume. Legally blonde is not the way to go - have you ever heard of allergies.
I know one intern who didn't have any special experience, applied like everyone else and landed in the coolest department with me one summer. She actually created a board game from her resume (a la "Life" style). Do things like this with caution and make sure that the companies you are applying to appreciate the unique surprise. It's important that you still convey the important information but packaging can be the difference between getting the internship and not.

Note: an over extravagant resume will also be a quick no. There's a thin line here. Walk it with caution. Be careful. Make sure you pass your resume through several people. You don't want it to be annoying or blaring. If you're doubting your technique go back to the drawing board and if all else fails send in a normal resume.

Follow-up:

So you sent out your resume and it's been a few weeks and still nothing. Follow-up in a couple of weeks to make sure they received the email/snail mail. If it's a fax follow-up only a couple of days later. If they acknowledge that they received your resume you are allowed one more follow-up. Just one so time it right. Give them a couple of more weeks but around mid-March and you haven't heard anything - use that spare key and reach out.

Paid Internships:

If you want to work in entertainment or events get used to not getting paid.

The interview (phone vs. in person):

Always always always try to interview in person. I gave up my sophomore and junior spring breaks to come into New York City to interview. I know I give a great interview in person so it was worth it.
When you interview in person dress professionally (even if they laugh at you when you're there). Be confident. Know your resume. Do you hair, nails, and have a great bag.
I had one interview over the phone when I was in college. It didn't go well. It was with a major record company and it came down to the fact that they couldn't see my enthusiasm, energy, or life. It is different interviewing via phone post grad when you have strong work experience that you can speak about but when you're just starting try to avoid this.
After the interview. Follow-up. Get a sense from the interviewer if you should send a hand written note or typed thank you letter. I have had a boss who thought hand written notes were unprofessional and another boss who thought typed thank you notes were stale. It depends on the vibe you get from the interviewer. Go with your gut and remember that these letters become a part of your permanent record. If I don't get a follow-up letter from an interviewee I don't hire them.

Studying abroad?

If studying abroad in the spring - life will suck for you, but it's definitely still possible to get an internship. The phone interview is a necessary evil for you. So practice breathing so you won't be nervous. Realize that you will have to be prepared for any given moment.

What the employer is really thinking about when "studying abroad" comes up:

When will they be back? Will they be prepared to start working? Will they be on cloud 9? Remember these things when you're interviewing.

Your timing is the same (see above) but if you're opting for snail mail realize that you need to pad it a bit. You also need to be more persistent. Follow-up. While most companies would be willing to do a phone interview the truth is that if they can't meet you in person who ever can meet them in person may have a step up on you. So what do you do to actually make them want to call you? Use the studying abroad aspect to your advantage.

Include why you went abroad in your cover letter (if it has something to do with the internship).
If you have an internship the semester you're abroad - fantastic. Play it up. Include it on your resume.
Include a post card with your resume. "London bridges may be falling down but all I can think about is working for your company this summer and here's why...". Do something.
Don't gush about the study abroad perspective but drop it in during the interview because it is unique.

Be prepared to schedule your spring break to come back to interview. Extreme but if you really want it then keep that option the back of your mind.
If you're worried about not meeting your employer before you start. No worries. They're not thinking about that once they hire you. They usually only meet someone for five minutes anyway.

Networking:

You landed the internship of your dreams or one that you're at least a little excited about. So how do you network as an intern without looking like brown noser.
- Make your boss happy. If you do this he/she will rave about you.
- Meet your boss's friends in the company. Fein interest in what they do. Always smile and acknowledge them.
- Be nice to the janitor and cleaning staff. They know everyone. I've run into my boss getting the gossip from the cleaning staff almost every day.
- Go to those ridiculous luncheons that the internship coordinators set-up. Go and then actually follow-up with the speaker. Seriously. This is one time that you'll have access to these executives without stepping on your boss's feet. Take advantage of it.
- Network with other interns. This is important. Keep in touch with them and remember that one day you may need them and they may need you. You're going to conquer the world together one day so don't think that you don't need them
These are the basics. Every person has a unique twist to their story. Find your twist and remember that we're human. We want a great intern as much as you want a great internship.

Do you have IT?

2006-10-19T23:31:00.000-04:00

I've never seen mascara run like this. Thank goodness for her skin's pink undertones - it hides the fact that she's been crying. Unfortunately her pink undertones calls out the running mascara. You can never win. Here's what went down the day before the event.

One of the assistants in my department had a minor, okay major breakdown. It turns out one of the agencies that had people on our RSVP list was upset last Monday and started yelling at her for doing a bad job at managing the list. It was 9:04 in the morning, the girl barely had time to sit down before her phone rang. The reason why this upset me - she did the most amazing job at managing the list! I have never seen a list managed so well. And who does this guy think he is yelling at this innocent 22 year old - yelling at one of my girls!!!

When I saw the tears pouring out of this young woman's eyes, I pulled her into a conference room and she spilled everything. My heart broke! I told her she was doing an amazing job! Because she did such an amazing job she would be doing more of the event next time and wouldn't have to do the list. Then she complained about her puffy eyes, I laughed and told her she always looked like that, and she went back to her desk.

What did I do? Have you ever seen the National Geographic Channel when they have those animal in natural habitat specials? Remember the one about the mama bear protecting baby bear. Well that was me. I stormed into my director's office and filled her in. ROAR. The next thing she did was channel it up and "Mr. I can make a young girl cry" was given a call. The next day the assistant had a beautiful bouquet from this evil man (though I'm sure his assistant sent it).

I never realized how protective I was over this girl. She's tall, blonde, and beautiful (so people love her at events when she works the door). She's also dedicated, works hard, and most importantly - she gets it. IT. That indescribable, unteachable instinct. Some people just get IT. They get events, they get decisions, they get how process works and they make the process work for them.

It's odd to think that I'm a female boss. I always think up in terms of managing and never really think down. I ask a lot from the people I work with. Some people might think it's unrealistic - the hours, the perfection, the endless amount of work. But I keep the same standard for myself. If it's not done perfectly, it's not done.

I know you're probably wondering if you have IT. Actually, you probably assume that you do. Everyone likes to think they have IT especially everyone who works in entertainment. But IT is something no one can teach you. You're either born with the drive or you're not. That being said, if you don't have IT fake IT. You'll be more successful, you'll make your boss love you, and you'll be promoted quicker.

Here are some basic fake it tips:

Double Check. Triple Check. Quadruple Check. And then check it one more time. Don't ever show your boss something that isn't perfect. The less they need to fix your work the more they'll trust you with bigger projects to handle.
Keep a pen and notebook with you at all times. Write notes for everything. You never know when you're going to need them.

I still do this. It's an old habit from when I was a PA. It's also something I'll always do.

Answer all your emails within 24 hours. Unspoken rule. You'll look on top of your shit if you do and you'll never get too far behind in your work.
Make it pretty. What does that mean? Every document, memo, recap, or agenda should be stunning. Add the logo, underline, bullet, format, format, format - oh, and format. People like pretty documents. If it isn't pretty it isn't perfect.

Note: I feel that this tip actually got me pretty far ahead in the game early on. Because my agendas were stunning I was asked to attend major meetings. Eventually they realized I had the same ability with event recaps and soon I was attending all the major executive events so I could create a recap for them. I began to add a page on what I would do differently to meet the strategic goals of the event or to help with traffic flow or simply to have a better coat check - before I knew it I was the one planning these events.

Go above and beyond. If they ask for a copy deck for the invitation. Come to the table with the copy deck as well as some creative concepts for the invitation. Volunteer to set-up the meeting for her with the creative team and take notes to recap it to everyone who attended. If you're asked to manage an RSVP list. Manage it to a T. Send an end of the day update every day to your boss so she knows what the numbers are like. And send a list of confirmed names every few days.

The key to this strategy is to make your boss's life easier. The little things that you take on will allow her to begin to trust you with bigger things. And yes, she will give you bigger things because you're making her look good. Make her look good and she'll love you forever.

These again are the basics. You don't need IT to fake it. Get started and you'll get noticed.

Alcohol makes any boss happy...remember this.

2006-10-19T22:15:00.000-04:00

This is a tried and true fact with my bosses. Every night event I have ever produced has, in their eyes, been a HUGE success - at least the parts they can remember (it also makes me want to start serving vodka tonics at my luncheons). So the first thing I make sure of is to have a ton of alcohol at my events.

Everything actually did go smoothly (with or without alcohol). This was the smoothest event I have ever produced. Even on a rainy day we were packed! Sponsors, talent, guests, and most importantly the boss was happy. I know this because when she's happy with an event I'm always bestowed with three days of peace immediately following. My last day of peace is tomorrow. Soon my rantings will return.

The one comment I would have about the party is that Carmen Electra was not that electrifying. See the picture on the left? Okay. Now imagine how you dress when you go to do laundry. Cut her face out and paste it on that image. Hmm, when I put it that way she still looks hot. Oh well, guess you had to be there.

My favorite part of every event is at the end of the night when the cleaning staff is sweeping up and the coat racks are empty - when you finally get to sit on the edge of the stage, remove the headset, and look around at the mess that's left. It's a great feeling to end an event exhausted but satisfied. People may think it's crazy to love the feeling of being attached to your cell phone and walkie talkie, while you run around in heels, but I love it. I love it even more now than when I started. Part of the reason is because I've learned how not to take on the stress of the event and to let the event be the event. Here are three to dos:

Don't think you can do everything. Remember these three words: delegate, delegate, delegate. Create a pyramid of authority. Hierarchy of staff during an event is important. Have the lowest rung of people report to a couple of people and have those handful of trusted staff who have passed the I'm more than just a pretty face test report to you. If you can eliminate the mindless questions you'll save yourself a ton of time and energy.

You need to be more than a pretty face before you can give someone the pretty face test. No matter where you find yourself on the pyramid, remember you're on the pyramid and there are a ton of people who would kill to take your place. Note that the lower you are on the pyramid, the more you should be willing to take on. Despite popular teachings, I believe you should never say No or that you're too busy or it's not a part of your job. Do everything your boss asks you to do, read and learn it. Even travel itineraries and talent gifts are important (this is how I got Usher's cell phone number and Britney Spear's home address - tell me that's not important).

Once you learn to delegate, remember not to keep all the information in your head. You planned it, but when it comes down to the event make sure you've prepared each of your staff members to know everything about their respective areas.

If you're a staff member being delegated responsibility ask as many questions at the start because you may not have another chance. Trust your judegment. Instinct is everything.

When someone comes to me with a problem that I can't spend my time on I *smile* and say "I know you'll figure it out". Learn to say these magic words and you not only have the problem resolved (because it isn't about how they resolve it, it's about the problem being resolved) but you also just gave your staff some authority and responsibility. It's their job now and if you've done your job right up to this point, they won't let you down.

If you are responsible for an area, try to figure out the problem on your own. Take ownership and no matter how small the task do it to perfection. The easier you make your boss's job the quicker you'll have her job. I promise.

Well my last day of peace is tomorrow. Wish me luck on Monday when the madness begins all over again.

The real question...What do I wear?

2006-10-14T23:41:00.000-04:00

It's the first comment the boss's boss makes in the meeting room when an event is initially green lit - Everyone start working out we'll be in LA in a month! or My shopper can give you tips on what to wear, this event is going to be very mojo and it's downtown of course. Of course. Why wouldn't it be?

The boss's boss is the creative executive of the company. She's a creative director who was restructured to the head of marketing when the company adjusted a few years ago. She's just as big picture as the boss. But the one thing she is serious about is what she's wearing. Which means we need to be serious about what we're wearing. But here's the difference:

The boss and the boss's boss:
*Arrives 20 minutes after the event starts
*Schedules their hair and make-up appointment for the morning of the event
*Sits in VIP all night
*Come with a fab Gucci clutch
*Makes a six digit salary

My Team:
*We've been there for 12 hours setting up
*We hope for 10 minutes to change but usually get 5
*We're running around during the event
*We're juggling a million things in our hands and hope that our subway card won't be stolen by the nights end
*We make enough to survive in NYC if we expense dinner three nights a week (usually not a problem)

So what happens after this meeting. Well, usually the newest staff member bombards me and frantically exclaims: What am I going to wear? or I can't afford a new Mark Jacobs' outfit! (usually the designer the boss's boss recommends to the staff). This is no laughing matter. But I laugh anyway because I can.

Then I quickly go through the prepared PowerPoint I have with the following tips -take notice all of you young ladies new to events this may one day save you:

Shoes:

If you're setting up wear sneakers during the day. If isn't possible (your supervisor considers it a faux paux) my favorite option are basic flats. I recommend: Me Too Ballet Flats. You don't have to break them in and they are the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned. Get them in black, of course.
If you're in charge or want to one day be in charge you need to wear heels. I know this sounds counter productive but heels mean power for a woman. Try to stick to heels that are 2-3 inches high and never purchase heels the day before the event (I made this deadly mistake and had the worst wedding feet in history).

Also never purchase heels that clickity clack. While you might feel powerful walking down the halls, everyone will avoid you like the black plague (and know where you are at every second of the event).

Whatever type of heel you wear, you must (and I say MUST) use Apara Heel Appeal. These silicone inserts are worth the cost of the entire event. No blisters, no cuts, nothing! You're feet will thank you. You will thank me. We will all be happy.

The Outfit:

If you're working as a PA and will be anywhere near the stage - assume you have to wear black. Why? Black is the one color that allow you to blend in the background, especially if this is being filmed live. Also wear black pants.

Note: We all know that PAs are the second lowest form of life at an event (just above office intern). It's okay. It's how we all start. The key is to be realistic about your job description at the event. Expect squatting, running, and carrying large items (sounds a little like boot camp).

If you're working the red carpet you are probably required to wear black. Ask. If you are required to wear black do it with style. Wear a dress and fab heels! Skip the purse or clutch (you need your hands to guide talent and beckon to reporters).
Wear black only if you have to (point 1 and 2) and in desperate situations (point 5). If you have any sense of style color will make you stand out - in a good way. Don't over do it, but remember that color is bold, confident, and young. Embrace the Alpha in you and make a statement.
A great fitted suit is always a no fail, but if the event is cutting edge then don't do this outfit unless you have a sexy camisole.

Note: This should only be if you're in charge of some aspect of the event. Any small piece. If you're not (and you're not in the know) then you'll look like a prentiticious prick and get stuck with the worst jobs at the event.

If all else fails and you have to grab an outfit from your closet the day of always have a safety outfit: black pants, black button down shirt or camisole top, dynamic necklace or earrings but not both, and those flats I recommended. No fail. Have this outfit on hand and use only in case of emergency. In this case you will blend into the background (much like a PA).
Important things to keep in mind:

Ask ahead if you're going to have a walkie talkie during the event. You will need to clip this somewhere. Your options:

A belt: either around your hips with a skirt or a belted dress (make sure the belt is strong enough)
Pants or a skirt that isn't made from flimsy material (sagging is not mojo)
A clipboard or binder that you will need to carry all night. If this is the case - dress away!

Ask ahead if there will be a safe place to store your stuff. Ultimately if your subway card and wallet get stolen - you suffer the consequences. Try to bring as little as possible to the event.

Hair and Make-up:

Make-up: Eyes Eyes Eyes. Everywhere else, less is more. Lipstick always keep neutral - very often you won't have time to touch up.
Hair: Loose hair is dynamic and hair pulled back is a statement. You can go either way it depends on the neckline of your outfit and your type of hair. Trust your gut.

These are the basics. Remember them and add to them as you go. Good luck!

Can't we all just get along...

2006-10-14T09:47:00.000-04:00

My girlfriend recently sent me this picture she took at Central Park. Adorable. It reminded me of how much I miss being around women who 1) aren't hounding you day in and day out (the boss), 2) aren't trying to sabotage you (the jealous co-worker), or 3) aren't analyzing your choice of heels and jewelry for the day (both of the above). In other words, I miss being around my girlfriends.

The past two days have been a whirlwind. We worked out our contracts and vendors. We've had all the artwork approved and creative completed. The final walk through with our sponsors went amazingly well and we booked quite a few celebrities to come on Tuesday. With the talent we confirmed Thursday night I'm sure more will jump on board Monday - woo hoo to media alerts.

I'm glad everything is going smoothly before the event (sort of a scary what did i miss calm), at the same time that just leaves room for me to think about how much of a life outside of work I don't have. I mean it's a Saturday night at 11:30 and I just got back from doing errands for work all day. My shoulders hurt, my brain is fried, and I'm wearing my flannel pajamas (sexy). Funny thing is, only one thing would make me happier in this moment of peace - being able to lean on my girlfriend on the seat next to me as we watch How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. Again. Okay, I lied. One other thing would make me happier - Dean and Deluca's powder sugared almonds - and then leaning on my girlfriend as we watch the movie. I share, I promise.

Good girlfriends - the kind that you can trust with your most intimate secret fears (even though you may never tell them those fears) are always the kind you take for granted. I think when you're a young working woman with big dreams and naive optimism, you need your "go to" girl who has her own dreams and is just as naively optimistic to keep you focused on what you want in life. Unlike the competition you have with your female co-workers at your job, the type of underlying competitive spirit between friends is a good thing. I think it's because you're not competing for the same things in life, but you're competing in a way that makes you want to be as on track on your life plan as your girlfriend is. It's a healthy sense of support balanced with an unspoken accountability. I wish there was a way to incorporate this into the work environment.

I was the bitch boss today and Nicholas Lachey ruined my pitch...

2006-10-11T23:29:00.000-04:00

Errrr...we're less than a week away from the event and for some reason I'm turning into a monster. What the hell is wrong with me?

It started this morning with the big decision: what light beer to serve, Amstel Light or Heineken Light? You've got to be kidding me? Amstel Light, duh, are we even really discussing this? Seriously, some decisions are soo small it boggles my mind how many people have an opinion. That was the start. Just when I think it's under control I had to cancel the outdoor heating contract because they couldn't get a liability insurance certificate in time, the furniture vendor backed out, and I found out that the step and repeat isn't going to be printed until Monday. Okay...I'll deal with those issues tomorrow, I had to run out the door to go on a scout for my next event.

I'm back...the scout went well but not great. See, I fell in love with the Nokia Theater for my spring 2007 event. I sold in our director, executive producer, and creative services team. That just left two more people before presenting to talent. Unfortunately, those two people thought it was okay. huh? LED screens, plasmas, a beautiful marquee to do a live feed of the show, and it's just "okay"? Grant you, walking in on Nicholas Lachey warming up for his concert that night may have put a burn on their mind, it did for my ears (but most definitely not my eyes, yummy). Thanks Nick.

3 hours later I walk into the office to find out that the new coordinator couldn't make a decision about the embroidery (though I left explicit directions), didn't send out the evite to the celebrity publicists, and didn't even interview an intern - what was she doing the last three hours? The last straw was the staff rundown document that she didn't get to me that morning and when I followed up she told me it wasn't done.

Here goes..."If you're not going to get it done, tell me. I expect it unless you tell me otherwise." Okay, so it didn't stay as nice as that. I really tore her apart. Do I feel guilty? Well I'm still obssessing over at 6 AM the next day. Do I regret it? No. Here's the bitch in me. I don't regret it, not for a second. If she wants to be on the events side of things she needs to be on point. The worst part is when I think I can give more responsibility to a twenty-three year old recent graduate (the "good" assistant) instead of this 40 year old coordinator (yes, she's forty). EEERRR, EEERRR, EEERRR!

My one year anniversary

2006-10-10T23:51:00.000-04:00

Well it finally came...my one year anniversary with my network. I expected balloons, hugs, high fives, or even just a disgusted I can't believe your still here. Nothing. The only thing I got was my money stuck in the vending machine.

Well let's look at the past 365 Days, shall we�

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments of fear.

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure,
measure a year?

Tight budgets, boring contracts, and meetings that bite
Endless emails
Bitch bosses, tight deadlines, and late Friday nights

In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
a year at a job?

Seriously? With me it's difficult. Yes, I do have my day-to-day tasks managing the website direction and on-air promos, but the brunt of my responsibilities are special events and promotions. This means that every time I get a project I work on it for a few months and it's over. That's it. I never see the show, never walk the red carpet, never taste those yummy jumbo shrimp, and never have a glass of champagne - though I do drink straight out of the bottle when everyone has left for the night but that doesn't count. With the exception of catching it on Extra or Entertainment Tonight the next evening and reading the clippings from the press agencies, for me the event is over. So how do I measure a year?

I guess the real question is how do I measure a year at this job (besides the number of bosses I've gone through)? I would say my paycheck but that can't be right. I think I would say that I would measure the past five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes by the different trains of thought I have had. For every minute that has passed this network has forced me to think in a new way. That's five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred new ideas. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred new challenges and five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred new solutions. Now if I could only get my paycheck to tell me that I'm five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred dollars richer every week...hmmm...

The Wicked Witch of the West

2006-10-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

Monday morning: the boss is still out and there’s an eerie calm. Looking back I wonder if that was how Dorothy felt right before the cyclone scene. Then it hits. It’s about 3pm and the Wicked Witch of the West makes her first appearance in our weekly marketing meeting. “Let’s talk about the fall preview…”- this is the new manager’s project. So I’m shuffling papers, writing notes and suddenly I hear "You can't fuck-up this way!” Whoa? When did the Wizard of Oz become rated R? Suddenly I’m paying attention.

Typically I root for the four legged cutie, when the Wicked Witch furiously exclaims "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!" No! Please, NOT Toto! But this time it’s different. The Wicked Witch is right - how could you send out a press release, get a half page article in the Daily News, take out full page ads in Maxim/FHM/Playboy and have DJs talking about your stunt driving people to a website but not have anything up on the website?

I may be on the boss's boss side but I don't agree with her public mutilation of this young woman. I wish I could click my heels for her – I wish I were home, I wish I were home, I wish I were home…eyes open…still here, no ruby slippers, and Toto is lying slaughtered in the wobbly conference chair to my right. At this point the only words of wisdom I have for my co-worker are: “Run, Toto, Run!”

But wait…just when I think it’s over the new manager looks up and nods. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault, I overlooked it and I’ll post the banner as soon as I get back.” Silence…Some more silence…And some more icy silence…

As you can imagine the rest of the meeting was pretty tense. As I sat back at my desk I couldn’t help but applaud my co-worker. She sucked it up and admitted she was wrong. A hard thing to do. She was lucky…she cut the abusive rampage shorter than what the boss’s boss may have intended it to be. I mean, what are you supposed to do after someone says sorry and admits it’s their fault – keep going on about how it’s their fault? We all fuck-up, but Toto’s got spirit. I like that.

Wine and the Gutsy Girl...

2006-10-08T11:59:00.000-04:00

*Sigh* - the weekend…a time to reflect. Recently I’ve been thinking quite a bit about life and what I want out of it - Where I want to be in ten years? How do I get there? Am I on the right track? Our company lawyer actually spurred this train thought. See…Two weeks ago I was asked to represent the company at a Jazz Benefit along with a handful of my co-workers. Not a bad deal – dinner, drinks, and Anita Baker. Who could ask for more? Luckily for me our company lawyer, Cindy, could.

It was about a half hour into dinner when the waiter came to refill our wine glasses -Cindy chose this moment to schmooze. With her persuasive abilities, Cindy managed to keep the bottle of wine by her plate as she waved goodbye to the young bashful waiter. This was the start. A bit later, Cindy turned to me and bombarded me with her lecture on life (as most women her age tend to do to a young working professional - much appreciated as always) - the right way to do things, the way not to let men step over you, and how I could have it all. She had read a book called Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead, But Gutsy Girls Do by Kate White. As wine bottle emptied the “gutsy girl” became the “gushy girl”, but her point remained the same – she saw the “gushy” in me and wanted to make sure I knew how to capitalize on it. This was coming from the lawyer who throws happy hours in the office when the executives go on their annual retreat and when we're working late she pops open her fridge to pass coolers around.

As I hailed a cab home I laughed to myself – did she really think I would read a self help book?! Not on my dime. I guess even in her tipsy state she knew me too well because the next day I found the book sitting on my chair. First impression – the cover sucks, the woman on the cover has an outfit on that screams 1980's, and here’s the kicker subheading – 9 secrets every working woman must know? Yeah right. But she had gone out of her way to give it to me, so when she walked over I gushed about how excited I was.

Regretfully on the way home, I put away the novel I was reading and decided to nail out this book quickly to get it over with. This is where my disbelief ends. I haven’t yet completely finished the book but I have to say – if you’re a young working woman you have to read this! No, it isn’t life changing but it makes you aware of the subconscious day to day things you do that make you blend into the background, that keep you from being the success story. This is the type of book that you buy, read, and are happy when you pass it to a girlfriend and never get it back (hopefully she’s passing it on to someone else). Here are some of the more interesting lines I found in the book:

A Gutsy Girl Breaks the Rules

Why they shoot down mavericks – this section talks about why people are eager to shoot down mavericks who take risks and how to get people on board before you even present an idea. I agree office politics suck, but this chapter is about righting the law for your own politics in the office.

A Gutsy Girl Has One Clear Goal for the Future – this was one of my favorite chapters

My girlfriends and I talk about this all time! Focus - have a vision. I know it’s hard to figure out what you want, but figure out what you want now in the next 3-5 years and if possible farther out. If you’re reading this Alegna I’m reinforcing what I always say - take baby steps! It’s about the next step but knowing the whole race!

A Gutsy Girl Does Only What’s Essential – interesting tactics

Give away the grunt work and twist the story so everyone wants to work. This is a scary chapter to read because it’s true that we take on everything that we can. Learning to delegate is against our natural instincts! While not my favorite chapter, definitely one of the more helpful ones.

A Gutsy Girl Doesn’t Worry Whether People Like Her

The guy secret to not taking things personally – damn those guys, but it’s true sometimes I take things way to personally and think about things for days (even over the weekend!). And my favorite part of this section: How to get people to worship you – this is all about one word: passion. You have it! Learn to use it!

I haven’t read these chapters yet, but these are the titles that intrigue me the most!

A Gutsy Girl Walks and Talks Like a Winner

Walking into a room: the power of a woman (more than just heels and cleavage)

A Gutsy Girl Asks for What She Wants

How to take no the gutsy way and what to do afterwards to get your way

A Gutsy Girl Faces Trouble Head-on

Why even nice co-workers become barracudas (what a great title!!!!)

A Gutsy Girl Trusts Her Instinct

Five ways to know what people don’t want you to know

Gutsy Girls Take Smart Risks

Taking the heat and what to do when you’re in over your head (this isn't a bad thing!)

So you’ve read these fun titles and you don’t want to buy the book. No problem, find me and I’ll pass it on to you!

The boss's boss

2006-10-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

While it might sound appealing to have the boss out sick for the day, the truth is when the boss is out you have to deal with the boss's boss. For me the boss's boss is the female boss you don't want to run into at a Bloomingdale's sample sale - she's the one who stomps on you as she rushes to the one rack of clothing no one wants. While normally this creative genius chooses to stay in her office and appear only for weekly meetings, today she found the uncanny skill of creeping up on me and appearing around corners.

On a typical day I avoid her phone calls at all possible cost. Her name pops up and I run to the bathroom, her assistant calls I'm off to the kitchen to get some tea. Unfortunately, today I'm the only one left. So when my phone rang this morning I had to pick up. "Hello"...there's always that awkward pause when she calls where it sounds like she doesn't remember who she's calling, but then it clicks...Her mission for the day - make my life miserable. My mission for the day - running around the office gathering left over premiums so that I could have a messenger deliver a "care package" to Christian Slater - who? Exactly. When something as important as this comes up we put contracts on hold, spots are late...hell, who cares if invoices aren't submitted - Christian needs his Girls Gone Wild DVDs, god damn it, and I'm going to get them to him! This task is obviously too important for her assistant.

It's days like this that make me truly proud of my work. In all seriousness- it does make me wonder, does my boss put up with her boss's mindless requests every day or was my boss's boss just being nice to me? Though I don't know much about my new boss, part of me feels bad for her. If it weren't for my new Miu Miu slingback heels I might have run all the way to Brooklyn to bring her some of my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup.

It was a rough Thursday and I'm forecasting a rougher Friday...Whatever the reason, I'm looking forward to Monday morning when everyone gets back to the office.

Ring around the rosy...

2006-10-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

Do you ever feel like you’re playing a game of ring around the rosie at work? Or someone says something sooo ridiculous that you stare at them and think, You’ve got to be joking? Well that was my Wednesday back. I barely had a chance to hit ctrl-alt-delete on my keyboard before I was bombarded – “You’re not going to believe what happened?!” - these are the words you never want to hear from an assistant.

There are two kinds of assistants – the good kind and the bad kind. Thankfully I have one of each. The good kind this time was the one telling me that the bad kind had sent an email blast without blind copying our entire invitation list for a launch party I’m producing. This in theory should be a little boo boo and annoying duh don’t do it again…but for us it’s a big boo boo and a how can you be so stupid when the executives from every major network are now hounding our door because we didn’t invite Susie big shot but we invited Larry the nose picker who actually does all of her work and places our spots. This lovely gift bestowed on me to fix was the first three hours of my day. By the time 11 am rolled around, I was well on my way to kicking myself for not jumping in front of the cab that almost rolled over my toes that morning.

Needless to say a two day break to get over a bad cough means very little even when you’re in CT where you get no cell phone reception (email is the annoying cousin who won’t move out of your house). To my lady boss’s credit the morning meeting proved to be quite helpful to catch up on the two days I was gone and as a bonus I also discovered that a new coordinator accepted an offer – woohoo, she has no idea what she’s getting into!!! While hump days don’t always prove to be the most productive, I was pleasantly surprised with the lightening afternoon of meetings where quite a bit was signed off on. Trust me, it’s not easy getting someone to write a check for $70,000 worth of Sushi and chocolate. This was very much appreciated with the launch party only a week and a half away.

Now to the hard stuff, crunching numbers. Events (for my company) are all about the budget vs. placements – how many press placements you get vs. how much money you spend. When you have to cut a budget in less than half and pull off the same event, it gets a little tricky. That’s the problem I’m facing with one event I’m producing for first quarter ’07 and boss lady is all about big picture – no details. I need to get a new budget in front of the boss lady for the exact same event minus a few hundred thousand dollars – ring around the rosy, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall…

So here’s a tip for a female boss who is all big picture – don’t bog her down with details. Information is power and if she doesn’t want it, don’t give it. Keep the pretty pictures in the power point presentation and cut the corners in a different way (no one is going to notice if we don’t serve lobster sushi, they’ll only notice if we don’t serve sushi, and a one color embroidery on the hand towels in the rest rooms are perfectly acceptable if the two color costs twice as much). As luck would have it, my cold managed to get passed around the office so the new boss lady is out today – though you couldn’t tell from my inbox. This gives me one more day to fiddle with then numbers for this project.

another one bites the dust...

2006-10-01T18:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't even had my one year review and I'm about to start working for my third boss. While I like to think that I had no part in the disappearance of my first two supervisors, I have to wonder - is any young ambitious female truly that innocent?

My last two supervisors were women and my new director is also a woman. As I'm sure many of you can empathize with, when you're a woman working for a woman the hours between 9am-5pm Monday through Friday take on the characteristics of a cold war. More on this to come...

The most recent departure was actually quite sad. My former manager, who I'll call Adrienne, had been with the network for five and half years. She was vibrant, bold, and sharp - but not at work. The time and changes of our network had taken a toll on her. She relinquished much of her work to me so that I could " learn". I did my part keeping her in the loop but her fatal mistake was letting go and jumping on board too late. Too late to take ownership, too late to be creative, and too late to be a leader. Her bitter end finally drowned itself with masochistic tequila and mango infused vodka at a local Bleeker street favorite. That was last Wednesday.

This Wednesday is my first day back in the office and I have the pleasure of kicking it off with the 9am daily status report meeting the new boss lady scheduled. Can someone please say venti Caffè Latte?

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