On January 15th I attended the first ever Tadpole Women in Marketing event hosted by Red Bull and Tadpole Event Marketing and Consulting. As a full service marketing and consulting company, Tadpole’s owner Carolyn Deighan recently devised the brilliant idea of bringing together significant women in action sports and youth marketing to share their experience and success in the workplace. The event took place in front of an inspired, sold-out crowd at Red Bull’s headquarters in Santa Monica, CA.
The panel of industry leaders included, Amy Stettler, Global Account Director for Apple, Amy Taylor, VP of Marketing for Red Bull North America, Caralene Robinson, Director of Marketing for Boost Mobile, Circe Wallace, Senior VP of WMG Management, Dyana Kass, Senior Marketing Director of Interscope Records, Kenna Bertell Florie, VP of Marketing at Roxy, Renee Lawter, Special Ops Commander/Owner of Eyerus, Shanti Sosienski, Owner of SOS Communications, and Staci Levine, Partner of SnL Communications.
Answering questions specific to their career journey gave the audience a clear picture into the often misunderstood realities of working in action sports. How they balance life and work, what it’s like working in an environment dominated by males, and advice regarding breaking into and starting a career within the industry, provided valuable insight to both the industry’s perks and pitfalls.
Being someone that is trying to find my own place and career within the industry, I was anxious to hear how and why the women got to where they are today. The most prevailing theme was to find what it is you love and stick with it. If you’re passionate about something, whether it’s surfing, music, fashion, or just enjoying nature, and you begin a career related to your passion, ultimately you’ll be successful. It was also interesting to hear the contrasting views of being a woman within the industry. Some found that “acting like a dude” is a successful way to work with men, while others believe that being emotional can bring a needed and respected dimension to the workplace.
This event was unlike any I had been to before, and I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most successful women from the industry I’m so passionate about. I also learned that the panel did share one thing in common, which was that they’ve always wanted to “blow s&*! up.” They wanted to not only be a part of the action sports industry, but they wanted to make a mark and make it strong.
I”d like to give a special thanks to all the supporting partners of the event: Red Bull, Eyerus, Global Inheritance, Roxy, Malakye, Group Y, Belvedere Vodka, Fiji Water, FuelTV, TheGreenGirls.com, www.yourdailythread.com, and Plan B Skateboards.
