Engaging Conversations with…Pamela Rivera
July 23, 2015
BSTRO has a new office in New York City, headed up by none other than Account Supervisor extraordinaire Pamela Rivera. Read on to hear why she loves working closely with our East Coast clients—and what she misses most about life in San Francisco. (Spoiler alert: It might be cookies.)
Name: Pamela Rivera
Job Title: Account Supervisor
Location: New York City
Twitter: @pamelakrivera
First of all, Pamela—congratulations on heading up BSTRO’s brand new New York office! What’s on your agenda today?
Grab a cup of tea, check to see if there are any networking/learning events happening in the building today, and then settle into my office to catch up on emails/prep for my meetings! Today, I’m meeting my first NYC roommate from 6 years ago for lunch. We’re going to the popular Stone St. located behind my building.
When I picture New York, what usually goes through my mind is: clips from the movie Working Girl, the statue of liberty, and slices of pizza. Is there other stuff going on over there that I should know about?
Too many to name! I was running through Central Park yesterday and randomly caught an orchestra doing a free performance in front of Literary Walk. I caught the tail end of the show and it was amazing.
What do you love most about working in New York?
I love being able to say that BSTRO now has a branch in NYC! It’s been great to just take a quick walk or train ride to many of my meetings versus a 6-hour flight!
What do you miss most about working in San Francisco?
I definitely miss the interactions with my colleagues in the office and being able to easily walk up to their desk and discuss a request with them. More importantly, I miss taking selfies on people’s cell phones without them knowing it when they step away from their desk.
Let me be more specific—of all your coworkers in San Francisco, who do you miss the most?
Does the cashier guy at Mr & Mrs Miscellaneous count? I miss their chocolate chip cookies!
But really, I think it’s a great privilege to work so closely with your mentor. I’ve learned/continue to learn so much from Mary Puls so it’s been hard not to sit across from her anymore! But I am grateful I’ve been able to catch up with her on her NYC trips.
What’s been the best part about getting to hang out with our clients and other agencies in person?
I think it creates a stronger working relationship when you’re able to put a face to a name (and not just from Linkedin stalking!). It helps build a stronger foundation among partner agencies as well as your client. When you work with the same people for so long, day in and day out—it’s nice to be able to share a part of that outside of the working atmosphere.
How did this new position and office happen? What was the thinking behind it?
On a work trip last year in Philly, Jill and I discussed her vision of wanting to open up a NY office and I expressed my interest if the opportunity ever surfaced. In early 2015, I was travelling much more frequently to the East Coast for a lot of Johnson & Johnson meetings so we revisited the conversation. After careful consideration, we now have a lovely office down in the Financial District!
Has it been a big change?
The time zones were a bit of a bigger adjustment than I expected! It’s so weird not to start the day with status with the team but it is nicer to be on the same time zone as my clients!
What do you think is the key to being a great account manager?
Always being on top of things, understanding the details and keeping all parties in the loop.
What marketing trends are you seeing from your new vantage point in the Empire State?
Start-ups are as popular here as they are in Silicon Valley. In NY, there’s much more competition for door-to-door convenience services than I noticed in San Francisco. They seem to be working on delivery for everything. Financial startups are also very hot in NY.
How many designer dresses have you purchased at sample sales since you arrived in NYC? Be honest.
Sigh. Don’t judge! I bought one for my roommate so technically 9. At 85% off, how could I say no?! I have, since then, unsubscribed from all promotional emails #timetosavemoney
Fill in the blanks….
- I should have eaten pizza for dinner yesterday.
- I wish that I could eat pizza everyday (with garlic knots).
- The first thing I do when I get to work is fill my water bottle up and make tea.
Senior Copywriter