My Conversation with Karly Peterson '15

I stated my day off by speaking with Karly Peterson '15, at 8:30 am. We met over Zoom and immediately bonded over the different hair products that we both use. I didn't know at the time, but she was also a Pi Beta Phi at LMU (sisters!!!). She started at Dose & Co. this August as their Marketing Manager for USA operations. Dose & Co. is a collagen power company based primarily out of Australia and New Zealand and is now expanding into the United States.

In college, Karly worked for Red Bull for a year and a half, handing out cans and driving the iconic Mini Cooper. While that sounds like the best college job ever simply based on the job description's duties, it was essentially field marketing. Karly learned to love Red Bull as a company after seeing how strategic and well respected they were in the industry. They analyzed sales data and consumer markets to determine where to promote and what events to throw. She emphasized how important it was for her to be working around intelligent people, and how much you can learn from watching and listening to those who are asking intuitive questions and producing work that you admire.

After graduating from LMU, Karly worked at Carat as a Media Planner. Throughout her year at Carat, she learned the work hustle expected at an agency and experienced the more strategic side of advertising. Her time spent there also taught her that being stressed out in your job is not necessarily a bad thing. You end up learning so much when you are in challenging situations and are pushed to do the best work that you can possibly produce. Even if you fail along the way, recovering from being unsuccessful shows that you can move forward with more knowledge than before.

Like so many throughout the US, Karly experienced layoffs due to COVID-19. After six months of working at Billboard as Manager of the Integrated Marketing and Brand Partnerships team, she worked on a contract to aid clients in brand partnerships and marketing execution. Starting in May of 2020, she worked as a freelance Marketing Manager at Brand New and Creative Director at tmrw magazine.

Karly is now in a full-time position heading the marketing for all of Dose & Co.'s US operations, so there is a lot of freedom in what she can make happen. She is currently working with Khloe Kardashian, who will be the face for social media endorsements.

Aside from influencers, Karly stressed how important it is to get along with your co-workers. These are the people that you are spending 40+ hours a week with, so fostering healthy relationships will go a very long way.

"Your career lasts your whole life."

Karly shared how the experience you obtain from spending time in lower-level positions is the only way that you will be prepared to work in higher-level jobs. Becoming an executive at 30 years old is very impressive, but there are rare circumstances that the individual would possess the leadership experience or industry knowledge that would motivate their employees.

We spoke about how competitive the younger generations are, especially in the workplace. Many people graduate college expecting to land their dream job the second they get their diploma, and many are disappointed when that does not happen. Many entry-level positions require 3-5 years of experience in the industry, so it becomes even more challenging to get into the industry right off the bat.

Even working as an assistant for someone you admire, or who has the job that you aspire to have is a great way to get useful experience. Not to mention, having a person who will advocate for you will make things much easier later on.

People always say how important networking is, but Karly phrased it in a way that really resonated with me. She talked about how it is more than just the people you meet, but the way that they remember you. The energy that you give off will be more prominent in someone's mind than the things that are on your resume.

Karly spoke about how she prefers to work on the execution side of marketing compared to the strategic planning side. Seeing the culmination of your work come to life is extremely gratifying. After hearing this perspective, I definitely understand wanting to work on this end of the marketing process.

We talked about what goals I have for my own career, and I realized that I do not want to give up my love of art and design. What I prioritize in my life will ultimately dictate what I excel at, so spending time developing my design skills will open up opportunities that will

integrate creativity in my career.

Check out Karly's website at https://www.heyitskarly.com/