What 25 Years Have Taught Us About Communications
Reflections from Eastwick’s Alumni on Their Agency Experience
As a continuation of our 25th anniversary celebration, we wanted to highlight some of our most memorable alumni as they share their favorite Eastwick memories, advice for business success and lessons learned.
Read the stories below of what real life Silicon Valley has been like over 25 years:
Paul Bernardini, Sr. PR Manager, Ooyala
Tell us about how you came to be an Eastwicker.
Blame it on new nieces and baby showers. It was 2014, I had just moved to the Bay, and in the middle of my job hunt my sister asked me to go to her baby shower with co-workers at Santa Clara University. “Come along!” she said. “It won’t be weird,” she said. I begrudgingly complied.
She was wrong. It was weird. I left and came back hours later to help load presents. With onesies and diapers up to my chin, one of the professors my sister supported stopped to ask about my background, interests and career. PR came up in the conversation and she handed me contact info for one of her ‘PR friends’. One week later, I found myself getting coffee with the former VP of Corporate Communications for Apple! A great first contact in the Valley for a Midwestern kid looking for a job to say the least. She put me in contact with Eastwick, and the rest was history.
How did Eastwick fit or not fit into your expectations for what agency life would be like?
Honestly, I had no expectations. I was just a newbie out of college, with an eagerness to work. The opportunity in tech drew me to Eastwick, the people made me stay.
How did Eastwick prepare you for life beyond the agency?
Firstly, working at Eastwick made me realize how much college doesn’t prepare you for the real world. You learn quickly there’s no textbook guide to what we do. Secondly, I believe foundations are extremely important: family, friends, beliefs, etc. Eastwick is the bedrock of my PR career and impacts how I approach strategy, measurement and relationships to this day. I’d bet every Eastwicker either still at the agency or that has moved on would say the same.
Joan Hammel, Senior Director, Public Relations — Comcast NBC Universal
Tell us about how you came to be an Eastwicker.
I was at a crossroads in my career. I was considering two paths…join Eastwick as a consultant or take a full time job as head of corporate comms for a major technology company. As I considered my choices, a friend said — only somewhat tongue-in-cheek — that it sounded like I had a choice between the illusion of security (a full time job) and the illusion of freedom (working as an independent consultant). At the time I thought, “Well, I’ve typically opted for the most secure route and that hasn’t always paid off…” so I decided to take a chance on what seemed like the riskier choice. I thought I’d end up working at Eastwick for a year, maybe two, as I did more soul searching to figure out where I wanted to be. Turns out, I stayed with Eastwick for 7 years and had some of the best, most fulfilling moments — with some of the most outstanding people — of my entire professional career.
How did Eastwick fit or not fit into your expectations for what agency life would be like?
I had been with agencies prior to Eastwick, and I’ve been at agencies since — but at that time Eastwick was an agency unlike any other. It was early days when Barb, Nancy and Elaine were active in the day-to-day work and with the consultant network they had built, we became an unstoppable force. I can remember presenting our capabilities back then and we just kept winning and winning. The growth was incredible. Everyone could feel the enthusiasm and excitement we had for what we were doing and it was infectious. We had this camaraderie and affinity for one another, we were all in-it-to-win-it and we got unbelievable results. It truly was unlike anything I saw at any other agency, before or after.
How did Eastwick prepare you for life beyond the agency?
I was relatively young at the time, but we were always working with so many senior level client contacts…CMOs, CEOs, CFOs…that it gave me a broad perspective into aspects of business, marketing, finance and operations that wouldn’t have otherwise had. Afterward, that executive-level viewpoint was so helpful as I advanced and developed my strategic planning skills. It also taught me how to speak to executives in terms they relate to and that has helped me be persuasive in so many aspects of my career.
What do you miss about Eastwick the most?
Without question, I miss the people. I have stayed in touch with almost all of the consultants from those days and every time I see one of their posts on Facebook or LinkedIn it brings a huge smile to my face. We had this incredibly tight bond, all of us…I knew that whatever I needed, someone was there to help. And I learned so much from everyone.
What is your favorite client or Eastwick memory?
There are so many fond memories — literally years’ worth — so it’s hard to pick just one. But I recall we did a major announcement for WebTV, just after they were bought by Microsoft. We hosted a huge media event at the original MTV studios in New York. We had about 6 weeks to pull the whole thing together. But we did it. After the news conference, we had a series of one-on-one meetings booked with executives and I was literally running from one thing to the next — just completely consumed with the schedule and the briefing points and getting calls on the fly with reporters who wanted a comment. It was total insanity. My feet ached, I hadn’t eaten more than a bag of Doritos in 48 hours and we’d been up all night at Kinko’s (anyone else still remember being up all night at Kinko’s?!)…but I was so happy. Any time I think back on that day it makes me smile.
What was the Silicon Valley like in the 90s?
Silicon Valley is, was and will always be an extraordinary, exceptional place. In a lot of ways, it was completely different back then…the Internet was barely taking shape, using email was “new,” there was nothing called “The Cloud” — and no one had a smart phone (can you even imagine?) And you had this sense that old ways were crumbling and new things were coming. Things we couldn’t possibly imagine. But when I step back, if someone asked me today what Silicon Valley is like, I’d say pretty much the same thing. Silicon Valley will always be the place where the world’s smartest people say “what if?” That question is at the heart of everything we do. I’ve stayed inspired and engaged in my career and profession all this time because I am so excited to see what the next answer to that “what if?” question is going to be.
Elise Lipkowitz:
Tell us about how you came to be an Eastwicker.
I met Barb at a career fair at my university several months before my graduation. At that time, I knew nothing about public relations, beyond that PR professionals work with industry and the media. I gave Barb a pitch that I had worked on my college newspaper, and was interested in learning more about industry. Soon thereafter, I was invited to an interview at Eastwick’s Redwood City office. At the time, Eastwick was building up a “strategic services” group, and I was one of the early hires.
How did Eastwick fit or not fit into your expectations for what agency life would be like?
I had no idea what to expect when I joined Eastwick. In addition to being my first job in public relations, Eastwick was also my first full-time professional job. At the time, Eastwick was synonymous for me with the working world — quirky, familial, friendly, collaborative, and creative. After Eastwick opened its San Jose office, I split my time between the Redwood City and San Jose offices, allowing me to partake in the culture of both offices.
How did Eastwick prepare you for life beyond the agency?
Although I have not worked subsequently in public relations, my Eastwick experience has shaped my professional life ever since. Eastwick fostered my interest in science and technology, prompting me to pursue a doctorate in history of science. That path, in turn, has led me to teach and write about the history of science and work in science policy. Eastwick taught me communications principles that I have used in every job since. My time with Eastwick also instilled a sense of entrepreneurialism and a confidence in being able to learn new things and take on new tasks.
What are the most valuable professional and/or personal lessons you learned at Eastwick?
Professional Lessons:
- Always have your “elevator pitch” ready
- Use the “rule of three”
- Show your appreciation to all who work with you or for you; Barb, Elaine, and Nancy consistently modeled this
- Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate — our collective thoughts are more interesting than our individual ones
- Know your personal/organizational brand, embrace it, and build on its strengths
- Client service; Eastwick instilled in me a sense of what that means and why it matters
Personal Lessons:
- Brewing a decent pot of coffee. The first time I had kitchen duty, I was almost fired (from kitchen duty) for brewing watery coffee. I and countless others who have consumed subsequent pots appreciate the intervention.
- I like back and shoulder massages.
- Laugh during the workday. It makes it more fun.
Tracy Beaufort:
What are the most valuable professional and/or personal lessons you learned at Eastwick?
Agency work can be grueling, but at Eastwick, we strived to have fun too.
We had many “getaway” moments such as trips to the bowling alley, parks, dive bars and wine bars. We also had big wheel hallway races, cooking parties, scavenger hunts, and whacky events such as Patrick’s “practice” wedding. We played countless games during staff meetings and parties (“Really Barb? ANOTHER game?”). Sometimes the team felt ham-strung by “forced fun” because a deadline was looming, but it was always a relief to let loose, and have a little fun. I’m a type-A workaholic, so the work-hard, play-hard rule is the only thing that keeps me from being a complete bore. Work hard and play hard.
Eastwick is like the “Madonna” of tech communications.
We always set the new standard — whether it is the Eastwick brand or the technology we use to supplement our craft. If you stand still, you’ll get run over, so keep ahead of the pack with new, fresh, different, creative. It’s exhilarating for you and everyone around you. Never stop reinventing yourself.
I’d like to think I’ve embraced this concept of change and reinvention too — whether it’s where I’m living (“hello Palm Springs!”), the type of volunteer work I’m doing or taking up a crazy-hard new sport like golf. Change is good.
Life is too short. Know When to Walk Away.
We were never afraid to politely walk away from business that paid well but was somehow unfulfilling or made us miserable. I won’t recount the stories or name names. They know who they are, and we are all still friends (for the most part! LOL). Life is just too damn short to be unhappy or frustrated. I would have never figured this out on my own, so thanks, Eastwick, for this huge life lesson!
Remember what I said about walking away from clients that are unfulfilling? I know I said I wouldn’t name names, but I must for this story! We took the Baan Software account just as I was returning from maternity leave with my daughter. This European client was appealing to us because we had just started working with Business Objects, (a company that was dual-HQ’d in Silicon Valley and France) and the synergies made sense. What ensued was the most fascinating and crazy, crazy, crazy client experience we ever had. Between the user conference all-nighter scramble, meetings called at 2:00 a.m. (remember, I had a newborn, and sleep was a priority!) and an incredible amount of “who is on first?” hilarity, we made a hasty, (yet professional) exit.
To decompress, we had the BEST. PARTY. EVER. On a boat in the Redwood City Seaport on a beautiful summer afternoon. It was called the “Baan-Voyage” party. Some of the client contacts attended the party and we celebrated our successes amidst the craziness. I still smile thinking about how lighthearted we were to have made the decision to let go. I think back to that “ahh-moment” of relief and happiness when life is handing me a lot of crazy.
