👋 Tell us a bit about yourself (personal + professional): how did you get started?
Hello! My name is Emily, I’m 23, and I am the Marketing Coordinator at Snack! I graduated from Simon Fraser University in 2021 with a Major in Communication and Minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. I was one of the classes who had to finish the last half of my degree online and experience a “Zoom Graduation.” It wasn’t exactly how I expected to close that chapter of my life, but it adds to the plot! It actually led me to being interviewed by Stephen Quinn’s “The Early Edition” on CBC to talk about my experience, which was totally a full circle moment for me.
I definitely did not envision myself to be in the place I am now. Growing up, I was that person who had to try everything. Which makes a lot of sense why I thrive in positions where the day-to-day tasks are never the same and be involved in projects that require different skills.
I embarked on a lot of activities and volunteering opportunities because school never really came easy to me. It honestly wasn’t until the 11th grade when my whole friend group was talking about grad applications and program requirements that I had a slight moment of reality hitting and was like “oh wait… I should probablyyy think about that.” One thing led to another, I ended up in the Communication program at SFU- but I actually owe it all to Twitter!
Confession time: I created (and still monitor, secretively) a Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande fan account in 2013 and never looked back. Anyone who was part of or observed stan Twitter during the early 2010’s just gets it. The “fan account” to “social media manager” pipeline is REAL.
During this time, when it felt like I had to make some sort of decision towards where I wanted my future to head (a lot of pressure at 17–18 years old btw??? what’s up with that???), one of my favourite things to do was keep up with Seventeen Magazine and social media to the point where I had the *lightbulb moment*- there are real people behind the scenes producing the media content behind all my favourite social brand accounts and magazines, and it could be me one day.
I prioritized my creativity and followed that little voice telling me that all these years I spent participating on social media was no longer seen as just a hobby, but a career. I am a huge advocate for not settling even when you feel as though you have no other options. Of course it varies case by case, and you never know unless you try, but it’s important to listen to that little voice telling you: “I know what I am capable of. I have the confidence in myself to become all I ever wanted.”
Which leads me to Snack. I checked my L*nkedI* (this is the only mention they get because we are #TeamPineapple) one afternoon and saw a message from the C.E.O and Founder of Snack, Kim Kaplan, wanting to talk about this project she was starting. I am beyond thankful I had that call. I started as a Intern in January 2021 with Snack and fell in love with the position. It was a true match, one might say. In May 2021, I was offered the role of Marketing Coordinator and I have been a #Snack ever since. I have been exposed to everything I partook in and observed growing up, and still can’t believe it’s something I am part of everyday. I think it’s an important lesson to not ignore your passions or interests even if it’s not the same as everyone else’s. There’s something there worth chasing, and it will lead you to where you need to be.
👋 Our community is curious about all that you do: what do you do in your current role? What’s it like working at The Snack App? Walk us through a day in your life!
Honestly although I am part of Gen Z, keeping up with Gen Z is a whole job in itself.
I usually start and end my days with scrolling through what’s going on in pop culture that we could meme or incorporate into our content. TikTok has become my BFF… a blessing and a curse. I’ll engage with some videos through Snack’s account and build our community and awareness. I prioritize engaging using a voice that is almost like a bestie supporting the user through any dating mishaps, and witty! I help with our copywriting as well within the app and externally.
Throughout the day I’ll monitor our social accounts and look for any PR mentions or comments. Then, I’ll begin brainstorming content that could be turned into social posts. My favourite part! I can get inspired really easily sometimes. I could see a comment and be like “this could be a graphic.” I also spend time working on campaign ideation and processes for our Community Marketing Interns across the US college campuses! I came across a video from @girlbosstown talking about Olivia Rodrigo’s upcoming tour and after watching it, I got super inspired and shared a campaign idea regarding “Dumping Your Ex.” Donating their clothing or anything that reminds you of them and righting their karma. A moment.
We work the majority of our time remotely so Slack (and Zoom) is my other BFF. I’ll talk to the marketing team and design team and inform them of my findings or any types of graphics needed. There’s a lot of small parts that lead to a big picture, but it’s always exciting to see what we can come up with!
👋 How does your brand connect with their audience?
Snack is a video-first dating app that is made for Gen Z. If there is anything Gen Z is a pro at, it’s being the main character! Snack gives Gen Z that stage to show off their true selves through video when dating. Think of it as a virtual vibe check.
I am a strong believer in romanticizing the little things and just creating fun out of every experience. We really work to give Gen Z the tools they need when dating and our team is extremely open minded to what that might be. We are always connecting and consulting with Gen Z through our projects and development of the app.
We also love to have fun with our content and invite our community in! TikTok is our main platform for this. We have street team hosts that go out in LA and other locations to ask strangers dating related questions (what is your biggest ick?) and we have 2 dating shows on our @datingonsnack TikTok account! We have found a major splash with a segment called “based on the sound of our voice” where we have invite influencers and our community to be our bachelor or bachelorette/contestants and have some fun dating. Snack also just transitioned our live dating show to TikTok and host it every Wednesday at 6PM PT/9PM ET, so stop on by! You may even get the chance to shoot your shot with your influencer crush…
👋 What is something you love about what you do? Any favorite projects you’ve worked on?
I love how we are encouraged to bring any ideas further and have the support to pursue them. I’d say my favourite projects have been our dating shows and our Snack X Drunk In Love card game! Creating that was super fun.
👋 If you could tell gen z one thing about making career moves, what would it be?
Do not alter yourself to fit a specific role or company. You should never feel as though you need to change a part of yourself to get hired somewhere. Be proud of your voice. It’s really important to be graceful with everything you do and everyone you come across. It truly is a small world! And a quote from Serena Kerrigan that I love: “rejection is redirection.”
👋 What is a superpower you know we have as a generation?
It’s so hard to choose just one (which is a good thing!) but 3 specifically come to mind:
From my time in the dating scene and observing it, I would say Gen Z is extremely self aware and knows what they want. We aren’t afraid to call out our own red flags and acknowledge when we’re the drama. I loved the TikTok trend to “traitor” by Olivia Rodrigo where it was like “you betray-” and buffered and let people reflect on dating struggles like “well…I didn’t text them back… I probably could have put in more effort.” Such a vibe. We know when we’re being toxic. But more importantly, we don’t settle. We know what we deserve.
Another is how much we advocate for mental health. I am so grateful to be part of a generation that has started those conversations. I have been working through my anxiety for as long as I can remember, and most of the time getting out of bed is the hardest task of the day. I feel pride that I no longer am ashamed to talk about it. Every small step is progress and I know Gen Z will help lead the way.
And lastly, we really normalized celebrating ourselves and every little thing. We hype ourselves up!
👋 Here at Pineapple, we’re firm believers that we’re more than our work: we’d love to know one fun thing that gets you through the week: (a friend? stellar music? etc)
Ok, why is sleeping in on the weekends the first thing that comes to mind? I am the queen of naps. Like, could sleep all day. But actually, I really look forward to new music Friday’s! I don’t think I will ever lose the feeling of excitement that comes with my favourite artists’ album release days. I also love a good Saturday night out with friends where we can just catch up and enjoy cute, silly little overpriced drinks.
👋 Is there anything you’re manifesting this year?
Literally just good vibes. I feel like we all deserve it after the past few years! I’m really embracing the unknown for the first time ever, so I am just going to ride the wave and enjoy the party.
👋 Where can others find you?
Pineapple: pnpl.io/emilycook
Instagram: instagram.com/emluciaa
TikTok: tiktok.com/@emilyschampagneprobz / tiktok.com/@datingonsnack
Twitter: twitter.com/emcookxo
