Employee Spotlight—Fran
Without Fran, nothing would get done. Office Coordinator extraordinaire and Venue Coordinator for The Balcony Orlando, she seems to do it all.
What’s your background, Fran?
I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and I’ve lived many places but Orlando is where I call home. I’m a Knight — graduated from the University of Central Florida, and worked eight years at Marriott, then three years at the Central Florida Fair.
At Big Vision, I wear two hats: as Office Coordinator I work as a high level assistant supporting the agency owners and an amazing team of 10 people, and as Venue Coordinator for The Balcony Orlando I have the pleasure of meeting couples who’s love journeys are just beginning, as well as coordinating birthday bashes and corporate parties.
What does an Office Coordinator entail?
Every organization has their different needs, and Big Vision is probably the quirkiest of them all. I do everything from check the mail and deposit checks, to support the team, plan birthday parties, and celebrate different milestones—whether professional or personal. My role is to cultivate an inviting office culture where we all feel valued and supported as a member of the team. It makes my service-centered heart feel great to be able to create this type of environment for my team.
How does that differ from your role as The Balcony Orlando’s Venue Coordinator?
As Venue Coordinator, I get to chat with couples who are planning their wedding, or event coordinators planning a holiday party, and everything in between; plus, the chance to meet other event-industry folks is a lot of fun. This side of the business — the events — is really cool because the industry is more collaborative than competitive. There’s never any hesitation to jump right in and assist if the moment calls. There’s this new term floating around that I really like: frendors. These are relationships formed over time in which vendors become friends. You work with someone long enough and a bond is sure to form, right? I love it!
Do you have a professional philosophy?
I’m very passionate about office culture. Your work environment is important because you spend so much time there, often more than with family and friends. It’s important to me to create a warm, welcoming space so team members are happy and don’t dread coming into work each day. I aim to foster an environment where folks can be a force for good in one another’s lives.
Do you have hobbies?
I love reading because it helps me de-stress and allows me to escape into another story. J. K. Rowling, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Jane Austen are amongst my favorite authors. I also really enjoy thrifting — it’s like treasure hunting.
My husband and I live in one of the Bungalower districts of downtown and we love being able to bike ride, visit farmer’s markets and explore local community parks. Fun fact, we actually took our engagement photos at Dickson Azalea Park. And have you noticed that there are all these little breweries popping up all over the place? If you happen across two folding bikes secured outside of a brewery, you have found us.
We know you love to cook, do you have a favorite dish?
My favorite dish I love to cook (that is bad for you) is fried pork chops, white rice, garbanzo beans and tostones. My favorite dish I love to cook (that my husband would approve) is a tomato, artichoke, and bean soup. I make it from scratch — nothing canned. Also, I make the pico-style dip that everyone keeps telling me I should bottle and sell… keep an eye out for Fran’s Famous Pico.
Lastly, I make the worst margaritas in the world. My husband tells me to lean into it and just call it Fran’s Bad Margarita. I couldn’t serve this to anyone out of pure embarrassment, but he thinks it’s funny and he often requests a Bad Margarita after an especially difficult work day.
What’s your Netflix guilty pleasure?
I watch Friends all the time. Like all the time. I have to force myself to watch other shows or movies. Right now I’m watching The Fall — it’s one of those psychological dramas where you just need to know what’s happening next.
What do you love about working at Big Vision?
I love the people I work with, first and foremost. Joe and Alyse have fostered a space in which we can all explore our crafts; the fact that the folks want to see you succeed is quite refreshing in a cut-throat industry. The mentality is that all ships rise, so if you do well, I do well, and the agency does well. I mean, we’re all friends here, so I really couldn’t ask for more.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you?
I took Tae Kwon Do as a child. I competed in, and won, an all-state competition for all sorts of karate-like things that I can’t remember the terms for now. Ha!
Also, I hate butterflies. Really, any living thing that flies that I can’t reason with is a source of anxiety for me.
So who’s this Nick guy who hangs around the office ? 😉
We met at Marriott, I stole his number, and our first date wasn’t even a date. We’ve been together going on five years, and I couldn’t have asked for a better life partner.
We uplift each other, we talk ALL the time. We’re that couple that can’t sleep well until the other is around, haha. We’re like magnets.
If you enjoyed this post, keep an eye out for more of our employee spotlights so you can meet the rest of our awesome team.
If you’d like to join us head over to our careers page and show us what you’ve got.
A modern creative agency.
