Inside DigitasLBi XD: Amy Gershman, Lead Content Strategist
Inside DigitasLBi XD is an interview series of the Boston XD team’s “Unicorn of the Month.”
Where are you from?
I went to high school in a small town in Maine (Winthrop). So, when people ask, I say I’m from there. However, I’ve lived in Massachusetts for three-quarters of my life. Growing up in Winthrop was surreal — only one blinking yellow traffic light, one chain store (Cumberland Farms), and a market called Mr. Market (for real). Everybody knew everybody. I graduated with about 70 kids in my class. After Winthrop, I attended Boston University, where I graduated with 6,000 other students. That’s the same size as the entire population of Winthrop.
Did you always want to be a content strategist?
I did; I just didn’t know it. Content Strategy is a relatively new discipline. When I first started out, I don’t think it really existed. Luckily, the path I chose set me up well. I started out as a content developer and learned some technical skills. Next, I moved on to a more traditional editorial and development role. (A lot of red pencils were involved). Then I shifted within the same company to digital marketing. Put it all together, and you get a content strategist who has experience with many different channels and stages in the content lifecycle.
What brought you to Digitas?
When I switched from editorial to digital marketing, I did so intentionally. It wasn’t hard to realize that print publishing is a dying industry and my company was having a hard time keeping up. When I started looking for new jobs in digital marketing, most of them wanted agency experience. So, I narrowed my search to focus on agencies. And, here I am.
What do you like about working at an agency?
I think working at an agency helps you develop skill that you can’t learn anywhere else. The pace is fast, the work is intense, and working with clients forces you to be strategic and really sell what you’re doing. I also like that no project or account is ever the same. You have to take what you learned and apply it to different markets and different scenarios. It’s challenging and exciting — kind of like constant troubleshooting.
What types of projects do you find inspiring?
The most inspiring projects I’ve worked on are the ones with the fewest guardrails. The ones where we’re not limited by time, budget, or other constraints. I’ve loved every “blue sky” project I’ve participated in. I also prefer projects where we get to do our own research. I feel like the deeper understanding I have of the strategy, the better recommendations I can make.
What are your career goals? What are you hoping for?
My goals are pretty simple. I want to keep learning and to keep getting better at what I do every day. I’d also like to convince more people of the value of content strategy. I’m not sure everyone is sold yet, but I believe firmly that smart, relevant content is a crucial component of a good user experience. My plan is to keep advocating for that, and my hope is that the more good work I do, the more people will buy into our capability.
What are some of your favorite tools?
Screaming Frog is my favorite tool for web crawls (and it has a great name). I use it for clients and sometimes for competitive analysis. I love MindJet for mapping. I know a lot of CSers like to use spreadsheets for mapping, but I prefer something more visual. I love, love Trello for managing big projects with lots of steps involved. I use Trello outside of work sometimes, too.
Favorite sites for inspiration?
It depends on what kind of inspiration I’m looking for. For work, my two favorites are A List Apart and Smashing Magazine. I think both are smart, well-written and current. Brain Traffic publishes some pretty good articles, too. I’m not sure it’s all that inspiring, but I also visit w3schools.com a lot. As a mom, I frequent scarymommy.com to keep me sane.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Outside of work, I love books — fiction, young adult, children’s books, whatever. I love to bake and entertain. I love to travel. The coast of Maine is my happy place, so I go there a lot. But most importantly, I’m the mom of two amazing little girls. They’re smart and feisty and they challenge me every single day. Being their mom is the best thing I’ve ever done.
Lately, I’ve also become pretty active in my town (Easton, MA). I work on the monthly newsletter for one of my daughter’s schools. I’m active in a political group who volunteers and advocates for local causes and elections. And as a family, my kids and I have a goal to do one kind act for the community each month — like make valentines for veterans or deliver Thanksgiving meals to families in need.
The views expressed in this post are that of the authors and may not reflect the views of the agency or company.
