I did a really smart thing about six months ago – and have been patting myself on the back ever since. Trouble is, I’ve been too ridiculously busy and head down in work to make time to brag about it. That’s being remedied – right now.
A little over six months ago I convinced Katy Ryan Schamberger to join the V3 team as our Chief Content Officer. She’s been writing, developing, editing and managing content creation teams for a very long time, so that part of the job was nothing new. The rest of the job, however, was new – and something that allowed Katy an interesting opportunity to take her career in a new direction.
The rest of the job at V3 consisted of working as an account executive and project manager and liaising with our clients and the many vendors and collaborators with whom we work on a daily basis. That involves too many things to articulate them all, but includes leading, training, cajoling and whip-cracking (as it relates to our creative and content teams). And as it relates to clients, it includes great communication, customer service, teaching and training, presenting creative concepts, managing the creative processes, supporting clients needs and …. well, the list goes on.
That part of the job, well, we call it that Lion Taming.
And as I suspected, Katy is terrific – at both parts of what is a very big, very consuming job – and especially great at the part of the job that she hadn’t experienced before. And methinks she’s even surprised herself in that regard – which is pretty cool. My gut is pretty good when it comes to people – and this time was no exception.
As an employer, there’s nothing more rewarding than putting responsibility into someone’s hands and just getting out of their way. Giving them tools and support as needed, showing them things they never thought they’d be interested in or do and then just watching them learn, grow and flourish — there’s just so much about that that’s great.
Here’s an excerpt from Katy’s “official” bio … and if you know her, you know that she’s nothing short of amazing:
Part of what makes Katy a successful writer and content creator is her voracious appetite for knowledge. She loves research almost as much as she loves writing, a skill that helps keep her on the cusp of the latest trends in digital marketing, advertising, social media management and technology. Katy views content creation as a way to educate herself on a number of topics, then push herself to write about those subjects in a way that conveys the client’s ultimate goal while keeping the reader hooked until the last word.
Katy is also a freelance writer and editor, and has written for a variety of Kansas City publications including the Kansas City Star, Shawnee magazine, Kansas City Homes & Gardens, MetroWireMedia, Northland Lifestyle, KC Business, At Home in the Northland and Urban Times. Her first book, a local travel guide called Moon Kansas City, published in March 2010.
Because Katy loves the “social” aspect of social media, she remains actively involved in the Kansas City community. She serves as co-content strategist for the Social Media Club of Kansas City. Katy also holds dual positions as marketing chair and board of directors member for Downtown Shareholders, a non-profit organization dedicated to the resurgence of downtown Kansas City, Kan.
So, forgive me for taking so long to publicly introduce you to someone who is not only an integral part of the V3 team, but someone who literally makes my life better, happier, more productive, sane and infinitely more fun – on a daily basis. Never mind all the great things she does for and with our clients. It even makes me overlook the fact that she’s a Missouri Tiger fan. (Mostly).
And, while she might kill me for using this photo of her, if you know Katy, you know there is no better image – on the planet – to accurately depict her personality.
If you don’t yet know Katy, you can follow her on Twitter @katywrites, read her regular contributions right here, on the V3 blog, or stalk her on LinkedIn where she spends a great deal of time. (Because I make her) (I love bossing).
#iheartkaty
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”
