Fairygodboss Of The Week: Tracy David
Fairygodboss of the Week: Tracy David
CMO
Shareablee
New York, NY
CMO
Shareablee
New York, NY
FGB: Tell us about your career. How did you get to where you are now?
TD: I didn't follow a straight career path and for many years I worried about not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. But, I realize now that all the experiences I've had is the reason I've gotten to where I am today.
I have an undergraduate degree in elementary education because I thought I wanted to be a teacher. It was only in my senior year that I knew it wasn't for me. After college, instead of teaching, I managed restaurants and eventually was hired by a friend to help him open several restaurants in downtown Manhattan. It was there that I started working with graphic designers and architects and fell in love with design.
I decided I wanted to be a graphic designer and cold-called Shiseido because one of my favorite designers, Eiko Ishioka, started her career there and I talked them into offering me an internship. I also worked at creative agencies and did a lot of identity design, which is what got me interested in branding. That led me to apply for my masters degree in strategic communications, which I got from Columbia University, which fast-tracked my marketing career.
I went from Bloomberg to Dow Jones and now I run marketing for a startup. I oversee PR, branding, design, customer acquisition, and content marketing. When I think about how I got here, it comes down to hard work. I always felt I had to work harder to prove myself because I didn't have the years of experience behind me.
FGB: What is an accomplishment you are proud of?
TD: My daughter and my relationship with my partner. Despite working all the time, I still come home to hugs and kisses.
FGB: What was a challenge you overcame?
TD: One recent professional challenge put a lot of things into perspective for me. I was part of a round of layoffs when the CEO I was reporting to left and the company brought in a new CEO. That never happened to me before. And, while I was relieved in many ways, I was also terrified. Because I had worked my way up to an executive position, I had built a false sense of security. When that came down I doubted myself. A lot. In hindsight, I'm glad I went through the experience because I was forced to stop and think about what mattered in my life. I had a great career, but I was unhappy and exhausted. I realized that it's completely possible to have both happiness and a career you love.
Lightning Round:
FGB: What do you do when you’re not working?
TD: Cooking, visiting museums and galleries, watching classic films (when I'm not watching Peppa Pig), playing dress up with my daughter.
FGB: If you could have dinner with one famous person - dead or alive - who would it be?
TD: Sigmund Freud
FGB: What is your favorite song?
TD: These Boots Are Made for Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra
FGB: What is your favorite movie?
TD: I can't pick just one because I have so many favorites, but here's a short list:
Chinatown by Roman Polanski
Citizen Kane by Orson Welles
Rosemary's Baby by Roman Polanski
2001: Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
The Godfather 1 & 2 by Francis Ford Coppola
Belle de Jour by Luis Buñuel
My Own Private Idaho by Gus Van Sant
Dial M for Murder by Alfred Hitchcock
FGB: What book would you take with you on a desert island?
TD: The Last Temptation by Nikos Kazantzakis
FGB: What is your shopping vice? What would you buy if you won the lottery?
TD: Real estate in New York City
FGB: Who is your Fairygodboss?
TD: My sister. She's older (although she won't admit it), wiser and always sees the sunshine through the darkness.
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