In the northeast, 8 pm sunsets are here. Signaling the beginning of summer, visions of long sunny days, endless barbecues and summer travel. Many of us have grown up in the traditional PR agency world yearning for ‘Summer Fridays,’ which loosely translates to wrapping up early on Fridays and beginning to celebrate the weekend socializing with friends. But IRL, not every Friday could be a Summer Friday and meeting deadlines often meant missing out on the perk every now and then.
We don’t need Summer Fridays here at Escalate. Many of us are lucky enough to pursue our passions for outdoor challenges and wanderlust, year-round. We make our own hours, work hard and get the job done. And many of us caught the travel bug early enough so we don’t really need warm weather to pack a bag and go exploring. We asked a couple of colleagues about how they take advantage of this unique agency model to pursue their passions and how that makes them better PR Pros.
Climbing/Running/Hiking
Whenever I have some free time, you’ll find me in the woods hiking or running. I enjoy the solitude I find in the trails and the thrill of reaching a sought after summit. I”ve developed deep friendships with my fellow trail runners and hikers as we work together to tackle these self imposed challenges. Working at Escalate has allowed me to balance my passion for running/training and my career by allowing me to manage my schedule while still meeting the needs of the business.
– Paula Finestone, Chief Operating Officer
Top 5 Favorite Destinations: Iceland, Croatia, Sedona, Portugal, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire
Travel
I grew up with a big appreciation of travel and all that you learn from it. My parents took my brother and I to Europe several times and while we visited the big cities and saw the main attractions we always had the most fun driving around the small villages with no set agenda. This was pre-smartphone so we were really exploring with a map and a guidebook! I learned so much from those experiences – especially how to be adaptable, embrace the unexpected and listen.
Today, I want my children to have those same experiences. Any chance I get, I’m on a plane with my husband and two kids in tow, traveling the world. I love exploring without a rigid plan. Finding small restaurants, trying new food and meeting new people are all great, but now seeing my children experience those things is amazing
Traveling is a great teacher. I’ve learned to slow down, I listen better and adapt my communication style to the situation or location I’m in.
– Jennifer Jewett, Senior Vice President
Top 5 Destinations: India, Bali, Hong Kong, Turks & Caicos and Croatia.
Don’t pine for Summer Fridays at a traditional PR agency. If you’re curious about work culture and client service at Escalate and would like to join the team or work with us, drop us a line here.