With nearly a decade’s worth of experience in marketing and public relations, Maura White shares some important takeaways: always learn as you go (“sink or swim,” as she calls it), don’t be afraid to wear a variety of hats, and remember that age does not define an entrepreneur.
Formerly an account executive at the PR giant Edelman, White, 34, is now the director of marketing and communications at the startup Emogi. Her role extends beyond traditional PR tasks to include social media outreach and analytics.
“I am learning so much every day,” says White.
She’s also gotten used to having a boss who’s 24 years old.
That’s Emogi CEO Travis Montaque, who was featured in Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30” list in January. Montaque founded his company five years ago when he was still studying accounting and finance at the University of Miami. Its purpose? Helping clients understand the “power of emotions and how it drives traffic.”
According to a report issued by the company, 92 percent of people online use emojis. Emogi focuses on this language and how it can help marketers optimize their campaigns and deepen brand loyalty.
White explains that Emogi helps marketers “understand the emotions their content or campaigns evoke.”
“We’re able to capture that content and capture that sentiment and turn it into data,” she says. “And then we study it, and analyze it, and essentially provide the marketer with how their brand is being perceived and what emotions it evokes.”
This isn’t the first time that White and Montaque have been in business together. When White was working in Los Angeles, Montaque was one her clients. They got along great, and Montaque brought her to Emogi in 2015.
Most of the Emogi staff works from New York’s WeWork Penn Station, but White was able to stay on the West Coast, working remotely from Seattle’s WeWork South Lake Union.
A typical day for White consists of rising early to check the news, touching base with the Emogi team, doing research and website development, and working with clients. They are full days with a lot of multi-tasking.
“I kind of giggle when people say work-life balance,” she says.
Photos: Ana Raab