Susie Quattrocchi, a 2012 CAMD Communication Studies/Music Industry alumna, is currently working at Pandora in California as an Account Manager, a position that has proven challenging, educational, and fulfilling. As Susie prepares for yet another busy quarter at Pandora, we asked her a few questions about her journey, and the connections she built at Northeastern that have helped her along her way. Read her responses below!
In your current position at Pandora, what are your responsibilities, and what does an “average” day at work look like for you?
At Pandora, my responsibilities include being the main contact for day to day operations on a book of about 20 clients advertising on Pandora. I am on the performance team and that means that we focus more on lower funnel KPI’s and tailor daily optimizations towards trends in the ad space on Pandora and the client’s goals. An “average” day for me looks different depending on what time of the month or year it is. Right now we are gearing up for Q4, which is typically our most challenging quarter from a Performance Client Service’s standpoint. I am working with my Account Executive to deliver data driven results from 2018 to our clients and pitch for additional revenue in 2019.
What would you say is the most rewarding part of your current position?
I would say that the most rewarding parts of my current position are that I have had the chance to learn a tremendous amount about digital advertising because of the amount of responsibility that was given to me early on in my role, and the team that I work with. The learning curves were really steep at times over the past year, but with the support of a brilliant team and a great manager, I have been successful in my role. I have made friends here that will be friends for a lifetime. Our team is very professional at work, but we love to have fun when we’re done with the day. We’ve had off-sites at Chrissy Field where we picnicked under the Golden Gate Bridge, another where we went to an Arcade/Bar in SF and played vintage video games all night, and last December we had a Yankee Swap Christmas party that could have gone on for hours if someone didn’t finally cave in and decide they’d keep the Crock Pot book! We’ve become close and that kind of bond is hard to find.
What are some of your interests and passions, and how have you been able to incorporate them into your academic and professional experiences, both at Northeastern and after graduation?
I am extremely passionate about music. At Northeastern, I minored in Music Industry. For my first co-op, I worked as a booking agent in the Boston area. I consider myself very lucky to work at a music company where I am able to be a digital advertising professional, but everyone knows why I came here first, and that is for music. I started reaching out to an alum after graduation and we stayed friends, and when the time came that a role opened up that suited my background, I interviewed and landed it.
At Pandora we have tons of music-focused events such as Pandora Performs where the company rents out the UC Berkeley Theater (Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Infected Mushroom, and tons more have played here in the past few months) and employees showcase their talent and perform with professional lights and sound. We also sometimes have live performances in the office and we have a quarterly jam where you can jump up on stage and some of our insanely talented colleagues will join you on guitar as you belt out whatever you’re feeling that day in an all-fun, no-pressure setting.
What co-ops did you complete over your time at Northeastern, and how did they help you in your journey to where you are now?
As I mentioned, I was a booking agent in Boston for a small production company and I also was a promotions coordinator for a film festival. I would say that they mainly helped me build contacts that have helped me both professionally and personally during my search for a career once I graduated. I met a really well-rounded group in both co-ops and my manager at the film festival has become a long-time mentor and friend. The film festival co-op was also a traveling co-op where I lived in San Francisco for 9 weeks and that is when I knew I wanted to build a career here one day.
Do you have any advice for students seeking to gain industry experience during their time here at Northeastern?
Yes! Join CUP! Planning for Springfest was always a blast and that was my first taste in large scale live music operations. I am really hoping that my role in digital advertising can evolve to a client partnership role where I am overseeing sponsored events and concerts for Pandora or any other music company that I work for in the future.
Also, just being friendly and getting to know my classmates was hugely impactful to my future, and I did not even know it at the time. You never know what experience or what friend might open your eyes to something you didn’t know would be a great path for you, so be open and enjoy your time at a great school. For me, connecting with my fellow classmates has made differences that I didn’t ever expect would one day be such monumental connections in my professional growth. Chat with your classmates. Support each other. If you’re studying music industry like I did, participate in the ensembles. Go to the performances. Get active and have fun!