I’ve read, and written, my share of “I’ve accepted a new job” blog entries over the years, and I always cringe a little when they invariably sound a bit over-earnest or too dramatic. I’m aiming to keep this one on an even keel. I’m thrilled to announce that today is my first day as Vice President, Content Strategy and Planning at Voce.
In the last 2+ years, I’ve done lots of different types of work for different partners and clients. Working for evolving agencies with evolving visions has afforded me the chance to be a part of many projects that I’d otherwise not necessarily be in a position to take on. It has also given me a chance to stay closely connected to the direct, productive work of making things, which is and has been absolutely essential. Although the core of my focus has continued to be in creating, planning, and supporting content initiatives, in practice as the needs, goals, and make-up of agencies and their clients shifted, that focus tended to drift over time into wherever I was needed. Important attributes like flexibility, situational awareness, the ability to apply known approaches to new challenges, and broad perspective develop from those utility infielder roles. There’s a lot to be said for all of that, and I’m glad to have had the opportunity to grow a bit in so many directions.
The time came when I was ready to shore up and focus my energies a bit more pointedly on what I’m most passionate about, what we talk about when we talk about content strategy. As I drew out in a WordCamp talk, I believe that to be a crucial and central function that agencies can help companies execute, at a higher order than and no matter how the various things that “social media” has come to mean may evolve. I considered taking on the challenge on my own, but after careful consideration and introspection, I decided that this time around I’d rather hit the ground running as part of a team of smart people that already operates at a high level, who I can learn from and be inspired by. I sought a group that already had something of a focus in this direction and a shared understanding of its value. Having counted many members of the Voce team as respected industry leaders and trusted friends, theirs was the name at the top of my list. After extensive exploratory conversations, the initial suspicion that we had something of a shared vision was confirmed. I’m excited to get started today.
The changing of the “Feeling Most Like” icon on the Extraface “about” page has become a customary part of all of my transitions. Today I switch from Brother Mouzoune from The Wire…
…to…
…a guy Breaking Bad fans will know simply as “Mike.”
Main feed
