Knotch connected with Tibby Iz, Global Media + Integrated Campaign Lead at Think with Google for our "Own Your Voice" series to hear her story, and to learn what drives Tibby in her career.
I initially pursued the entertainment industry right out of undergrad. While many say rejection is what convinces them to leave “the industry”, for me it was actually boredom! After research and many conversations, I moved from LA to NYC and started my first advertising agency job, keeping me connected to creative work.
That career shift allowed me to stay within the world of creativity and storytelling, but with the stability and community of a company. My agency career spanned the full cross-section of the industry. This helped set me up for success in my next steps. And now at Google, I think my time in the agency world makes me a good client to my agency partners.
My last boss and mentor at the agency I worked at. He excelled at knowing what people needed in order to grow. This not only helped me in building a lot of skills and confidence, it taught me that empathy is a valuable tool in business and in leadership.
While I love improving creative work and content with data, best practices and behavioral science, I don’t believe you can fully “growth hack” your way to really engaging work. There’s an ineffable quality that makes content truly engaging, and for that you need the magic of human talent.
For example, I recently spearheaded the launch of our Think with Google podcast. We chose topics using data that we knew the industry cared about and featured brilliant voices to make the podcast that it is, a deeply human show.
Del Close, the founder of longform improv, said, “Fall, then figure out what to do on the way down.” I believe in throwing yourself into anything. That’s the only way to refine your talents, expand your experience and, of course, continue writing your own story.
