Meet Shannon Byrne, an Associate Director of Client Services working out of our New York office! During the pandemic, Shannon has enjoyed being close to the beach and taking walks with her rescued dog, Ellie. In addition, Shannon is recently engaged and looking forward to planning her wedding. Get to know her better in this week’s AdColonized employee spotlight!
What exactly does an Associate Director of Client Services do at AdColony? What’s an average day like for you?
As an Associate Director of Client Services, no two days are the same, and I really appreciate this about my job. With the help of my counterpart (and great friend), Alyssa, I oversee and work on the sales planning and account management of the East Coast accounts. Our team is often the main point of contact for our clients, and we’re asked to handle any and all requests that they may have. I work with all departments of the business – sales, finance, publishing, creative, strategy, technical account managers, and ad ops – to provide strategic proposals to clients and to ensure that all sold campaigns run smoothly. I work to harvest and maintain great relationships with our clients and partners. I try my best to serve as a resource to not only the people who I manage directly, but also to the entire team across all departments.
Tell us a little about your experiences prior to joining AdColony and how they have prepared you for your role here.
Prior to joining AdColony, I worked at an advertising agency called SSCG. There, I worked on a number of cancer and arthritis drugs for the AMGEN account. All of our campaigns were targeting healthcare professionals. When it comes to pharmaceutical advertising, there are a countless number of complicated rules and regulations. This overload of FDA requirements really taught me the importance of attention to detail. I also had a brilliant manager at SSCG who relentlessly challenged me. At the time, I remember sometimes feeling that she was being too tough on me! Looking back, I have such admiration and appreciation for her. I attribute a lot of my strengths to her always challenging me and taking the time to be honest with me in order to make me better.
What makes AdColony the right fit for you?
I’ve been with AdColony for five years now, which is crazy to think about. Time certainly does fly! Throughout the last five years, I have experienced a number of phases and challenges that we’ve gone through as a company. I love that AdColony always finds a way to overcome challenges and adapt to the ever-changing environment that comes with mobile in-app advertising. Jude and the rest of the leadership team have created an amazing culture here at AdColony. I have always enjoyed the company of my coworkers, and I truly miss seeing them in the office everyday!
AdColony values employee development. How do you keep growing and learning in what you do?
When I first started at AdColony, I had a lot to learn. I relied a lot on my managers and the rest of my team. If I didn’t understand something, I made sure to ask questions until I did. I tried not to allow the fear of asking a stupid question stop me from getting to a place of understanding. Even after five years, I still have questions, and I’m thankful to work with a group of approachable people who are always open to helping one another. I also try my best to stay on top of industry news and love the information sharing that our team does via Slack.
How do you act as a resource for the rest of your team?
I try really hard to make sure I’m an approachable person. I always want my team to feel comfortable coming to me with questions that they may have. When I first started as an account manager at AdColony, I felt like I had a question every ten minutes for my manager. She never once made me feel as though I was annoying her, and she never made me feel like my questions were silly. When I became a manager, I wanted to make sure I was just as approachable and easy to ask questions to. I try to take the time to explain things clearly, and I work to make sure that he or she fully understands. And if it’s a question that I’m not fully confident in answering, I make sure we work together to find the answer.
Is there someone you turn to personally or professionally?
I’ve been blessed with incredible parents and a ridiculously smart sister who also works in the industry. I go to my sister a lot with questions or for advice and am very lucky to have her. While I truly feel like I could turn to anyone on our team, I’m very thankful for the strong work relationships and friendships I have with Alyssa, Gab, & Kristina. I also feel very lucky to have Lisa as my boss. She is an amazing manager, and her leadership skills have been a great example for me to learn from.
Many global AdColony employees are still working from home. Do you have any work-from-home tips for success you can share?
My biggest piece of advice is to wake up every morning and get dressed! I’m not saying to put on as formal an outfit as you may if you were going into the office, but get out of your pajamas and throw on some yoga pants and a comfortable sweater! At times it is very tempting to stay in pajamas all day, and I won’t lie, there were a few times that I fell victim to the temptation. However, I found on the days that I gave into that temptation, I was much less productive and felt much less motivated.
I also strongly suggest making sure that you are maintaining a proper work-life balance. At the beginning of the work from home period, I would wake up and immediately check my email or slack and was starting my work day way too early. Now I make sure I maintain a morning routine that involves coffee, a little bit of news watching, and a nice long walk with my dog before I sign on for the day.
What are your hobbies or activities that you look forward to doing on the weekends or after work?
My fiancé Gary and I rescued our dog Ellie a few years ago. I admit that I am an embarrassingly over-the-top dog mom, but I cannot believe how much I’ve come to love this little dog. Because of the pandemic, Gary and I decided to leave our Jersey City apartment and temporarily move down to the Jersey Shore. We absolutely love taking Ellie for walks and being able to see the ocean every day. There are also a few dog beaches down here that we take Ellie to on the weekends. I’m also a huge zoo/aquarium geek! Gary and I love taking a trip on the weekends to check out a new zoo, farm, or aquarium that we haven’t been to before.
Which app is keeping you engaged lately? Why?
I got engaged this summer which was very exciting! I’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest, trying to find inspiration for my wedding. The memes found on Instagram have also been an amazing source of laughter during these stressful times.
Tell us one or two fun facts about you.
My fiancé’s name is Gary Shannon, which means, yes, should I decide to change my name, I will become Shannon Shannon.
My first job in high school was working as a maid at a hotel. I had a lot of not so ideal moments, but now whenever I leave a hotel room I make an effort to ensure that the room is as easy to clean and turn over as possible!
What is your favorite moment you’ve had with the AdColony team so far?
Ah, honestly that is tough because there are SO many! I’ve always had such a great time at our Holiday parties, and I can’t wait for this pandemic to be over so that we can all get together and have one again! I’ll also never forget when my manager Lisa took the entire New York CSM team to see Jimmy Kimmel Live in Brooklyn! We had such a fun time as a team and laughed a LOT!
What are you listening to lately (music, podcasts, etc.)?
My fiancé is from Ireland, and I come from a very Irish family, so there is definitely a lot of Irish music playing in our house. I am also a massive Bruce Springsteen fan. I think I’m a bit of an old soul when it comes to music; I love Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, James Taylor, etc.
What are you looking forward to most in the next 5 years?
Professionally, I’d like to just continue learning and improving on my leadership skills. Personally, I just turned 30 and am recently engaged. I’m looking forward to really starting my life with Gary and hopefully buying a home and starting a family together.
About AdColonized
Each AdColonized feature shines a light on a different member of the AdColony team. From favorite apps and hobbies to fun facts, we cover it all! Who do you want to see on the next AdColonized? Tweet it to @AdColony. For the latest AdColony mobile news and updates, follow @AdColony on Twitter, like us on Facebook, or connect on LinkedIn.
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