Connor Zickgraf of MyersBizNet -- A 1stFive Profile

Connor Zickgraf Marketing Coordinator at MyersBizNet and the Project Manager of Jack Myersamp8217 newest book The Future of Men Masculinity in the TwentyFirst Century is a member of the Millennial class and has quickly become an integral member of her team In her first fulltime position she regularly works with MyersBizNet member companies to optimize their native content platforms at MediaVillage and writes the feminist blog Gender News WeeklyConnor admits to being a small town girl hailing from the rural Mifflinburg PA an area where her German ancestors settled before the Revolutionary War Her upbringing and early interests didn39t point to a career in media She was the president of her middle schoolamp8217s Technology Student Association which prompted a shortlived fascination with engineering and in high school she became a fierce field hockey player see photo below Connor is in the top row fourth from the right Connor has developed meaningful qualities from her amp8220tiny but closeknitamp8221 hometown life such as her desire to maintain strong relationships and the steadfast work ethic of an athleteIt would have been a logical choice to attend the nearby Pennsylvania State University where many of her friends and family ventured for college but Connor chose to attend New York University New York City was just far enough from home with a clearly dissimilar atmosphere to provide a welcome changeThere she discovered her interest in media and advertising and had the opportunity to study international media systems abroad in Prague Buenos Aires and Abu Dhabi via the NYU Steinhart Schoolamp8217s Media Culture and Communication major and Global Media Scholars Program amp8220Because I grew up in a small nondiverse town I knew that I wanted to travel as much as I could in college and experience different culturesamp8221 she says amp8220In many ways studying on three different continents gave me much more of an education than any classroomamp8221During her last semester at NYU she maintained a full course load while working two internships as an Account Management Intern for AOL and a Marketing Intern at MyersBizNet She had quite a hectic semester but learning to multitask and prioritize proved to be invaluable life skills as well as instrumental in landing her current roleConnor is enthusiastic about being in the media industry where change is the only constant and her work evolves on a daily basis and her perception of the industry centers on the consumeramp8217s control of the market amp8220Our generation of media consumers is far ahead of the business right nowamp8221 she says amp8220Every generation is more immersed in technology than the generation before and continues a cycle of disruption When you think about television alone thereamp8217s so much content and itamp8217s better than ever but the audiences are so fragmented People are watching content in different ways and the measurement systems and business models havenamp8217t yet caught upamp8221 Netflix Hulu and Amazon are Connoramp8217s preferred content distributors but she also remains loyal to cableShe notes that amp8220marketers and advertisers have to realize that they need to be responding in realtime now and giving consumers experiencesamp8221 citing GEamp8217s genius integration with drones and one of her favorite trending apps Periscope Connor reasons that media companies are keeping a much closer eye on Web sites geared toward Millennials especially with the visible investments being made in Vox by NBC and VICE by AE NetworksShe additionally places an emphasis on the modern workplace amp8220Millennials are a third of the population now and weamp8217re eventually going to be the ones making decisionsamp8221 she explains amp8220Iamp8217m more productive when I have people around me that I value and respect as is anyone I think having the right company culture and valuing talent especially young talent is importantamp8221amp8220Iamp8217m also in a unique position Our team is very small which means we get to interact with highlevel executives that we wouldnamp8217t otherwise have access toamp8221 she adds amp8220Because we work with clients across the spectrum we have a 360 view of everything thatamp8217s going on in the media industry from TV to digital to the agency sideamp8221As a recent college graduate Connor feels sheamp8217s not amp8220to the point where sheamp8217s defined by her work yetamp8221 but she expressed a desire to amp8220work on things sheamp8217s passionate aboutamp8221 a characteristic she believes her generation values across the board amp8220If Iamp8217m going to do a 95 I want to enjoy doing it and I want to be challenged every dayamp8221Speaking of passion Connor shares that sheamp8217s learned a great deal about gender equality issues as a result of being close to the publication of Future of Men a profeminist book that champions the womenamp8217s movement and looks at the implications for men Her weekly blog began as an internal project to track and report on recent news in gender politics for Future of Menamp8217s publishing team but it has since grown into Connoramp8217s platform to share relevant trends studies and thought pieces on the topic She enjoys both the editorial process and exposure to the facts and conversation surrounding gender Her idols include the fearless advertising legend Cindy Gallop and UN Womenamp8217s HeforShe Ambassador Emma WatsonThe irony isnamp8217t lost on Connor that sheamp8217s working on a book entitled The Future of Men as a young woman and selfproclaimed feminist but she explains that the title is more misleading than one would think amp8220Thereamp8217s some amazing facts about gender equality that many people havenamp8217t been exposed to and what Jackamp8217s book tries to bring to light When you hear the title Future of Men it immediately begs the question amp8216Why the hell are we talking about men right now when women still have a mountain to climbamp8217amp8221 she saysamp8220What many donamp8217t realize is that supporting men actually benefits women in many ways paternity leave being one example Women actually make more than men until they reach the age when they start having kids If we break the stigma that men should be the primary wage earners and go back to work immediately after their child is born men and womenamp8217s career paths would be on a much more equal footing and women wonamp8217t be penalized for prioritizing family And thatamp8217s just one exampleamp8221Our conversation ended with Connor expanding on the importance of having an openmindedness and willingness to take on anything in the workplace even if it lies outside of the job title She also advocates for being savvy about whatamp8217s going on in the industry by reading the trades and not being afraid to throw ideas out thereShe laughs at the notion of being referred to as a amp8220big shotamp8221 by her childhood friends for leaving home for the Big Apple They may have thought of her as amp8220shyamp8221 but I definitely see a media powerhouse in the making1stFive features personality profiles of upandcoming media professionals and emerging juniorlevel talent from top media brands and organizations Interested in having your young talent showcased Email whitneymyersbiznetcom for more informationThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageMyersBizNet management or associated bloggers

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Connor Zickgraf of MyersBizNet -- A 1stFive Profile

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