First Impressions of Working at Movers+Shakers (Vol. 2)

Welcome back to another edition of first impressions! We’re still growing at hyper speed and have welcomed at least a dozen new hires in the last month! It’s been so fun learning about each of them and seeing the impact they have already been making. Here’s a peek into the minds of a few new hires and their first impressions of Movers+Shakers.

Poojita Raju Brown, Associate Account Director

Poojita brings over a decade of marketing and advertising experience working across multiple industries and verticals. She previously owned her own agency, so she is looking forward to continuing to embrace the start-up culture & growing with the M+S team!

First impression of the company: “The people & culture that make up Movers+Shakers is what makes us different - from the moment I started interviewing, I knew this was a special place to be. Everyone is extremely welcoming, genuinely excited to be here, and are passionate about the work they put out! It feels like our own little family, and I love to see it!”

First impression of our work: “The work we create is unparalleled from what I've seen so far - it's unique, out-of-the-box, and engaging! TikTok is such a fast-paced culture, and we are always on top of the trends, which makes me so proud to be a part of this team!”

What has been the most surprising thing? “Many companies claim that all of their employees love their jobs, but it's actually true here! My first couple weeks I had so many 1:1's with my colleagues and it was clear that everyone actually loves it here - so refreshing!”

“P.S. I am now a Zoom expert, can I add this to my resume?!”

Cara Zozula, Senior Creative Producer

Cara has been in film & television production for 10 years, and has a huge passion for creating content. She originally started as a SPFX Makeup Artist for film (which she still does as a hobby!) In her work producing photoshoots, she realized her passion for production. Cara is so excited to continue to utilize her passion for production and creative thinking skills to bring the incredible ideas from the M+S team to life as seamlessly as possible!

First Impression of our leadership: "The leadership at M+S is focused on maintaining a healthy quality of life for their team, which was evident even in the interview process. They care deeply about the work they produce and believe that it should come without the sacrifice of integrity. Their passion for the company is contagious!”

First impression of the team: “I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to be in meetings before. Every member of the team here is so friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Efficiency is always key, and everyone at M+S excels at it while still managing to put the highest level of detail and care in every project. I think that really shows in every campaign that’s produced as well.”

What has been the most surprising thing? “I’m honestly most surprised by how comfortable I already feel in my first few weeks! Starting a new job can be overwhelming in the beginning, but the team’s collective superpower is communication and has made the hand off of projects and tasks absolutely seamless. Every day I feel empowered by my team to excel and super motivated to move and shake!”

Jordan Cheesman, Recruiting Manager

Jordan comes to us with a background specializing in creative recruiting. He’s really looking forward to bringing that knowledge and expertise to our very exciting culture and fast-growing agency.

First Impression of our leadership: "Leadership has been awesome! You get to actually engage with them daily and/or weekly, which is an opportunity you don’t usually get in a lot of other companies."

First impression of the company: "What stands out to me is the openness from everyone I've met to lend a helping hand. Whether they are in recruiting or not, they all have let me know to come to them with any questions I have."

First impression of the team: "The team has been awesome! We all love to collaborate and bounce ideas off each other to help make more effective processes."

First impression of the work: "The work is engaging, disruptive and definitely stands out from what else I have seen out there in the market from other agencies!”

What has been the most surprising thing? "The willingness of people in the company and how open they are to suggestions and ideas you would like to see and help implement."

Elissa Arana-Straker, Senior Project Manager

Elissa is Brooklyn born and raised but moved to Los Angeles in 2017. In her career, she’s really done it all! She began her career in fashion sales, owned a contemporary E-Commerce boutique for a few years, pivoted into fashion PR, then went into project management in the real estate development industry. All this led her to current role at Movers+Shakers. She’s really happy to be able to take part in launching interesting, exciting campaigns on social media.

First impression of the leadership: “I found Evan and Geoffrey to be really thoughtful with their verbal communication style and also in terms of the way they present themselves energetically in meetings. I really appreciate that!”

First impression of the company: “Everyone has been really welcoming and communicative. It really made my transition into the company feel like a safe space. “

First impression of our work: “'I’m a big fan of skincare and beauty, and am so happy to be able to work on projects that relate to things I love.”

What has been the most surprising thing? “What has surprised me the most is how much I genuinely smile in meetings now! And so many of the staff are!”