Kristi Oloffson, Filmmaker, Storyteller, and Marketing Manager at YouTube
April 12th, 2021
Having 10+ years of media and content strategy experience from brands including Google, The Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine, Kristi Oloffson is a filmmaker and storyteller that is incredibly skilled at using her creative storytelling abilities alongside analytical thinking to help brands tell their story. Her experiences have spanned from working in breaking news at WSJ, to video production overseas, to tech marketing now — making her journalism background so versatile. Currently as a Marketing Manager at YouTube (Contractor), Kristi continues to help her teams with go-to-market plans for their brand campaigns.
In this feature, Kristi shares her key learnings from her first role, helpful skills that helped her later in her career, career pivots, and her day-to-day as Marketing Manager at YouTube. Read along to soak up her incredible career advice for ambitious women, such as yourself.
Early Career
You graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor in Journalism. How did your studies influence your career in Marketing?
I originally was set on being a reporter and a writer at a magazine. This was back in 2009 when magazines were a viable career path, ha. I never planned to work in marketing, I just wanted to do investigative journalism. It was really quite a gradual shift -- from breaking news then into video production, then nonprofit marketing, and finally into tech marketing. I think my belief in social impact storytelling has been a common thread, and there has always been a way to keep the causes I care about part of all of my work, which I am really grateful for!
You started your career as a Web Producer & Reporter at Time Magazine. What key learnings did you take from your first role?
TIME was just an incredible place to work. Interns had just as much responsibility as reporters, and we were expected to write, contribute and pitch for every issue. It really pushed me to work hard and be brave with pitching ideas. One thing I love (and miss) about journalism is there is just less hierarchy and internal politics. There’s so much to get done every day, there isn’t so much time to worry about who should be looped in here and how to ask for such and such. There are too many deadlines.
I was only a 23-year-old intern, but I got to interview people I can’t imagine interviewing now - Elizabeth Gilbert, John Mayer, Carson Daly, and so many others. It was a great gig.
After Time Magazine, you switched companies and started at The Wall Street Journal and held roles as an Interactive News Assistant & Homepage Editor, then Video Editor, and Mobile Editor. What skills did you find most helpful in excelling in your role?
I think being good at interviewing and asking questions is my best skill and probably the thing that’s worked across all roles. Even in my job now, I don’t interview anyone, but I try to ask questions in meetings or look at things from a different perspective.
I also think there’s value in just being an efficient worker. Being the hardest worker is better than being the smartest or even the most creative. (See Angela Duckworth’s Grit book for proof of this.) Be efficient with your time, and your team will take notice.
You’ve held a few other creative roles in your early career: Videographer at Mercy Ships, Social Media Manager at The Wall Street Journal, and Production Manager at Dow Jones, and Content Strategist / Writer at Google. When you think about the moments in your career when you made a pivot, how did you know you were ready to switch jobs and what would your recommendation be for individuals considering leaving their role / company?
I think it’s important to remember that you’re not going to ruin your career because of one single decision. I know it feels like that. I’ve had two moments like that in the last year even, where I felt like everything was over, that I would never have creative work again. I spent 6 months of 2020 unemployed, and felt like the tech industry didn’t value my journalism background.
Everything turns around eventually. It’s okay to leave a job if it’s bad. I’ve been there. But sometimes there’s value in staying, particularly if you’re getting valuable experience. Just keep networking and meeting people. Always be open to a new thing. Teach yourself skills on the side that you want to learn.
All of that doesn’t mean you’re not invested in your current job. You’ve got to look out for yourself a little bit too. I used to worry thinking that way was mean or “not nice,” but honestly, it’s just smart.
YouTube
You’re currently a Marketing Manager (Contractor) at YouTube. What exactly does your role entail and what is your day-to-day like?
I’m new to the team, having just joined in December, so I am still learning my way around. I help our brand marketing team with go-to-market plans for our brand campaigns. So far I’ve primarily worked on our Black History Month campaign. I’m coordinating with the creative team and other teams to make sure all of the deliverables get to the right place. That could mean meeting with cross-functional stakeholders, running a meeting to make sure our processes are on track, developing a project tracker to manage all aspects, or some copywriting and creative strategy. It’s a little bit of everything, and YouTube is a fun environment to experiment in.
Having 10+ years of media and content strategy experience from brands including YouTube, Google, The Wall Street Journal and TIME magazine, looking back - what were your favorite parts about these creative roles?
They have really been very different. My career has sort of had three phases. First, working at WSJ in breaking news, which was a nights-and-weekends-situation for almost 5 years. That sounds insane, and it kind of was, but I got so much more experience.
Then I moved into video production - lived overseas in Madagascar for a year working for an NGO - and then went back to NYC for more video work.
And now I work in tech, and use writing and editing in a completely different way. I think my favorite part is that I feel like my journalism background is so versatile.
Career Advice
What do you wish you knew when you were first starting your career?
I wish I’d known that it’s totally okay to change your mind. And I wish I hadn’t put so much weight on every single job and career change. I remember being so stressed out about getting a new position at WSJ, then moving to video, going into tech. Each moment felt so significant, like if I made a wrong move I’d never have another chance again. But that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Of course there are consequences. But there is a wide open world out there to try something new, fail, hate it, even lose a job you love. Those things happen to all of us. It’s painful but you eventually realize you’re more resilient than you realized.
What advice do you have for young women in their early career who are looking to build their careers in the Creative and Marketing industries?
There is nothing that has been more valuable to me than the art of the cold email. People use these way too infrequently. So many of the jobs I have had is because I asked someone to connect me, or just cold emailed someone on LinkedIn. You have to be really careful about who you ask and when, and how. One great piece of advice someone gave me was to reach out to a peer instead of a hiring manager at a company or team you’re interested in. I’ve found this to work out really well. Most of the jobs I’ve gotten have come about through proactive emailing and reach out. Ask for an informational interview and say you want to know more about their team. Be upfront and only ask for 10-15 minutes. I really can’t say enough about how important this is, and to do this a lot. Follow up with people. Don’t be annoying, but check in with people. When someone has a role open up on their team, you want them to have you on their shortlist. I got my internship at TIME mag, my first job at WSJ, my Grow with Google writing job, and my current role at YouTube ALL through cold emailing. It works.
Who is one woman you aspire to be like?
It’s really hard to pick one! So many. As a filmmaker, I’d say Ava Duvernay, who’s directed the very best documentaries on racial justice that exist (13th, When they See Us, etc.) Her films actually create change, and she makes magic happen on screen.
I’m also incredibly obsessed with the journalist Lynsey Addrario, who is the most badass foreign war photographer ever. Her book is amazing, and makes me want to go back overseas and take some big risks again. She’s fearless.
