Blog

With the addition of four new team members recently, it’s an exciting time for AYC Media. Get to know Front-End Developer Priscilla, Email-Marketing Specialist Colleen, Creative Accounts Manager Sarah and Senior Designer Juliann. 

What are you looking forward to the most about joining the team here at AYC?

Priscilla: I’ve never worked on websites that were so nicely designed and thought-out. I’m excited to be contributing to something that I know will come out looking amazing! The team is also awesome so I’m glad I get to meet everyone!

Colleen: I am looking forward to working with such a talented and creative team that I can learn from. Plus, the office has an awesome atmosphere!

Juliann: I’m honestly super excited to have exposure to all of the amazing talent that exists here. I can’t wait to tap into all of the creative resources available to me to really grow my personal skill set.

Sarah: I'm eager to contribute in a creative environment and to have fun coming up with ways to push past current trends and norms. I'm also psyched to get to know the team!

What were you doing before you joined the team?

Priscilla: I was an application developer at Hay Group, mainly working on AngularJS and BackboneJs applications. 

Colleen: After I left my last marketing job, I decided to work at a brewery while I looked for a new job. Tasting beer and talking about it all day isn't such a bad gig.

Juliann: Prior to AYC, I was working at a large branding agency in Philly, 160over90 working for their New Business team. I also run a newspaper called The Philadelphia Evening Post on the side, and do all the creative for that. I keep myself busy to stay the least.

Sarah: I ran a cold-pressed juice company out of Wayne, PA. 

Have any interesting hobbies?

Priscilla: I love working out and swimming. On the weekends I usually meet up with friends or take trips to Atlantic City with my boyfriend.

Colleen: I love to be outside, paint, color in adult coloring books, and cook. I also refinish old furniture I find at thrift stores or yard sales and turn it into something beautiful! 

Juliann: I used to train horses when I was younger and have been riding since the age of four, so I still like to do that when I have the chance. I’m also in the process of getting my motorcycle license. I’ve also been working on illustrations to pursue stick-and-poke tattooing.  

Sarah: Tons! Aha. I knit intermittently, do yoga, and think about learning French a lot. I also spend a lot of weekend time hiking with my dog, Oscar.  

What’s your go-to music when you’re working?

Priscilla: I like to start off with mellower music, Coldplay, Jack Johnson, that kind of thing. By lunch time I’m usually listening to E.D.M./trance/dubstep.

Colleen: My music preference changes by the day. Lately I have been really into Phoebe Ryan when I'm trying to focus and any 70's rock when I need something a little more upbeat. I have been loving the records Mike and Jacob play here at AYC! 

Juliann: This is pretty dependent on my mood, I listen to anything from surf rock to classic folk to hip hop, maybe even some ocean waves if I’m really try to get my zen on. A few of my favorites right now are Courtney Barnett and Bully. Boss ladies.

Sarah: At work I listen to whatever record is on at the moment. On my own I waiver between indie rock and indie folk.

Tell us something unique about yourself, a fun fact that we don't know. 

Priscilla: I was a ballet/jazz dancer for 13 years growing up.

Colleen: The one and only time I have ever done karaoke I got a standing ovation.

Juliann: When I was born, the people officiating birth certificates were not certified to do so, so mine was fraudulent. I didn’t have a real birth certificate until I was 16. I’m 26 now, so really maybe I could pass myself off as a 10 year old? 

Sarah: My first career was as a professional ballet dancer. 

Want to share with us a project you have worked on in the past that you are most proud of?

Priscilla: I really liked my senior thesis project in college. It was a parallax site dedicated to psychology. It took you through the history of psychology and popular psychological issues facing society today. The site had vertical and horizontal scrolling at different points and lots of images overlapping and interacting with each other.

Colleen: When I started working for a small family-owned business, they had never had any input from a marketing professional. I had the opportunity to create an entire marketing campaign by myself, create their new logo, and rebrand the company. It was an amazing learning experience and I am proud of everything I accomplished there.

Juliann: My newspaper is definitely my proudest accomplishment as of late. The Post is distributed to over 300 locations in Philadelphia with 12,000 copies printed of each issue. It’s really amazing to see a project start out as an idea and come to fruition. Unfortunately it’s a printed piece, but we do have a website, PhillyEveningPost.com, that we are currently reworking to be a news site.

Sarah: I think the two most influential projects of my life have been running my own juice business and dancing professionally. My ballet training helped shape my temperament from a young age. It nurtured discipline and determination and fostered a strong work ethic that I've carried to all of my endeavors. It also instilled in me this great fascination with pushing past my limitations and not settling with things as they are. Running my own business was similar in that it allowed me to delve into the realm of the unknown and get comfortable at the intersection of curiosity, ambition and determination.  

Have you seen any industry trends recently that inspired you?

Priscilla: I’ve seen some creative parallax sites that have been pretty inspiring. I think heavier interaction with users is a popular trend in web development. 

Colleen: I love to read blogs and articles about how social media is changing the way businesses communicate to customers. I find it fascinating how personalized advertising has become and how quickly the marketing world changes. 

Juliann: I feel like a big design trend for 2016 has been big bold colors like neons, with bold type and geometric shapes and patterns a la the 1980s. I tend to feel most comfortable designing with minimal colors and limited graphics, so it’s pushed me to incorporate more of these elements in to my design this year.

Sarah: I'm super interested to see how virtual reality will alter the digital landscape. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

 Priscilla: Never give up. When I first learned AngularJS I remember thinking I would never be able to understand ‘two-way data binding’ or what ‘$scope’ was. It wasn’t until I spent hours and hours going over tutorials, documentation and creating mini projects both at work and in my free time that I really understood how everything worked. This also gave me the mind set that you can figure anything out if you spend enough time learning it.

Colleen: "Beer before liquor - never been sicker, liquor before beer - you're in the clear." It helped me make it through four years at Towson University…

Juliann: Never take yourself too seriously and never drink the water in Mexico.

Sarah: “Your presence defines your worthiness.” I think as people it is easy for us to be hard on ourselves and to constantly reassess our validity in a seemingly demanding world. I carry that statement with me. It helps me stay centered and happy.