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What can happen in 15 years?
-An infant can go from opening its eyes for the first time, to driving a motor vehicle.
-A teenage boy can go from shaving for the first time, to raising his own child.
-A PR firm can go from an idea, to a fully functioning company with an awesome team of people working to service some pretty cool clients.
While sitting in the park, enjoying a nice piece of North Beach pizza with my fellow coworkers, I learned that this summer marks MSR’s 15th year of existence. As a new intern (it now being my fourth week here), I found this milestone to be very impressive and wanted to learn more about the company’s history.
I wanted to understand what made up MSR’s culture, and thought who better to ask than some of MSR’s own team members. Taking on the role of the curious intern, I went around the office asking the big question, “What is your favorite part about working at MSR?” From the actual building we work in to the special times we share together as a team, each person seemed to have their own favorite about working at MSR. Here are just a few of my personal faves:
The MSR Office, Neil Shurtz
I believe the beautiful imperfections of MSR’s office have gone a long way to building an agency culture that is tight-knit, and slightly counter-cultural in a way that makes for rich creativity. When clients come to visit, they almost always comment on how cool our space is, and what a great neighborhood we’re in. I believe many of them privately enjoy the idea that their PR agency is in a lofty Jackson Square office. A suburban office park on the Peninsula simply could not house the creative culture of MSR.
When I imagined working in the city, I pictured towering industrial office buildings. On my first day as an intern, I was pleasantly surprised by the quaint brick building and an office with such character. Neil’s loving words for the MSR office really does describe the unique charm of our environment here.
Birthday Celebration, Crisel Ortiz
Successful client launches and great coverage always stir up excitement in the MSR office, but in my seven years here, the moments that always stand out are when we are bonding as a team. Yearly trips to the Giants games and after work dinners are always a blast, but my favorite experiences are the office birthday parties. We have a unique tradition at MSR where the birthday girl or boy has to share something quirky about themselves. It’s always fun to learn new facts about your coworkers, but even better when you’re celebrating that individual. From someone’s love for chicken’s feet to another coworker working valet at the Playboy Mansion, the tradition never fails to surprise!
In my short time here so far, we’ve celebrated a few team member’s birthdays, and I completely understand why this is Crisel’s favorite MSR tradition. It’s a great reason for everyone to get together, enjoy some sweet treats and learn more about one another.
Rockstar Interns, Whit Moses
Over the years there have been multiple staples at MSR Communications: nonstop client coverage, 4pm shots of espresso, and brilliant interns. The latter especially true, because I myself was once in this category. In my years at the agency, I have witnessed several intriguing characters come and go from the second floor elevator at 832 Sansome – but rarely do I find individuals more eager to learn, and dive headfirst into the world of marketing and PR than our rockstar interns.
Tenacity aside, it’s the stories and personality that these young professionals bring to the table – livening up our office with new ideas and perspectives that our industry thrives on. Without naming names, here are a few of my fondest memories of interns present and past:
- The intern who schooled me on Twitter with her 4000+ followers.
- The intern with the (not so) secret panda-bear tattoo who would quote Tolstoy when drafting a pitch about online safety.
- The intern that would nap in his car during lunch, because he was THAT committed to being alert for Cision training.
- The intern that would bake chocolate chip cookies every Monday and bring them to the office (please come back).
- So many of the interns that came into the program with only a vague understanding of media relations, and walked out with the ability to pitch and place stories.
Though I may be biased, I think Whit is spot on with this one. The interns are fabulous! I wish I could say I am that intern with thousands of twitter followers or the one that bakes chocolate chip cookies every Monday, but I can say that I am that intern who has come in with a vague understanding of the industry and has already learned so much. The team here really has made it easy to learn, and is always willing to explain things through–even for what might seem like a simple task.
These three insights of what makes the MSR culture so special are simply a snapshot. There are so many other fabulous memories which have yet to be reported and be made.
To 15 years of great memories, and many more to come!