Chapter 5
At Aurora Media, no one there knew I had a column. No one cared what I did after I clocked out.
"Thanks," I said softly. "Let's do some great work together."
That very afternoon, I started auditing the agency's existing brand assets.
Galaxy Interactive specialized in digital marketing. Most of our clients were trending direct-to-consumer brands.
In two years, the agency had cranked out a few stellar campaigns. But the agency itself had zero brand presence.
The entire revenue pipeline relied on Victor's personal networking.
The problem was obvious. We needed to build Galaxy's own brand so we could stop being vendors begging for work and become an agency clients actively chose.
I opened my laptop and started a new document.
Title: [Galaxy Interactive Brand Positioning & Annual Strategy.]
It was my first proposal at Galaxy.
And for the first time, my own name was on the byline.
*****
During my second week, my phone rang.
It was Serena.
It was 3:00 PM. I was syncing on data models with Ian when my screen lit up.
It showed: [Aurora: Serena Sinclair.]
I stared at it for two seconds and answered.
"Nina?" Her voice was way softer than last time. She almost sounded cautious.
"Hey, Serena," I answered.
"Sorry to bother you. I'll just be a minute." She paused. "We hit a snag with the Urban City account. The client says the deck's direction doesn't match what we originally discussed.
"I checked your handover document, but there are some gaps. Could you help clarify?"
I leaned back in my chair and looked out the window at the oak branches. "The handover doc is perfectly clear. Section Three, Part Two. Client Needs Breakdown.
"I tagged every single bullet point with the date of the original meeting and the point of contact."
"Yeah, I saw that, but—"
"Serena," I interrupted. "I don't work there anymore."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
She said, "I know. I just figured... if you had some free time, could you jump on a quick Zoom with Maya Grant? Ten minutes tops."
"I'm on the clock for my new job," I replied.
"Nina—"
"If you can't figure out the deliverables, you should contact the client directly to realign. The client PM's number is right there in the file."
I hung up.
Ian Chase peeked out from behind his monitors. "Old job?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Asking for a favor?"
"Yeah."
He pushed his glasses up his nose and went back to work.
I turned my attention back to the screen.
During my third week, another call came through.
This time it was Maya. "Nina! I opened the Urban City data dashboard, but I totally don't get some of these formulas. Could you—"
I interrupted, "There's a user guide in the shared Google Drive. The file is called Dashboard Template User Guide. It's in the very last folder."
"I looked everywhere. I didn't see it."
"Fifth folder, last sub-directory. The file name literally says Guide."
"Can't you just tell me how it works?"
"I'm in a meeting."
I hung up.
A week later, Julian texted me.
It read: [Nina, the Spring Breeze client is asking for the previous campaign schedule. Do you still have a copy?]
I typed four words. [In the handover doc.]
That was the end of it.
Half a month later, the messages completely stopped.
Maybe they finally learned how to read documentation.
Or maybe they just hired a new Nina Townsend.
*****
Mid-December.
My first month at Galaxy Interactive was officially in the books.
Victor called me into his office.
"I reviewed the deck." He tapped the printed forty-page strategy on his desk. "Brand positioning and pacing are solid.
"But I need to double-check one thing. You mapped out an industry summit for Q3. What's the budget?"
"We can lock it in for under 67 thousand," I said.
"You sure about that?"
"I tore down the cost structure of six similar events. If we waive venue rental fees through sponsorships, we can cap hard costs at 50,000."
Victor nodded. "You've been here a month. Lily has already told me three times that you're an absolute beast."
"She's hyping me up."
"No, she's not." He leaned back in his chair. "When I poached you, I knew you were undervalued. Aurora knew exactly how good you were. They just deliberately underpaid you."
I didn't say anything.
"Alright, the strategy is approved. Execution starts in January. You call the shots. If you hit any walls, come straight to me," Victor said.
When I got back to my desk, Lily leaned over and whispered, "Approved?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Hell yes." She slapped the desk. "Nina, we're going to make some serious waves."
Cecilia raised her hand from the next desk. "I already have three initial drafts for the visual direction. Can we review them today?"
"Let's go over them at 2:00 PM," I said.
Ian didn't look up from his screen, but he smiled.
This was our four-person squad.
No credit stealing. No passing the buck. No staying up till 2 AM finishing a deck just so someone else could slap their name on it.
*****
On the last working day of December, the company let everyone off early.
Victor took the whole agency out to a high-end steakhouse.
Midway through dinner, he stood up and raised his glass. "Last day of the year, and I only have one thing to say.
"Come January, the Brand Ops annual plan officially launches. And Nina is running point."
The room erupted in applause.
I held my Coke and took a sip.
After dinner, as I was walking home, my phone buzzed.
An Instagram notification popped up. Maya posted a new story.