Path to Prosek: Making the Big Jump from an Agency to…Another Agency
For the latest edition of our Path to Prosek series, Amy Tizio and Kristina Corso, both Associate Vice Presidents in our New York office, decided to switch up the usual format and interview one another about theirs journeys from agency life...to more agency life.
When we were initially approached to tell our “Path to Prosek” story, we both thought to ourselves, “Well…won’t this be a little boring?”
Our journey to Prosek was not filled with twists and turns; in fact, both of us only had one other job, at another agency, before arriving at this agency. In an effort to jazz up our respective stories, we decided to interview each other in the iconic style of “actors interviewing actors”—our take being, “agency lifer interviewing another agency lifer.”
As we began reflecting on our journeys, what we found was that both of us had more interesting stories to tell than we’d thought about growth, looking for challenges, and getting “unstuck.”
Here are a few highlights from our conversation:
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Amy Tizio: Did you always want to work in PR/communications?
Kristina Corso: Actually, no! I majored in economics and thought for a while I’d go to law school or work in finance. By the end of college, I was super burnt out and didn’t see myself continuing with school. So that left finance, which it turns out, I also hated. I ended up having a heart to heart with a professor who told me I should look into marketing careers, and I ended up with an internship in PR. The rest is history.
Amy Tizio: Interesting, I have a similar experience. I was dead set on entering business school when I first started college, but I quickly realized it simply wasn’t my thing. Shortly after, I came across the PR major at my university and knew immediately it was the type of career I was looking for.
Kristina Corso: What made you leave your previous agency to come to Prosek?
AT: I started my PR journey at my first agency as an intern and spent five years there. In late 2021, I was at a point in my career where I knew that I needed a change to propel me to the next level and broaden the horizons of my PR career. I also wanted to narrow my focus to financial services. I’m grateful that my first agency provided me with the guidance, teaching moments, and experience that opened up the possibility of taking on a bigger role at Prosek. It is a move I definitely don’t regret.
KC: For me, I felt I wasn’t challenging myself anymore. I’d gotten to a place where I felt I was coasting, and I knew I was not acting up to my standards. I knew the only way to break out of the rut was to make a big change. Plus, the financial services focus of Prosek appealed to me a lot.
Initially, I wasn’t really considering another agency. But I actually saw Jen Prosek speak at a conference way back when I was an intern in 2015. We didn’t speak, and I don’t even remember what her speech was about, but I remember being so impressed by her. When an old friend who works at Prosek now reached out to me to consider the role, I thought of that day and realized I had to at least think about it. And here we are.
AT: What was the biggest challenge for you when transitioning to Prosek?
KC: I think change is always hard, especially when you’re comfortable. Since I’d only ever worked at one place, I had a bit of imposter syndrome. It was weird establishing a reputation for myself after being with people who’d known me for 7+ years. I think it was a good challenge for me though.
AT: My biggest challenge was balancing a hybrid work environment while starting a new job and trying to make personal connections with my new colleagues. Similar to you, I was at my previous agency for five years. While two of those years were fully remote, I was so lucky to have three years to form really close and trusting relationships with the people I worked with that made virtual work easy. I also had a lot of one-on-one mentorship time, which is an invaluable gift.
That said, I love having a hybrid work environment, and it’s pushed me to be more social with my teams and with everyone across the agency. I do my best to set up as many coffees as I can and join all of the out-of-work activities that go on (shout out to Pro-Bowl).
KC: Last question before we wrap this up. It’s an important one. What is your beige flag?
AT: My what?
KC: It’s like a thing about you that’s not inherently good or bad, just a little weird.
AT: Ok…well…I leave glasses of water all over my apartment like I’m the little girl from Signs. Is that beige enough?
KC: Mine is probably that I have TSA pre-check and I STILL show up at the airport over two hours early. I’m not even a bad traveler, I’ve been to Thailand by myself. I just get unreasonably anxious about missing flights. 