Path to Prosek: Turns Out, Private Credit Didn’t Get That Moniker Because It’s “Shy”

For the latest edition of our Path to Prosek series, Mackenzie Hart and Alex Schaffer, an Account Supervisor and Senior Account Executive (respectively) in our New York office, interviewed one another about theirs journeys into the world of PR and communications.

Here are a few highlights from their conversation…

Mackenzie Hart: Did you always want to work in PR/communications?

Alex Schaffer: Yes…and no! I received my undergraduate degree in public relations—mainly because I wanted to be Olivia Pope. However, what I really wanted to do was be a screenwriter: my goal was to create things that made people laugh and cry (in a good way). I remember after I presented my senior honors thesis, which was a collection of “funny” essays about myself/my life, another student came up to me and said what I wrote really resonated with her and that I should definitely pursue writing as a career. At the time I was like “Oh, I am so the next Jane Austen.”  However, through internships and my first job out of college, I discovered the work of a PR agency and fell in love. The fast pace, the collaboration, and most importantly, the need for storytelling, made this industry a perfect fit for me.

MH: Interesting, my experience differs a little bit. I studied political science and social & cultural analysis in college, with the ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer. I left college still debating whether or not I’d really enjoy being a lawyer, so I looked for jobs that were adjacent to the legal field. After graduation, I ended up working at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in the communications department, and I quickly learned I was not cut out to be a lawyer. But fortunately, I discovered that I loved communications, especially in a high stakes environment.

Alex Schaffer: How did you end up at Prosek?

MH: At my previous job, my focus was digital communications, and I knew I wanted to make the switch to a more traditional PR role. When I was job hunting, my only “must” was that I put myself in an environment that challenged me to learn about a new industry. I actually remember asking myself, “what do I know absolutely nothing about?” and the answer was finance. From there, I searched for PR jobs in financial communications and found Prosek. The name sounded familiar, and I realized my old mentor from my first job had actually just started working here! I chatted with her, and she promised me that I would be challenged here. And the rest is history! Fun fact to our readers: Alex and I started on the same day.

AS: It was fate! I had a roundabout way to Prosek. Here’s the TLDR: I was laid off from my first agency job almost a year in at the height of the pandemic in 2020; had an existential crisis, moved to Boston and went to grad school for television writing and producing to be the next Aaron Sorkin; moved to NYC and got an internship at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where I was exhausted all the time; and then ended up at Prosek!

Funny enough, when I was looking for jobs post-internship, I was dead set on staying in the entertainment industry (Stockholm Syndrome, maybe?). I had zero interest in financial services communications, but then I met the people of Prosek throughout all my interviews and got such a good vibe. I realized I didn’t know what I didn’t know in terms of what is out there as a career option for me. So, I went in with an open mind, and as Kenz said, the rest is history!

MH: What was the biggest adjustment to agency life?

AS: My biggest adjustment to agency life out of college at my first firm was the writing. I had done one type of writing for so long, and it was an adjustment to really hone my skills of crafting a pitch, writing a strategic recommendation, etc. To my disappointment at the time, press releases do not have a space open for a cute little joke!

At Prosek, my biggest adjustment was learning the finance industry. Before, I thought private credit was called that because it was shy. However, this cluelessness didn’t last for long—the firm makes you learn fast!

MH: Wait, I literally thought the same about private credit. My biggest adjustment was going from having one “client”/focus at my previous job to having half a dozen clients at any given time. I really had to learn how to manage my time properly and give my attention equally to all the clients we serve.

AS: What is your favorite memory at Prosek (so far)?

MH: Professionally, the first time I ever secured an exclusive in Bloomberg for a client. It was so exciting to manage the process with my team, the client, and reporter, and it was incredible to see the business impact it had on my client’s firm. I still have the thank you note from the spokesperson bookmarked in my email. On a more personal note, my favorite memories were made sitting at our shared manager’s desk every morning (hi Emily!) and chatting about the latest happenings in pop culture, what we had for dinner last night, and what our workday ahead looks like.

Not to be incredibly sappy, but I have forged true and deep friendships with some of my colleagues here who have cheered me on both professionally and personally. I’m immensely grateful that Prosek brought them into my life.

AS: Not me tearing up right now! A few work-related successes come to mind that I’m proud of, but when I think of my core memories at the firm, they all have one constant thread—the people. My favorite moments are manager meetings with Emily where we look down and wonder how 30 minutes already went by; when Kenz stops by my desk and we catch each other up about our days; Monday Fundays where a few of us go to the office on (you guessed it!) a Monday and plan when we’re eating lunch at 9am…okay, I’m realizing all my favorite memories are centered around talking and food. Checks out.

In all seriousness, I’m so lucky to work alongside some of my best friends who are some of the kindest, smartest, most talented people I know.

MH: One last question and it’s an important one. What song/album gets you through the work day?

AS: ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ by Taylor Swift after a tough call, ‘HOT TO GO!’ by Chappell Roan to hype me up before a presentation, anything by The Lumineers when I need to focus on writing, and any song by One Direction all other hours of the day.

MH: Chappell Roan is so hot right now. For me, it’s Charli XCX’s latest album, brat. I encourage everyone to give it a listen. It’s a brat summer after all!

AS: So true.