Saying NO to your boss [Without risking your career]

Media People Newsletter
Written and curated by Victor Genova · November 11, 2024 · Issue #21

Welcome to the twenty-first issue of the Media People Newsletter. Subscribe here if you haven’t already. In this issue:

• Rob Meyers from VERSUS stops by the podcast

• 11 smart ways to say NO to your boss [Without risking your career]

• Review: Netflix’s Martha [It’s a good thing]

• Rapid Fire Questions with VML Strategy Director, Rory Petty

• From the Media People Podcast Archives: [Then] MightyHive Managing Director, Tessa Ohlendorf [2019]

🔉VERSUS is a studio crafting highly creative, one-of-a-kind work for brands & agencies.

But how did Rob Meyers find himself there? Many twists and turns that included writing & producing for the likes of BET, ESPN, the NFL, CNN–to name a few.

EP109 with Rob Meyers, VERSUS Managing Director & Partner is live! We chat:

🎯Growing up in New Jersey
🎯The life of a freelance writer and producer
🎯Why he started working for a homeless charity after 9/11
🎯How VERSUS is shaking up creative advertising
🎯Why Green Lantern is the superhero for creatives

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and online at mediapeople.ca.

Want more money? Career advancement? Of course you do. Who wouldn’t want either? More responsibility + accountability [should?] go hand-in-hand with increased pay.

Internal advancement can be one of the most satisfying career achievements. But how do you get there? Most LinkedIn professors would advise you to ‘act like you’re already in the role’ or ‘take on additional responsibilities’ that align with your goals.

This is all good advice, but sometimes it can lead to mission creep—when your responsibilities go beyond your contracted job description and alter the nature of your role. While this can be a positive, it can also compromise your ability to complete the core tasks used by management to judge success.

The only way to avoid this is to say NO. But how do you decline incremental responsibilities without risking your own career?

Mike Leber put together a list of 11 smart ways to say no to your boss without compromising your career. H/T to Dora Vanourek for sharing.

Review: Netflix’s Martha

Martha Stewart is the world’s first self-made female billionaire, and quite possibly one of the most influential media personalities of the last 40 years.

Often credited as the original influencer, Netflix’s Martha isn’t about making a succulent Thanksgiving turkey or the ideal Christmas fruitcake. This is an intimate look at the life & times of the woman who brought DIY content into mainstream.

With nothing off limits, Martha Stewart gets candid about:

• Her relationship with her father.

• Working as a Wall Street stock broker.

• Infidelity on both sides of her marriage.

• The launch, IPO, and eventual sale of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

• What really happened in her insider trading case.

• Her time in jail.

• Meeting Snoop Dogg at Justine Bieber’s roast.

• How her friendship with Snoop Dogg reenergized her career.

• Launching her 2nd act on social media.

Martha is currently available on Netflix. You can check out the trailer here.

It’s a good (documentary) thing.

Rapid Fire Questions with VML Strategy Director, Rory Petty

• Who would play Rory if Hollywood turned his life story into a movie?

• What would Rory call this movie?

• Rory’s favourite movie?

• The campaign Rory is most proud of?

• Rory’s favourite book?

• What would Rory be doing if he were not in media?

Watch here and don’t forget to subscribe to the Media People Podcast on YouTube.

From the Media People Podcast Archives: [Then] MightyHive Managing Director, Tessa Ohlendorf [2019]

From selling domain registrations to media buying & planning to building & managing advertising trading desks, Tessa Ohlendorf has quite the expansive resume. But if you look back at the early part of her life, you’d be hard pressed to find a direct path to the ad tech world.

Born & raised in Toronto, Tessa’s early passions were rooted in photography and art. But it was philosophy that captured her mind and would become the cornerstone of her university education.

After university, Tessa entered the world of internet marketing- holding positions Tucows & HostCompare. Tessa would eventually pack a suitcase for New York City and the life of a Madison Avenue media executive. While in New York, she held senior roles at CrossMedia and Convergence Point, all while starting her own agency— Online Media Management.

The great recession of 2008 brought Tessa back home to Toronto where she went on to senior roles at Mindshare.

She’s the founding employee of Cadreon’s Canadian office, and is now leading MightHive’s expansion into Canada. This episode was originally published in April 2019.

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and online at mediapeople.ca