Archive for the ‘women’ Category
Molly Hawkins: Evo Strategery
Strategery is Molly Hawkins’ title–in corporate/web 2.0 speak that’s community manager and she works at Evo, a rad core shop in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. (Check out Shayboarder’s post on Evo for the full scoop on the shop.) Evo is known for its community events-whether it be a game of S.K.A.T.E., coordinating rides up to the mountains, or the craziest premier party Seattle has ever seen.
I got a chance to meet up with Molly to check out the revamped shop and find out more about what a community manager actually does -the good and bad parts, filming and photography, where women are at in snowboarding, and what tips she has for being able to do what you love.
So, what does a work day look like for you?
It was hard to create a title since I do so many things, so we went with strategery. So what I do is engage customers in a meaningful way and promote Evo through blogs and social networks. I work with vendors to promote events and get products to give out at those events. Basically I do events, social networking, PR, store ads, and work with the team.
How did you get started at Evo?
I was managing an event company and running my own videography company, but I had aspirations to link my passions to the snow industry. I worked at Mt. Hood Meadows and competed. I moved to LA to get video editing skills with the dream of making snowboard videos. Then I moved back to Seattle. I had this great idea to start an e-commerce company. One of my friends was looking for a job and came across an internship at an e-commerce company in the snowboard industry and she thought I should check it out. I had worked at that point for awhile and wasn’t really wanting to be an intern again. I checked them out online and it looked like a cool place to work, the crew looked cool. When I met Bryce (owner of Evo), he had such contagious energy. I loved that the environment wasn’t intimidating, it was super open and inclusive on the business side and on the community side.
What is the best part about your job?
People come to mind right off the bat. There are so many perks to working in an industry that I am so passionate about. I get to shoot photos, video, snowboard, be around product.
When I get to see someone light up because of what we have done, is my favorite. I love being in the store and seeing people light up when they find new gear or talk about their latest trip up to the mountain. At the end of the day, I like being able to help other people get into the sport.
I also have a lot of freedom. Evo is pretty progressive, it’s young and nimble, and we have an ability to try new things easily.
What is your least favorite part about what you do?
Having to be on stage all of the time, it wears on a person. Being so connected on the ground, I feel like I am a conduit to the company–that takes a lot of work. It also takes a lot of coordinating, remembering all of the people connecting everyone. But, despite that, I love my job and I love connecting people and getting them excited about things.
What got you interested in filming and photography?
Not sure if any one single event or any one person got me interested, but I know that my interest really came at an early age. I was always begging my mom and dad to let me take photos or to command the old VHS Camcorder when we’d go on family trips. As I look back on my childhood now, I think it came from my inability to really communicate in words the beauty in all of the things that I had been experiencing and seeing around me as a kid and as I started venturing out further and further into this great big world. Not just the big things though… I was amazed by and still am amazed by how awesome you can make the “small things” seem thru still imagery. Haha, but also some would say its inherently an Asian trait, which maybe so since my interest goes back as far as I can remember.
How did you get your skills? Did you go to school and take classes or did you pick them up on your own?
Well, I definitely wouldn’t call myself a pro or anything. Most of what I know I learned by trial and error, through books, and from friends and mentors that I have reached out to over the years. I’m not shy about asking people questions, and if I’d see someone doing something I liked, I would ask them how they did it. Now I guess you can Google everything, but there is something about the “human touch” and the context that you can get from a conversation versus reading a book or Googling.
Any tips for someone learning how shoot on the hill and do video edits?
My best advice would be to “just do it”…Nike was really on to something! :p
No really though, I’d take a few minutes to watch your favorite films. Jot down what you like, what you don’t like, what you think you could do better, and make a simple script/outline. Grab whatever camera you have available and just go do it. You will learn so much as you apply yourself and through trial and error. When you are filming, make sure you are keeping the editing process in mind though. Think about how each of the clips you are shooting will “seam” together.
Women have always been a smaller segment in the industry (gear, films, photospreads, actually on the mountain, etc), where do you think we are at when it comes to board sports?
Oh man, you’re asking me to open Pandora’s box here! It’s a tough one. The industry has come a long way in catering to women but I think it will be awhile until the playing field is more balanced. I do question whether women will ever really rival men in the marketplace though. At the end of the day, men and women are motivated by different things and the question remains, are there an equal amount of women who want to participate in these sports as men at the same level that would warrant an equal amount of gear produced, exposure in the media, etc. In my opinion, the stage is set but its going to come down to marketing to women properly, educating them on how to purchase the appropriate gear so they have a good experience and want to come back, as well up to existing participants and athletes and ambassadors to really reach out and extend a hand to new participants. Gosh, that conversation could go a million different directions and on forever in each! 
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects you’re working on?
Just continuing to grow the Evo brand. I’m really excited to take what we’ve built around the community in the Seattle area, bottle it up, and share it with other communities around the world.
Hmmm, what else? Other than that, I’m just always looking to challenge myself and continue to grow in the areas that excite me….the greatest challenge is finding a balance between work and play.
What tips do you have for someone who wants to do what you do?
I grew up in a small rural town in southern Washington. I wonder sometimes, how did I turn into this? It blows my mind. But, what I’ve come to is that it was the people. There were people that inspired me as a kid, they gave me something to dream about and aspire to. They were people who thought outside the box. When you are young and impressionable, like I was in high school, I did what I was supposed to do. I followed the track of college and a job. There was a point, I think most everyone gets to this point, where I stepped back and took stock of my life. I asked…What am I doing for me? I asked, what am I passionate about: film, music, snowboarding.
- Do an internship. Take a look at the companies you are interested in working for and contact them.
- Snowboarding is no different than any other industry, there is manufacturing, sales, marketing. Spend time and immerse yourself with the people and the culture.
- Be willing to learn. Reach out to people who inspire you. Take them out to coffee. I’ve done that a lot and its paid off. I’ve been blown away by the number of people willing to share their knowledge.
- Self educate. There is so much knowledge out there, you don’t have to re-create the wheel.
- Believe in what you are doing and find something you are passionate about. Be open, because its a changing market.
- No one is going to knock on your door. And if they do, you are damn lucky.
Thanks Molly!
