Personal and Professional Development at Google and Beyond

Over the course of the past year, my career goals and aspirations have changed greatly. Below, I will outline what I have learned and how my skills and experience have evolved using the GROW model.

When embarking upon the MA in Cultural and Creative Industries and subsequent internship project, I thought I was through with large corporations. I had been a publicist at major record labels including Virgin Records and Universal Motown Records for over 5 years, and was completely disenfranchised with the music industry as well as the affective labour processes that are ever present in the CCIs. Thus, my original goal was to move away from larger companies to smaller, independent marketing firms that were forward-thinking. Companies that specialized in online promotions and took social networking seriously. However, when an internship opportunity in Google’s marketing department arose, I knew I couldn’t pass up the chance to work for a company with such an amazing reputation for creative and empowering working environments. Furthermore, since the internship was in events, I knew I would be able to apply my previous skills and experience to the position. What followed was a complete transformation which has lead to my current career path.

GOALS

Following my graduation this winter from King’s College, I hope to secure a full time position in the Google UK Events Department where I can further my event production skills and build upon my quite extensive background in entertainment. I would like to specialize in international event production and also consult the department on entertainment for all Google events. My current goal is to stay in the UK, however if there is not a position available here I would also consider applying for events positions at Google in New York and California. My ultimate goal after 3-5 years at Google is to switch to a role in music events production, ideally for a company such as The Grammys, MTV or the American Music Awards. This goal will allow me to combine my large-scale event production skills with my passion for and connections to the music industry.

REALITY

The following factors will help to make my goals a reality:

- Management of high profile Google events including: Google @ Cannes Lions Festival, The Summit Against Violent Extremism, Large Agency and Advertiser Marketing Off-Site, YouTube Next Up Creator Camp, Vint Cerf Opinion Formers Dinner, YouTube Video Advisory Board, Berline Privacy Conference.
- Refined skills in organization and detail, management of external agencies and entertainment best practices.
- Meeting with HR recruiter to consult my CV and discuss conversion at the end of my internship in November.
- Strong background in PR and artist management which is applicable to events management.
- Proven connections in the world of events, from talent to agencies to creative executives.
- Awards at Google: Peer Bonus for work on Google @ Cannes Lions, Peer Bonus for work on LAAM Off Site, Platinum Award Spot Bonus for work on Google @ Cannes Lions.

OPTIONS

While my goal is to remain at Google for at least 2 years in order to learn from and work with what I would argue is the best and brightest team of employees in the world, I know from experience to always keep my options open. I plan to work hard at the conversion process here at Google but also to look into other companies with a twofold approach. Firstly, I will look into event positions at other large technology companies here in London - including Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo and Twitter. I will also look into positions at large event agencies - from bigger companies such as Brandfuel and Flourish to independent agencies like Benguela and Design Scene. It is also possible that I will need to look for jobs in New York City, where I can capitalize upon my previous connections and networks.

WAY FORWARD

Firstly, I have extended my internship at Google through the end of November so I am present at the company. This also speaks to my ability to impress my manager and is noted in my HR profile. I have scheduled a second meeting with my manager and the Human Resources recruiter for September 21st to discuss the next steps in conversion. When applying for conversion, I will need to supply four recommendations from staff members. Over the next month I plan to collect these from the most senior people I have worked with in order to further my chances. Also, I will compile a working document of projects that I have completed, the skills needed, and any awards given in relation to that project. All of these will help to strengthen my case for conversion here at Google in January.
            In addition, I will begin outreach to my contacts at external London agencies in October. Because I cannot be hired until I have a post-study work visa, I will not be able to apply for jobs until January. However, it is important to network well in advance and meet with people who may have positions becoming available in the New Year. Lastly, when I return home in December I will set up meetings with former bosses and contacts in the music industry in order to network my way to contacts at NYC-based event agencies.

With a truly immersive and challenging full-time 6-month internship at Google, I feel that I have cemented my career path for the next five years. I have set realistic and attainable goals while leaving myself plenty of options. The next few months will prove to be hard work, but I’m confident I can secure a full time position at Google upon graduation from the King’s College MA CCI Program.

Internal Organization and Power Relations at Google

You Can Be Serious Without a Suit (Or Can You?)

Over the past 20 years in the UK, the US, and elsewhere there has been major growth in what Andy Pratt defines as the Cultural and Creative Industries - Film, Music, Television, Fashion, Technology and other related fields that contribute to the ‘knowledge economy’ as outlined by Peter Drucker (Hesmondhalgh and Pratt 2005; Drucker 2002). In turn, these countries have seen an economic shift to what Richard Florida defines as a ‘Creative Economy’ rooted in three important institutional changes that make up the ‘social structure of creativity’. These include; new economic systems (specifically venture capitalism) that create opportunities for technical innovations and entrepreneurship, new models of actual labour whereby work is less physical and based on highly developed skills and talent, and the rise of the ‘social & cultural milieu’ - the support and encouragement by society to further the production of creative goods (Florida, 2002). Without these fundamental shifts in the economic structure, an organization such as Google, one of the very start-ups to which Florida refers, would never have gained the initial support and financial backing that paved the way for the company to flourish and grow into the iconic giant we know today.

Having interned at Google for over 4 months, I can say with steady confidence that I know the internal structure and organization of the company very well. Although Google now employs thousands of people in hundreds of offices across the world, the company prides itself on promoting the culture and structure of the startup that was founded in 1998. Rooted in the concept of what Chris Bilton refers to as ‘soft control’, Google’s focus is on horizontally structured, project-based work that reflects one of their ‘ten things’ philosophies: “you can be serious without a suit.” As Bilton describes it:

“In pursuit of creativity, today’s managers are encouraged to reject control and hierarchy in favor of release and individualism...hierarchies are flatter, organizational cultures are self-consciously ‘casual’, and managers have removed their neckties. In this system of creative management or ‘soft control’, managers seek to remove constraints in order to free individual workers to express themselves, to take risks and to challenge conventional thinking. Consequently their employees will, of course, be more productive and inventive.” (Bilton, 2007, pg. 66)

In this paper I will analyze this statement as it relates to the Google culture using examples from my work on the Google @ Cannes Lions Festival event, as well as my general experiences in the office environment.
While the overall organization of Google is hierarchical, projects are run in a very specific way in order to encourage and foster creativity. Hierarchies exist in that departments are well structured.  For example, the UK events team is run by the head of events. The events team is part of the larger marketing team, which is run by the head of UK marketing. The head of UK marketing then reports to the head of Global marketing. Thus, there are people with more senior titles than others, but there is little emphasis on this when creating teams and assigning projects.
The most in-depth experience I’ve had on a project here at Google was our Creative Sandbox event in Cannes. Working closely with the Large Agency and Advertiser Marketing team, we created a cool, fun, free space on the beach at the Cannes Lions festival for media and ad agency executives to enjoy smoothies, wi-fi, and product demos.
Joining the staff in April, I could see Chris Bilton’s concept of ‘soft control’ clearly outlined. Firstly, the project-based organization of the core team was apparent - none of the 4 main members were working on any other projects; their focus was quite one note and they could immerse themselves in the creative process for this event. Secondly, the team was structured horizontally and not vertically. Instead of 3 people from the events department who all reported up a chain of authority, the team consisted of members from across different departments. Marketing, mobile, events, and advertising worked together with no chosen ‘lead’ or ‘manager’ of the project. In meetings, things were run democratically with consideration for peoples’ opinions and ideas. The final aspect of the project was the freedom allowed to the team members to choose which aspects of the event interested them. Roles and responsibilities - i.e. who is in charge of food and beverage, who is in charge of demo areas, who is in charge of design and production - were all assigned based on interest. For myself, I was able to ask to run the entertainment for our VIP party, which included three performances and the overall technical aspects of the evening. I was given time to choose artists and performers that I thought would be a good fit, and had the overall final say on decisions. This freedom to create paired with the laissez-fare structure of the team and project proved to be a great success on site and lead to an impressive final product for Google.

However, Bilton argues that “the discipline and systematic organization required for real creativity (innovation + value; divergent thinking + convergent thinking)” must remain in order for a company to flourish (2007, pg 67). These constraints absolutely exist at Google. From our branding tactics (always use Google’s colors in event design) to our event best practices (create a marketing timeline spreadsheet at the outset of each event), there are certain boundaries in place in the events team which are meant to control the direction of our creativity. Furthermore, while budgets are easier to come by at a huge corporation like Google, the ideals of the thrifty, scrappy start-up are still put into practice when executives approve and delegate event budgets. In the end, it is true that while Google purports to promote a free-flowing, quirky and creative environment, there is an undoubted balance between release and control that must exist for the business to succeed.

Works Cited - Blog and Reports

Works Cited:

Bilton, C. “Managing Creative Work Through Release and Control” (2007). In: Bilton, C, Management and Creativity. Oxford Blackwell Publishing 2007, pp.66-90.

Blair, H. “You’re Only As Good As Your Last Job: The Labour Process and Labour Market in The British Film Industry” (2001). Work Employment and Society, 15:1, 149-169. doi: 10.1177/09500170122118814.

Deuze, M. “Convergence Culture in the Creative Industries” (2007). International Journal of Cultural Studies, 10:2, 243-263. doi: 10.1177/1367877907076793.

Drucker, P. “The Effective Executive” (2002). New York City: Harper Business Essentials.

Florida, R. “The Rise of the Creative Class” (2002). Basic Books.

Hesmondhalgh, D. and Pratt, AC. “Cultural Induustries and Cultural Policy” (2005).
International Journal of Cultural Policy, 1477-2833, Volume 11, Issue 1, Pages 1 – 13.

Jenkins, H. “Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide” (2006). New York University Press.

Toffler, A. “Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century” (1990). New York: Bantam Books.

Van Dijk, J. “The Network Society: Social Aspects of New Media” (2006). Sage.

Farewell For Now

This will be my last week at Google until September 7th, when I will commence my internship through the end of January and hopefully be hired full time then! After a meeting with HR, it made the most sense to take a hiatus while I finish my dissertation and recharge for the next steps.

Reflecting upon my time here, I have to say I've learned more than I thought I would. While I did have some event skills under my belt when I began, joining a team of extremely experienced event planners was a great way to immerse myself in the process and production aspect of the job. Moreover, working for Google has been a humbling and eye-opening experience in two ways.

Firstly, it has re-fueled and re-charged my love of the CCIs. After working in PR for so long and experiencing the life that so many creatives lead - the sense of precarity, low pay for long hours, bulemic work patterns - I was extremely disenfranchised with the Cultural and Creative Industries. Now I see that there are companies and sectors that get it right, and Google is one of them.

Secondly, it has been inspiring to work for a place so creatively and independently driven. When an intern has an idea in a meeting, everyone pays attention. When a lead on a project is having trouble, a member of the team steps in and takes over. The working culture and horizontal organizational structure is truly the defining character of Google, and I've grown to love and appreciate the idealism that it fosters.