Employee Spotlight: Meg Lappe, Creative Project Manager
Behind our site, magazine, videos, social, branded content and much more is our Creative team. They're the geniuses behind the hyper creativity that happens across our digital and print. So we sat down with our Creative Project Manager, Meg Lappe, to talk about how we produce content in the age of our new normal.
Q&A
Hey Meg! So tell us about yourself. What do you do at Gear Patrol?
I’m currently the Creative Project Manager, where I oversee all the projects that the creative team touches — whether that’s video, photo, or design. I focus on building and optimizing workflows, and making sure that our team delivers great content while sticking to deadlines. Before that, I worked on our overall brand strategy and aimed to connect social, video, and editorial content. And prior to that, I was on the editorial team, as a Staff Writer on the Outdoors and Fitness desk. Gear Patrol has provided me with the opportunity to have a unique role roadmap where I'm constantly learning, which has led me to my current position.
How do you juggle staying on top of so many moving projects? How do you navigate between Branded Content and Editorial?
A lot of different ways, but writing it all down is crucial. Asana is a miracle worker — I live and breathe by the project management tool, so I can easily see what the team has going on this week and many weeks to come. The creative team also had long-standing weekly team check-ins, which became increasingly necessary when we adjusted to working from home. Instead of in-person, they're all on Google Hangouts. Despite the virtual presence, nothing quite beats face to face time, especially when collaborating with so many different departments all working towards the same goal.
What’s been your favorite project that you’ve worked on so far?
Too many to count! The first thing that comes to mind is our Gear Patrol Magazine. As someone who loves print, seeing Issues 14 and 15 come together remotely was very different, but inspiring. Both creative and editorial created a brand new set of rules to get this beauty from drafted to designed to press. That was a team effort.
On the GPS-side of things, I'd have to say the eBay Video about identifying fake watches and our seven Guide to Life videos in partnership with Lexus. While each one gave me the opp to flex different muscles — casting, propping, working with freelance videographers — it also meant the creative team had to figure out what shooting in a COVID-world looks like. With our new normal, it has been a challenge to project manage so many different moving pieces without being able to check-in with people in person. But, the flip side of that is the team is hyper-aware of the importance of over-communicating, stays on track with Asana task assignments, and has really stepped up to get projects across the finish line no matter what. It's been really rewarding to watch videos produced totally remotely go live, and I'm excited to see what more we can do in the future.
Any fun things you’ve been up to in quarantine?
Yes! I’ve recently rediscovered the West Side Highway in New York City and love walking by the water. With social distancing, it’s easy to get stuck indoors but I make it a point to physically leave my apartment at least once a day. The sunset pairs really well with to-go margaritas or negronis.
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