Natalie O’Leary, 38
Business Development Director
BAMKO
Los Angeles
What does being a PPAI Rising Star mean to you?
It means everything. The most rewarding part about this honor is that I was nominated by my peers, some of whom I’ve never even met before. I couldn’t be more thankful to everyone and I’m just super proud.
What brings out the best in you?
Working on different creative projects, initiatives or campaigns for clients and feeling really good about the direction, and then taking aspects of that for content creation for social media. Seeing engagement rise and people interested and invested in what my company is doing for my clients is very rewarding.
What is the biggest challenge for you in your career?
This season of life can be challenging at times. I’m a working mom with three small kids. I’m very lucky to have a supportive husband and I’m grateful to have a lot of support from my company, but there’s still only so many hours in a day. I just give myself grace and try to do the best that I can do with the time and talents I have, knowing in the end that it will all work out.
What does the industry need to do to attract and retain more young leaders?
Continuing to create awareness of the existence of our industry through well-put together conferences, events and social media. Putting ourselves in the forefront of people’s minds is ultimately going to be what attracts young, go-getting, vibrant people and personalities to help our industry move forward.
What has been your proudest moment in your work?
The grit and determination that I’ve put into coming to BAMKO and re-building a book of business, which can be challenging if you’re starting out in promo. What I’ve been able to build over the past 18 months has been hard fought for and will only continue to grow from here.
