The POZCAST: Career & Life Journeys with Adam Posner

Tamara Keller: From Civil Engineer to Marketing Agency Founder- The Sax Agency

Episode Summary

In episode 121 of The POZcast, Tamara Keller and I break down her journey from civil engineer to Marketing and advertising professional. Tamara knew from the time that she was five years old watching Sesame Street that she wanted to defy odds and do jobs that women weren’t traditionally supposed to do-- in her case engineering. She was determined to be an engineer, and has some impressive projects such as coordinating the Pier 57 project which reconstructed a section of the Hudson River Park. Tamara would soon discover her passion for advertising and marketing after hiring an ad agency to work on one of her projects. After being unsatisfied with the work of this top-tier agency, Tamara decided that she and her business partner Kara C. Sax could do a better job. Thus, The Sax Agency was born. Eight years later, The Sax Agency has worked with cultural icons such as Amber Rose via her marches for women’s empowerment, Will and Jada Smith via their foundation, as well as other organizations such as Howard University. Tamara explains that Sax works with projects that directly correlate to her and her partner’s personal passions whenever possible, although their work ethic and tenacity takes them beyond their passions as well. Tamara and I also dig into the effect of the recent Black Lives Matter movement, and particularly break down corporate responsibility. She explains some of her experiences with discrimination, and how her experience as a biracial woman of color shape her view of the current climate as well as her own career. Tamara has a really interesting story filled with plenty of pivots and insights, so make sure to tune in for more! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review/rating: https://ratethispodcast.com/thepozcast The POZCast is brought to you by our friends at Interseller - the prospecting + outreach platform of recruiters and sellers. Whether you’re doubling down on business development or recruiting talent, Interseller does all the heavy lifting of finding contact data, automating the email and follow-up process, and syncs all that rich data into 20+ CRMs and ATSs. Reach out and get going in a 2-week *free* trial today and let them know you heard about them from Adam on the POZCast. Check out a free demo today! https://bit.ly/2Fbm/BZ1 For more, please visit: www.thePOZcast.com

Episode Notes

2:48 - Tamara's Journey to Success
4:28 - How was your purpose aligned with the true calling?
6:45 - Switch to Marketing Agency
10:04 - Remain Focused
11:28 - Type of Clients
14:18 - The Pandemic Effect
16:52 - Black Lives Matter
19:28 - Brands' Awakening
21:15 - Challenges Faced during Covid
23:54 - Working on a Non-Profit Project
27:54 - Finding and Having the Right Mentor
30:14 - What does 'Authenticity' Mean?
32:50 - Greatest Piece of Advice
34:05 - Personal and Professional Silver Lining