A day in the life…
…of an Executive Editor
Jeremiah Karpowicz
Where is your hometown?
Cleveland, Ohio, which is also where the Cuyahoga River Fire occurred. Contrary to popular belief, the river didn’t actually catch fire though – what burned were the floating pieces of oil-slicked debris that got ignited on the river by sparks caused by a passing train. I think it’s an important distinction.
What did you study in school?
I was an English major, which is when I was first able to appreciate the genius of the books that I had been first exposed to in high school.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your career at Diversified:
My career at Diversified hasn’t been a typical one, as it began in Burbank, California and transitioned into working on the first digital-only product the company had ever owned, to now being involved with all of the properties in the company’s Technology Group. It’s been an amazing journey, as the people and industries that I’ve been exposed to along the way enabled me to transition from what was a job into a career. It’s something I’m grateful for everyday.
Is there such thing as a typical day for you as an Editorial Analyst? What’s it really like?
There are certain elements that are typical in terms of creating new content for the site, making sure the newsletter is delivered and providing updates during team meetings, but what all of those elements actually look like on a daily and weekly basis vary a great deal. Additionally, webinars, industry events and breaking news will all inevitably pop up, so it’s tough to say there’s a “typical” day. For the most part, I have a number of ongoing projects that I’m focused on completing over the course of a day, and those are balanced out with more pressing items that come in via email or the phone.
What is the best part of your job?
The best part is the exposure to and involvement with the industries that we cover. Unlike some event organizers, Diversified makes a real commitment to the industries they’re involved with, to the point that we don’t just organize events for these industries, but we’re actually part of them. That’s an important distinction that has made a difference in terms of my career and something that our audience recognizes.
What is the most challenging aspect of your role?
One of my biggest challenges is to take everything in stride. That is to say, being involved with so many different aspects of our products allows me to see the big-picture opportunities that are out there for us, and I sometimes want to pursue them before we have the support or setup to properly do so. It’s like someone trying to climb Mt. Everest without the proper climbing gear. The results for me obviously aren’t as dire, but that same mindset is something I’ve had to work through. Thankfully, the complete support of our director and group VP have helped me to better understand these opportunities in terms of timing, resources and support.
Do you have opportunities to engage in any social events or activities throughout your day?
Diversified arranges social events throughout the year, and various teams set aside different times for group outings or events as well. It’s a big office with people that are always up to escape for lunch or something after work, which can be a welcome relief, even if we do sometimes just end up talking about work. Still, doing so over nachos beats the water cooler.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I’ve been working on an illustrated novel called “Solve Everything”, although what exactly I’m trying to solve with it remains elusive. I figure I’ll have a better perspective on that in a few years. But I also said that a few years ago.
Fun Fact – What is one thing most people don’t know about you?
My uncle is a big time artist, and one of my other hobbies is to figure out a similar artistic identity that can be expressed in pieces that don’t just reside in my yard.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
That’s a split between interviewing the Administrator of the FAA and being asked to keynote at an industry event. If you had told me either of those things were a possibility not too long ago, I would have said you were crazy!
What advice would you give to a new employee of Diversified Communications?
I would say to make an active effort to connect with the people on your team and outside your team to talk through and really understand what they’ve learned about what works and what doesn’t in their particular industry. Diversified has shows and publications that focus on everything from seafood to drones to accounting software, and it still surprises me to find out how what works in one industry can also work in another. And it’s just as enlightening to understand why what is working in one space will not translate to another.
Oh, and get down to the 2nd floor gym. It’s a great facility, and there’s no excuse not to take advantage!
