Meet Michelle O’Grady of Team Friday

I went from temp to coordinator, to tradeshow associate to tradeshow director – working to build over a million dollars in a tradeshow revenue for some of the most significant fashion trade events on the West Coast. I helped manage day-to-day as well as strategize branded engagements, specialized functions, and big-picture trends. It was fun but knew it was time to make another move. I decided it might be a good time to make a big step, so I left my lovely hometown of Los Angeles for New York. It was great, and I continued to thrive in fashion, this time working on the production end of the business. But living in New York sparked a fundamental lesson and curiosity in me – the idea of socio-economics. As someone born and raised in Los Angeles, you could escape the world and live in your bubble – your car.

In New York, I faced having to see the world in all its glory, day after day, as I moved through the city through public transportation. This experience gave me a whole new perspective on humanity and caused me to come full circle with my naiveness of how people live. When I left New York to go back to Los Angeles, I decided to leave fashion and go into more consumer product and lifestyle marketing. I thought a change of scenery in marketing would help me shake some of the hyper-unrealistic ideals of the fashion industry was creating. It did for a while, and I got to do some fantastic work with brands in automotive, lifestyle, and cosmetics but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to contribute more to my community – the same way my family had over the past five generations.

My view of LA evolved after New York and when I relocated back home, it was undeniable that I noticed the city and its people moving differently. It forced me to get more involved in local community issues and raised my level of awareness in some gap of cultural and relevant communications efforts among government agencies, community-serving organizations, and Philanthropy for community-at-large most affected by the changing city.  These efforts were something I desperately and passionately wanted to help address.   So six years ago, I started Team Friday to address those gaps, help expand partnerships, and in a way continue my contribution to my hometown. Now looking back, I couldn’t be prouder that our work and clientele has grown so much. We’re grateful to continue to build with some amazing organizations, both in California and throughout the United States.

Nothing is ever as smooth as it looks and there can seem like there are more challenging days than good. But thankfully the good days pay off. Our struggles have changed as we’ve grown from securing funding to aligning with the right client relationships. We have had to refine our service offerings over time because, in the beginning, we were so eager to grow without really having a perspective for what we were really good at. Taking time to reflect is critical and knowing when to pivot has proved to be very favorable to the growth of the company.

Team, Friday is a creative agency focused on building purpose, furthering causes & creating impact through collaboration & innovation. Our team leverages several decades of experience in brand strategy, experiential marketing, digital communications, and strategic partnerships to create dynamic campaigns for people, brands, organizations, communities, and civic entities.

I’m most proud of the work we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period. It’s incredible to be a part of an organization’s growth, policies passed, and campaigns that help people thrive.

LA can be a great place, but it’s all about growing your network to be successful. Go to events, make friends in your industry and outside of it, and don’t be afraid to collaborate to get started.  A lot of work is based on relationships that we have been building over time, and we have loved working with others as a way to expand our offerings and community of resources. It can be tough to make it on your own, so don’t.