Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddy Meyers.
Hi Maddy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Born and raised in Los Angeles with both parents working in the entertainment industry, I had big dreams of my own to succeed in film and tv. I interned on a sitcom while in high school, went to film school in Chicago, graduated and then immediately began working in scripted tv. I worked as a production assistant for a few years, then moved up to production secretary with the hope to keep climbing my way up the food chain. My show ended, and I was out of work. I took a job on a cooking competition show which was a big left turn in my career, but I ended up having the most fun I’ve ever had. From there, I worked as a development coordinator for high-level executives and as an associate producer on several large competition shows for NBC. I met my greatest mentor here, Kris Curry, a female development executive and all-around badass. She harbored my creativity and supported my every career move, even after I left. But I started to feel the culture of the industry weigh heavily on me. I missed birthdays, weddings, and quality time with family, but I wore being overworked like a badge of honor. Even my health fell by the wayside both physically and mentally, because of my demanding work schedule. My own mentor even worked tirelessly on set while dealing with stage three metastatic cancer. She encouraged me to reflect on where I was investing my own time and energy. It was a big wakeup call.
After wrapping up a big show, I was unemployed and looking for a gig to fill in the gap of time before my upcoming wedding. Interview after interview, no one would hire me because I was taking a 10-day honeymoon that conflicted with the production schedule. At this point, I was over planning my life around work.
I ended up getting a part-time job on a family-owned vineyard in Malibu as a means to keep busy. I figured if I could make a little money before the wedding and at least be in a place that was beautiful surrounded by nature everyday, that was a win. It was a welcome change of pace.
The ranch job turned into an event planning job which I found was similar to my production skill set. I got laid off once the pandemic hit and the company as a whole ended up folding. Eight months of unemployment later, I applied to anything and everything, even an “event planning” job at Forest Lawn Cemetery. I felt like I was grasping at straws and didn’t know what I even wanted to do with my life.
Throughout the pandemic I did some more freelance development work but my patience for the inconsideration of my time, lack of flexibility and unreasonable demands was wearing thin. One day after surfing LinkedIn, I saw a posting for a Community Manager for the San Fernando Valley position at Yelp. The job requirements read, “Are you living and rocking out in the San Fernando Valley?” My answer was yes, and in fact, I had been my WHOLE life. I played soccer at the VNSO park since I was six. I was at ultrazone every weekend. I got my ears pierced at Claire’s in the Sherman Oaks mall. No one was more qualified for this position than I. I wasn’t even entirely sure what the job entailed, but I knew this job was for ME. This was my dream job I never knew existed.
Fast forward almost two years later, I have earned the title of Yelp Senior Community Manager of the San Fernando Valley and just welcomed a baby boy to the world. Every day for me is a new opportunity to connect with others, get creative and support the community that made me who I am. My passion for supporting local businesses is now my full-time job and it has been the most rewarding experience. The greatest thing I have learned in my professional career so far is that work/life balance should be made a priority and if I can align myself with a company that supports that as well, my cup is full. We only have one life to live, and I have decided that my job will never dictate the type of life I want to have.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road hasn’t been entirely smooth. Between finding my footing as a young working professional and feeling the pressure to “make it” as a little fish in a big pond, my confidence and self worth suffered. I found myself trying to turn into someone I wasn’t to fit into an industry that everyday broke me down and reminded me how easily I could be replaced. It was really difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that this career, this dream I had been chasing my whole life, might not actually be what’s best for me. It was hard to wrap my head around that idea, and to not feel like I was failing myself and even my family who supported me in chasing that dream my whole life.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Being the Yelp San Fernando Valley Community Manager, I have the awesome job of partnering with local businesses and getting to show them off to our local Yelp community and beyond! We host events that include menu tastings, boxing classes, composting workshops, med spa experiences and more. I am proud to be the SFV’s biggest cheerleader and to be bringing more awareness to all the awesome things the Valley has to offer as a whole. What sets me apart in my role is my authenticity. My favorite part of my job is connecting with business owners and hearing their stories of how they got started and what they’ve overcome. If I can help encourage someone to support local by introducing them to a new family-owned coffee shop that I personally love, and then they become a regular there, that’s the best feeling. Last year, we had a rooftop screening for the SFV Yelp Community with Movies on the Roof at the Westfield Mall in Sherman Oaks. I partnered with an amazing local business called Yay Paletas, who supplied delicious frozen treats for everyone at the event. A few months later, one of the attendees told me that they hired Yay Paletas for their own private party because of that event. It’s stories like that that fuel my passion to support our local businesses and the amazing people behind them.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
When you are younger, we are given trophies or certificates when we succeed. We’re put on a pedestal and people clap for us. That’s what I thought success was, to have others validate it for me, and I thrived off of that. But now my perspective has changed so drastically realizing that no one can define what success to me is, but myself. Success to me is prioritizing my mental and physical well-being to be the best version of me I can be. Without that, there’s nothing left. Also learning to let go of the things that don’t serve you and focusing your energy on something that makes you feel fulfilled. Even if it wasn’t a part of your initial “plan”. If you can learn to welcome the changes life brings, happiness can be found in places you may have never looked before.
Pricing:
- Yelp partnerships are free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.instagram.com/yelpla/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valleymaddy/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madalynmeyers
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=buNcnDbbGUzO7X1kZRGxZQ
Image Credits
Photobooth Geeks
