Today we’d like to introduce you to Nic Mercado.
Nic, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in a small town in Washington State and went to the University of Washington in Seattle. I graduated at the height of a recession (lucky me!) and took the first job I could get. It happened to be with a little beverage brand called Vitaminwater. Between skateboarding around the warehouse and jumping off palettes, we threw amazing events, and I helped lead our marketing team in spreading the word about Vitaminwater.
At the time, I got put in charge of the Facebook page. I wasn’t into it at first (after all, I thought I would be creating beautiful ads a la Nike), but it changed the entire trajectory of my career. I started getting into photography and mobile content and uploading it onto the Facebook page (this was before Instagram!). That’s when I fell in love with social media.
In the 15 years I’ve been doing digital marketing, I’ve seen it go from little event recaps to full-blown campaigns that change and shape cultural conversation. I’m currently the Vice President of Digital Marketing at William Morris Endeavor (WME). My experience spans gaming, food and beverage, tech, lifestyle, beauty, and fashion brands. I’ve done stints in an array of agencies (big and small), Microsoft, and A24. I love that I can pick and choose the work based on what my passions are. It makes the work 100% more rewarding.
Additionally, I have served on the LA Pride Board for over 3 years and am part of the Executive Committee. For over 50 years, LA Pride has served the Los Angeles LGBTQ+ community by organizing the world-famous LA Pride Parade and Festival. It’s silly to say, but at the end of the day, I just want to create cultural impact (and also have a fun job).
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve walked into some major rooms looking the way I do. Sometimes, it’s hard to be taken seriously, but that’s when the passion steps into play. I can talk about a social strategy and what’s happening in pop culture for hours, but tying it back to what typical marketing shouldn’t look like anymore and how brands can do better is what changes the minds in those rooms. Old-school marketers don’t understand what and why I do what I do, so it can sometimes be challenging to show them what digital marketing can do for a business (and how crucial it is these days).
The other obstacle I have is explaining my job to my mom! She thinks I’m on Instagram and TikTok all day (she’s not far off).
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m currently the Vice President of Digital Marketing at William Morris Endeavor (WME). My day-to-day is not day-to-day. I work closely with our Communications and Marketing Teams on creating narratives that would work well on Social. It’s amazing to have access to so much talent and events (this year alone I’ve worked the Super Bowl, Oscars, Frieze LA, LA Wine and Food Fest, and Coachella). I have the opportunity to meet some of my idols. As someone who is obsessed with pop culture, this is something that I’ll never get over. My goal is to make what I do a dinner party conversation piece – cultural impact beyond a story you see on social media.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid-19 taught me a lot of things. It showed me the importance of community and collaboration and never taking these IRL experiences for granted. Communication was key during this time. As someone incredibly social, I didn’t realize how much happiness a simple task of going to the grocery store meant. I crave real-life conversations, meeting people at a bar, going to shows, and just hopping on a plane to see my family. During quarantine, all of that was missed, and I felt it immensely. I will never take the freedom to “just do” for granted ever again.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @nicmercado
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicmercado/
