Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Durko.
Katie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
During my senior year at the University of Southern California, I interned for Burberry in the Public Relations department. When I graduated, I was offered a full-time position in their New York offices as a Public Relations Coordinator for the Womenswear division.
After two years in the city (and two very harsh winters), I moved back to my hometown of Southern California and started working for Monique Lhuillier in the Marketing department.
It was during my three years with Monique that I mastered my social media skills and really learned how to leverage a brand’s digital presence to its fullest potential. Three years (and nearly 600k followers on Instagram) later, I left the company and started consulting. A year later, The Social Kat was born.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Yes and no. Making the decision to go out on my own was a scary one. Signing my first client was both exhilarating and terrifying. I had more freedom than I ever had post-grad, but there was a lot more pressure to make sure I could pay the bills every month.
In the beginning, I was alone a majority of the time, working from my home office, which really got to my head. I didn’t realize how much I took office culture for granted until I was removed from it. Once I found an office (one of my first clients let me share their space) and hired my first intern (a USC student!), things became smooth(er) sailing.
The Social Kat – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Social Kat is a boutique social media agency based out of Los Angeles. TSK was created to help brands and personalities find their voices and tell their stories to increase awareness, engagement and traffic across social media channels. Our current client roster is heavily lifestyle brands. Specifically, fashion, food and fitness.
I am so proud of the team I have built over the past three years. The girls who work for me are absolute rockstars. They are eager to learn, self-motivated, dependable, and not to mention, fun to be around. I’ve finally found that office culture I was missing.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
That’s an easy one! BEING HAPPY. Success is being happy and satisfied with who you are, and continuously striving and challenging yourself to be the best person you can be. It’s knowing that at the end of each day, I did my best and I made a positive impact on those around me.
Contact Info:
- Website: thesocialkat.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/katie
- Facebook: facebook.com/thesocialkat
- Twitter: twitter.com/thesocialkat
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
