Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ferreiro.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Laura. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve always been driven by a desire to tell people’s stories in ways that captivate and hopefully inspire people. It all began with my first newspaper writing assignment in college – about sewage sludge of all things. I interviewed a professor who turned sewage sludge into compost for growing plants. I remember the thrill of talking to him to gain a clear understanding of something I knew almost nothing about and turning what I’d learned into a compelling, relatable story. I was hooked and changed my major from economics to journalism soon after.
My love of writing, interviewing and storytelling led to a career in communications and journalism, on staff and contributing to outlets including Los Angeles Times, Variety, Yahoo Entertainment, LA Weekly, the Press-Enterprise, NME and Rolling Stone. I’ve also worked in marketing, communications and public relations for several years, utilizing many of my journalism skills to help nonprofits and companies most effectively tell their stories and promote their work.
A few years ago, I founded M4G Media, a marketing communications agency with an emphasis on social good and storytelling. Storytelling lies at the heart of all of these endeavors, and my background as a journalist has taught me how to most effectively uncover compelling, newsworthy and authentic stories for our clients.
Wanderlust got the best of me in my 20s, and I lived and worked in Spain (where my father is from) and London, and traveled all around Europe and Morocco, which were incredible experiences. In London, I worked as Communications Manager at WaterAid, an NGO that provides safe water to people in Asia and Africa. Here I had the chance to travel to Nepal to interview people in Kathmandu and remote villages in the Himalayan foothills about the water provision projects WaterAid implemented there. To say it was life-changing meeting these incredible people and learning about their life stories is an understatement, and it inspired me to write a novel based on the experience, which I’m planning to finish any day now!
Funnily enough, it was when I returned from London to L.A. that I ended up serving as the West Coast Editor for the British music magazine NME. This was in many ways my dream job, giving me the chance to interview countless musicians including Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Frank Black of the Pixies, Debbie Harry of Blondie and Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode as well as several rising artists, and to forge an incredible network of connections. It also enabled me to express my passion for music, which has fueled me since I was a kid.
After NME, I had to do some soul searching to determine my next career move. I took a leap and decided to start my own business, M4G Media, which initially stood for Music4Good and focused on the convergence of music, brands and good causes. We recently rebranded to Media4Good, evolving to work with brands, nonprofits, creative artists and entrepreneurs in all sectors to create cause-marketing campaigns and to help them most effectively tell their stories. Our clients have included Red Bull, Gretsch Guitars, The Levitt Foundation and Easterseals.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting and running my own business has not been easy, and it’s by far the biggest career challenge I’ve undertaken. While it can be incredibly rewarding, for me one of the biggest challenges is the hustle to find new clients and develop new business. While I love working with people, I’m a bit of an introvert and I’ve never thought of myself as a salesperson (in fact I could hardly sell Girl Scout cookies as a kid!), but I’ve learned to focus on how we can truly help our clients and create initiatives designed to achieve the highest good for everyone involved, and that motivates me to put myself and the business out there. I’m also the first person in my family to go down an entrepreneurial path, so I feel that in many ways I’ve had to figure out a lot on my own.
We’d love to hear more about M4G Media.
I founded M4G Media to help brands, nonprofits, entrepreneurs and creative artists most effectively tell their stories and promote their work, whether it’s through content creation, PR, profile-raising campaigns and events, or social media initiatives. Whenever possible, we try to incorporate a social good component into our work with clients, which can mean partnering brands with charities for mutually beneficial cause-marketing campaigns, helping promote and make nonprofits’ work more visible, or finding creative ways to give back to the community. Many brands have discovered this is a win-win – not only does it support the community they serve, but it also enhances their brand’s reputation. Consumers have become very savvy about the social good initiatives and environmental impact of the brands they support, and they’re much more likely to support brands that align with their values. So, it’s important to get the word out about them! What’s more, I feel that my experience as a multimedia journalist enhances my ability to help clients get to the heart of their stories and to uncover the most compelling ways to share them with their ideal audiences.
What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
In terms of advice, I would say don’t get discouraged if your business or creative endeavor doesn’t take off as quickly as you had imagined – we often overestimate what we can achieve right out of the gate. If your work resonates with you and feels right, keep forging ahead without comparing yourselves to alleged “overnight successes,” and be willing to change and evolve as you learn and grow from your experiences. I’ve also learned that confusion and hesitation about how to move forward can often be caused by subconscious fear or self-doubt. Recognizing that and acknowledging the root cause can help you move through it so you don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://m4gmedia.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/MusicforGoodTV
- Instagram: @lauralista
Image Credit:
Marv Watson
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