His clients love him, his teammates appreciate his killer writing abilities and he’s known around the office for stellar banjo-playing skills during “Brafter-hours” and excellent taste in sandwiches. We’re talking about Marc Fishman, a business editor on our Chicago editorial floor.
When Marc joined our editorial team in June 2013, he admits he felt intimidated by the news and content writer position. He came to the table with ample experience in professional writing, but the thought of producing quality content at scale was new territory.
Luckily for us, Marc found his groove in our newsroom and it was smooth sailing. Now, an editor on our Chicago business team he’s known for tackling some of Brafton’s most intricate business topics and has even used his former new-writer-woes for good, creating training guides for new teammates.
“It won’t happen instantly, but then all of the sudden it just clicks one day,” he said. “Not only have I become a better writer, but I’ve also had the opportunity to work on teams and collaborate with different players at Brafton to move projects forward.”
Fellow editor Ashley Greene says Marc’s energy is “contagious,” and he’s known for his incredible ability to motivate.
“If you know Marc, you know he likes to laugh. And that serves him – and everyone who works with him – very well when handling complex situations,” Ashley said. “Marc’s positive attitude and strategic mentality make him one of the best people work alongside at Brafton. His energy is contagious; he has an incredible ability to motivate others and get them as passionate as he is about a project.”
Learn more about Marc in our Brafton Q&A:
Q: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Well, as a very small kid, I wanted to be a basketball player. As an older and slightly more realistic kid, I mostly wanted to be involved with writing in some capacity.
“Not only have I become a better writer, but I’ve also had the opportunity to work on teams and collaborate with different players at Brafton to move projects forward.”
Q: What do you think is the most important quality you need to have for success?
A combination of flexibility and open-mindedness. I think having a rigid set of expectations or principles can paralyze you when opportunities arise. A content marketing agency wasn’t exactly the kind of writing position I had ever thought about, but it has turned out to have an incredibly positive influence on so much more than my own writing and editing skills.
Q: What do you value most in a job?
The ability to understand how my role fits into a larger picture. It’s hard for me to just buckle down and do work blindly without any context.
“Marc has an incredible ability to motivate others and get them as passionate as he is about a project.”
Q: What is your most treasured possession?
My life would be much less enjoyable if I didn’t have a musical instrument to play whenever I need to unwind. My guitar and my banjo.
Q: Which day of the work week are you the most productive?
I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed. I think it’s just random. But as long as I have time to wake up and do nothing for a little bit every morning before I go into the office, I’m usually OK.
Q: What’s your favorite aspect of your job?
Interviewing clients or subject-matter experts and learning more things than I ever imagined. I always liked that about journalism, in general. But at Brafton, it’s like that to an extreme.
Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Spending five months with a host family in Chile in college was probably one of the most out-of-comfort-zone things I’ve ever done. They eat a lot of mayonnaise there. I hate mayonnaise.
Q: Have any “hidden talents” ?
I’m pretty good at figuring out how to play a song by ear.
Q: If Brafton were a TV show, which character – from any sitcom, drama or reality show (of any time period) – would represent you?
I like to think I’ve got a little bit of Chris Traeger from Parks and Rec in me – but maybe not this much.
Learn more about Brafton’s career openings here.
