Life and Work with Jessika Frerichs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessika Frerichs.

Jessika, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Initially, I aspired to be a writer. While in school at SDSU, I started writing for local magazines and building websites on the side. Not too long after graduating, one of my clients hired me on as their Marketing Director, which provided a great learning opportunity on how to manage teams and build a brand. Fast forward to 2008—the economy crashed and, unfortunately, my job went with it. Over the next several months, I applied to over 200 jobs! I was competing for the very few marketing positions available, with individuals who had years of experience on me. While it was frustrating, it was almost funny how many jobs I didn’t get. I even created a blog called “Soon to be Homeless” where people could follow my job hunt and the subsequent rejections! At a certain point, I knew I needed to take any job I could get which had room for growth. I took a minimum wage job as a health consultant at a call center; it wasn’t my dream job by any means, but I was in the building (albeit on the night shift next to high school students). Within the year, I landed a position on the brand team and continued to move into larger roles at Jenny Craig. In 2012, I was one of 11 people chosen worldwide to join a brand new Digital Acceleration Team for Nestle in Vevey Switzerland. I spent the year in Switzerland developing digital tool kits for global brands. It’s crazy to think now, but in 2012, digital marketing was still finding a place in larger corporations. I was honored to be chosen, and it was an exciting project to be a part of. Once I returned from Switzerland, I helped Nestle brands integrate our strategies into their current marketing plans. In 2014, I left Nestle to join my husband, Jesse Fritsch, and our longtime friend, Josh Vargo, in building our own creative agency, The Anton Eye.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It wasn’t exactly easy. In my job as a phone consultant, I was working alongside high school students that were just trying to make extra cash, while I was trying to start a career. There were times when I wondered why I even went to school. That said, hard work pays off. I was very fortunate to have many forward-thinking managers and mentors, many of whom were female, who took notice of me. In regards to the agency, it has ups and downs as well. It’s our own company, which gives us freedoms that I didn’t have working a corporate job, but the daily responsibilities are much greater. One thing I would recommend to anyone going into the workplace is to recognize that a work/life balance is important. It wasn’t until I had my first child that I realized what was truly important to me. If you take the time to enjoy life and the people around you, you will do better work.

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I am the Digital Marketing Lead and a partner at The Anton Eye creative agency in Cardiff, CA. We offer what we call “strategic content development and distribution”. Basically, we create strategies and content that best support our clients’ goals in the digital space and beyond. All of the founders at Anton have diverse industry backgrounds, so we find ourselves working on various types of projects daily. In one week, we could be developing concepts and strategies for snack brands, cannabis companies, and skateboarding labels. A few weeks ago, we shot a national Wendy’s commercial, and the whole agency got to be involved. The assorted client base keeps it fun.

I’d say we provide a couple of unique offerings: 1) First-hand knowledge of what a brand needs in this digital climate in regards to media. This enables us to create a plan that supports our clients on all levels, versus solely existing as a social media agency or production company. 2) We try to get everything we can out of each production to maximize our clients’ budgets. You never know what’s going to resonate so we like to ensure our clients have options.

What do you feel are the biggest barriers today to female leadership, in your industry or generally?
It’s an exciting time to be a woman in the workplace, and although we are still the minority, we’re closing the gap. With this change, I’ve personally noticed a difference in behavior. For example, I can walk into a room with my male counterparts, and there isn’t an assumption that I’m the assistant. This may seem minor, but it’s a big shift from even five years ago. One barrier that I believe women face right now, in all industries, is inauthenticity. What I mean is that many women, myself included, do or have in the past, worked hard to display what is perceived to be a strong and respectable leader based on what men value. I can’t count the times I’ve heard a friend or colleague say, “I’m so proud of myself for not crying!”, and it always irks me. Some of my most influential managers were women and I saw many of them cry. I didn’t think they were any less capable. In fact, I thought their acknowledgment of human emotions displayed more strength than hiding it.

My best suggestion for women and men would be to stay authentic and not try to oversell yourself, whether that’s in person or online. Nearly 100% of our business has been through referrals. I think that is due to being honest and authentic with the people we meet and the brands that we engage with. Remember, brands are run by actual people who want their business to succeed just as much as you do. If you work hard, are authentic and show results, you can be successful regardless of gender.

Contact Info:

• Address: 2211 Newcastle Ave
  Cardiff by the Sea, CA 92007
• Website: TheAntonEye.com
• Email: Jessika@theantoneye.com
• Instagram: @TheAntonEye
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theantoneye/

Image Credit:
Josh Vargo and Ryan Allan

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