Today we’d like to introduce you to Trisha Blake and Richelle Brown.
Trisha and Richelle, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Trisha: “Richelle and I both have histories working in very big, corporate settings with huge marketing and advertising departments where we were some of the only female leaders.” I was fortunate to start my career at R&R Partners in Las Vegas, working on the ‘What Happens, Stays Here’ campaign that’s still going strong today, more than 15 years since it was conceived. From there, I moved on to become the first female director of media for MGM Resorts International, where I managed a budget of about $80 million a year.”
Richelle: “My career started in the pharmaceutical world, where I was the director of marketing and communications for Santen Pharmaceutical. With Santen, which is headquartered in Japan, I was part of the team that launched a billion-dollar ophthalmology company along with its first three brands in the United States.
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?
Trisha: “For me, it definitely hasn’t been easy. As the key-decision maker behind a multi-million dollar ad budget for a conglomerate like MGM, you’re always under a microscope. At the time, I was rising up in my career during the recession too, so my decisions were definitely magnified tenfold.”
Richelle: “If the answer to that question was yes at any point in our careers, we would have less to offer now. Every time that there’s been an obstacle or a hurdle, I believe that there are lessons to be learned. Through facing those challenges, I think both Trisha and I have learned to be more even-keeled. Little obstacles and hurdles we’ve encountered have allowed us to continue learning and as a result, become stronger marketers.”
MINUS EGO – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Trisha: “With the amount of experience both of us have obtained throughout careers, we realized that the time was right for us to create something ourselves. Richelle and I both love marketing and advertising and we see a huge hole in the market where there isn’t enough dedication to strategy.
On top of that, we also have a greater mission in mind. In today’s climate where there’s been this massive tidal wave of women speaking out, pushing back against a male-dominated status quo, we feel inspired to do our part with MINUS EGO. Richelle and I both want to build an environment where women can help support each other in this high-pressure, high-stakes business.”
Richelle: “It’s a real desire of ours to provide a mentoring mentality into our team and staff at MINUS EGO. We’re aspiring to groom the next generation of female leaders in our industry. As a result, what we’re seeing is a lot of women in senior leadership roles are buying into that mission. They want to join our team.
We’re proud of that because it speaks to our past management styles and leadership abilities that we’re able to attract such highly talented people. Building this agency is just the right type of opportunity in today’s marketplace.”
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Trisha: “I’ve been fortunate to have built several big advertising teams throughout my career. Of course, creating the first in-house media team for MGM is one moment that comes to mind. I was just 25 years old when I was presented with that opportunity, which I’m grateful for to this day. To be a director at that age in any business, let alone one of the biggest hospitality companies in the world, is really rare.
There wasn’t any secret sauce for me to get to where I am today. My career has just been the result of putting in the hours and work while also trying my best to be a good team player along with way.”
Richelle: “For me, it was starting the marketing/communications department from scratch at Santen and launching their company into the US market. Creating the infrastructure for it was kind of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. There was a sense of achievement when we were at our first big national meeting with our million-dollar booth, translated in multiple languages. Having gotten that far has allowed me to repeat that success in other environments and companies. There’s real satisfaction and confidence that comes with that.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.minusego.com
- Phone: 424.272.0859
- Email: hello@minusego.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minusegoagency/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minusegoagency/
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