Gina Sidote has a lot of skills. A game-host extraordinaire and an implementation manager at CreatorIQ, Gina spoke to us about her nonlinear professional journey, how she practices going outside of her comfort zone, and why elevating women is crucial.
Can you share your background, and the journey that led you to your current role within CreatorIQ?
I've been in Saas for about 11 years. I started my career in TV and radio production, and I actually moved into tech because I went over to Live Stream which is now Vimeo, where I was doing live production. I was there for a little over three years, and worked as a project manager and an account manager. I wore multiple hats by virtue of having that production background. And I went to a couple of other SaaS places, where I bounced around between live events and marketing.
I’ve always been customer facing. During the pandemic, I was working at a live-event company, and obviously we were no longer doing in-person events. So we had to shift our entire business model, and it really burnt me out. I was a CSM at the time. And then I stumbled upon CreatorIQ, and I was like, well, what's cooler than influencer marketing? So I ended up applying for the CS position. And during the interview process, they asked me what I love most about being in CS, and I said being an educational tool for the client, and they were like, well, we are hiring from implementation. Is that something that you'd be interested in? So I accidentally landed into implementation. I absolutely love influencer marketing. I've had some really cool clients that I cannot say I've had in the past.
You host a lot of trivia for CreatorIQ, and you’re amazing at it. Where does that come from?
Fun fact: I have a hyper-obsession with certain shows. I think that's a millennial thing—trauma watching or whatever it is. Shows like “The Office” are always gonna be my comfort show, and weirdly Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. So I started going to trivia in New York, and I was winning and bringing friends with me, but I was kind of winning by myself and they were just keeping me company. So I was like, I'm just gonna ask these people if they're hiring or if they need help. I ended up hosting trivia events throughout the city for specific shows and topics. Post pandemic, people were really interested in, like, Harry Styles trivia and Taylor Swift trivia. I took a little break last year, but I’ve been doing it for like four and a half years. It's a cool way to meet people as well.
What other hobbies or interests are you passionate about outside of work?
I don't really have hobbies. I found out what I can't do, and that's artistic things. I just don't have the skill to execute on it. I'll do any kind of craft, but I’m just not great at it. I wouldn't call it a hobby, but I love listening to podcasts. I have it on in the background while I clean or cook or commute, so podcasts are huge for me. And then I love to travel. I know that's kind of basic, but I've been to many places, and I'm planning a trip right now to go to Asia for the first time. Any time or money that I have goes to travel. So I am very rarely home. I mean I lived in London for three months at the end of last year. It keeps me going.
What do you like about traveling?
I'm a weird person that actually enjoys flying. If I could fly anywhere, I’d do it. I have no fear of it. And I don't get bored—I pass out right away. I really enjoy flying and engulfing myself in other people's cultures and learning more. I also just love food. I love to eat. I'm not a picky person, and I love trying new things, seeing things. There's nothing better than walking around a city, small or large, and just looking around to see how different it is from where I'm rooted.
You're a member of CreatorIQ’s DEI council. What inspires you to do this kind of work?
In every organization I've been in, I’ve been involved in some capacity with DEI work. From a personal standpoint, I come from a family with behavioral and psychological issues, as well as substance abuse. A lot of times people talk about gender and race, but diversity includes everything. Growing up with mental health issues, alcoholism, and drug use in my family has been something that motivates me to advocate for DEI, because it's sadly more common than people think. From a non-personal level, I want people to feel included, and I want people to be able to come as their true self. Nothing's worse than being told you're not enough. So getting involved and bringing people together is something I've always been incredibly passionate about.
How can we work together to elevate women here at CIQ?
I am such a girls’ girl. I want success for every woman. I want women to continue supporting other women. We're really lucky to be in an organization that has a lot of women and women leadership in it. But we can always improve and grow. If we don't have a community, we can't get participation. People need to feel comfortable and confident in their role, in the company in general, and in life. That's something that I would love to push a bit further by having designated panels, live events, or just time with your female coworkers to understand everyone's path and what they do day-to-day here. Not everybody realizes that being remote is a challenging way to bring everybody together.
Being remote can make it difficult to build community, and it’s also not always clear who you can talk to. We do a good job of cultivating community via in-person summits, but how else can people approach community building from a distance?
I always tell people you get what you put into it, right? I have a visible face and voice in the company because I put myself out there. I know that could be challenging and not desirable for a lot of people. But I do find a lot of people confide in me, or just ask to have lunch because there's trust there. So I would love to see more people step up, especially women, so they can have a positive influence as they rise within the company. People notice that, and I think it's needed.
How do you manage stepping up and energy management? A lot of DEI work doesn't go acknowledged or it comes—and this might be a flaw in my way of thinking—at the expense of your core activities.
I hate to say that trivia has helped me, but I do think that I was less confident about speaking up and having a voice in a larger setting. Just because I’m a little bit more quiet. I think it’s important to take your voice and energy and make it into a positive experience, even if the situation isn't positive. There's always a silver lining. The worst kind of input you can give is input that is only negative, or a complaint with no resolution. You're gonna get a better response if you spin it as, I don't think this is working, but let's maybe try doing this. I think it takes guts to come in with perspective. When you hit your thirties, a beautiful thing happens where you become more sure of yourself and you build confidence—if you're around the correct people. I want people to really lean into not only their home or their personal circle, but create for yourself a safe space so that you're more encouraged to host a town hall, or to take on a DEI initiative. Having cheerleaders in your corner is important, because without that support and trust from people within the organization, I probably wouldn't be as vocal and outgoing as I am.
“I want success for every woman. I want women to continue supporting other women.”
Gina Sidote
What advice would you give to your colleagues who are looking to excel in their roles or advance in their careers?
If you are customer-facing, always build a relationship with the client or the prospect from a personal level, while doing the job that you're assigned. I'm in implementation, so I get them after the sale. They're normally their brightest at that point, because they're excited about something new.
The reason why I'm successful with my clients and in my role is because I build this rapport and trust with them as humans before we even get into the work side of things. It could be something so small like asking somebody to tell me an interesting fact about them in one of my first calls with them, and mentioning it in a follow up email just to let them know that I'm listening. I think being a good listener, being personable in a client-facing role, is crucial for success. Like I said before, what you put in, you'll get out. It’s important to make yourself known to the organization—not just within your own team or your extended team, but teams that you never collaborate with. It’s helpful to have the people who you don't necessarily work with, but have interacted with vouch for you.
Being successful and moving up in your organization has a lot to do with personal relationships, client relationships, and of course, making sure that you can manage your time, because time is something that we all get, but you can't get back. You can be as successful as you want, but without time management, you lose track of yourself a little bit, and then it becomes overwhelming, and then it's like, are you even enjoying your job at that point?
Tell me about your favorite creator.
Brittany Broski. She's the kombucha girl. She started out during the pandemic, she did a lot of really silly at-home things, like cook, do her makeup, crafts, and just let her camera roll. Now she has her own web series. She met Beyoncé last week at the launch of her haircare company. I'm just so proud of her because I feel like she has this personality where she's really funny, but she feels like a friend. I know it's so cheesy and corny, but she got me through the pandemic and helped detach me from the chaos of what was going on in the world with simple, stupid, funny things.
