What’s your role and how long have you been at Innovative?
I’ve been an editorial project coordinator with Innovative for just over three years.
What’s your favorite memory from Innovative?
I love how hard this is to narrow down; I’ve never enjoyed working with a group more than with these lovelies. The day-to-day of getting to know my wonderful team — whether through mood boards, quizzes, making playlists or whatever’s going on in the social channel — is always a delight.
I did get to meet a few coworkers in person for a client meeting in Atlanta, and I had the terrifying honor of driving my bosses around those nightmare-ish roads. They reported feeling “very safe” with me but somehow also like being “in a Grand Theft Auto game” — I think that’s just the ATL experience, but it was super nice to meet them and get us all to the meeting alive.
What’s the most challenging part of your job?
When I first started, it was organization. We deal with a lot of information on the daily, and it was tough to get a handle on. But now, armed with my sticky notes and our always improving organizational tools, the hardest part is switching brains — meaning, going from a “writing” brain to a “talking to clients” brain to “where did I put that Sharpie — oh it’s in my hand” brain.
When you’re not working, what can you be found doing?
I play a lot of video games, and I read a lot of books! (I run a book club and take part in our Innovative club.) I also picked up crocheting last year and that’s been really fun. I’m often doing one of those three things while piled on the couch with my husband and our two dogs, Barry and Hilda. We also meet up with friends a lot for Dungeons & Dragons.
What movie, television or book character represents you the best?
I have to go with Ben Wyatt from Parks and Recreation. Sarcastic, nerdy introverts who love calzones? C’mon. (I also majored in accounting for a while!)
What’s a song you currently have on repeat?
Swiftie here: I’ve been listening to Florida!!! and Glitch a lot lately. Other current repeats are The Future of an End by Woodlock, Paul Revere by Noah Kahan, and Vertigo by Griff.
For work, I listen to the Persona 5 soundtrack so much — I’ve made several playlists for music to focus to, and it always makes the cut.
What are some of your favorites (show, movie, book, musical artist, game, etc.)?
TV: Parks and Recreation, Psych, Haikyu
Movies: Captain Marvel, Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse, Your Name
Books: Circe by Madeline Miller, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang
Musical Artists: Taylor Swift, Florence + the Machine, Hozier
Games: Hades (and the sequel), Persona 5, Dicey Dungeons
“Vallen is impressive because of her level-headed approach to her role, plus her knack for troubleshooting processes so we’re all more efficient. But the most impressive thing about Vallen is her unofficial social secretary role. She is always looking out for her team and finding ways to make work more joyful. It is a joy to know her.”
–Liz Herrera Lauer, Creative Manager, Innovative Publishing
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