Unveiling the Benjamin Family Social Media Fellows’ Journey to NYC: A Glimpse into Google, Citi, and UNTUCKit
By Maddie Frick ’24
One of the many special opportunities we get to experience as Benjamin Family Social Media Fellows is the annual New York City networking trip, an opportunity to get career advice from Providence College alumni working in the digital marketing and tech industries. This year, we spent Wednesday, January 10, and Thursday, January 11, with PC alumni at Google, Citi, and UNTUCKit’s offices.
We kicked off our trip with a visit to Google, where we met Keith Butler ’02, Justin Cauli ’02, Keith Dragicevich ’11, and Emma Flanagan ’18. After a wonderful tour and lunch at the Hudson Square office, the alumni met with us for an open discussion about their respective roles at Google. Each alum had an incredible story to tell in addition to offering us valuable advice for both our future careers and personal growth. From working in Google Cloud sales to helping advertising partners use Google’s ad tools to meet their digital marketing goals, we got a variety of perspectives from the different employees. This visit truly set the stage for an immersive experience.
After Google, we headed over to Citi to meet Mike Venables ’03, the global bank’s managing director, head of media, U.S. brand advertising & experiential marketing. We took a tour of the office and facilities and then headed up to Venables’ office where we got to learn more about his role. Venables plays a pivotal role in Citi’s advertising planning, where he showed us samples of Citi’s advertising strategies such as Rashida Jones’ commercials for Citi’s Custom Cash credit card. We also got to see how he and his team use AI in their advertising plan, which in an ever-changing digital media world, was spectacular to learn about. The Citi trip not only broadened our understanding of the intersection between advertising and finance but also showcased the importance that digital strategy plays in the banking industry.
We then went to dinner with Dean Sylvia Maxfield, Ph.D., dean of the Providence College School of Business, and Adam Benjamin ’91. Adam and his wife Meg Benjamin ’91 established the fellowship in 2016. Two fellowship alumni from the 2020-2021 team, Addison Thomas ’21 and Jack Sabye ’21, joined us.
Then we headed over to Madison Square Garden to watch the Friars take on St. John’s, which was a great bonding experience as a fellowship team — as well as a chance to meet additional fellowship alumni who were attending the game.
The next morning, we went to the Soho offices of UNTUCKit, the clothing brand that Chris Riccobono ’01 founded in 2011 to offer an iconic new item: men’s button-down shirts designed to be worn untucked. At UNTUCKit, we met with Dan Michel, senior director of editorial and PR; Valentina Garcia, social media associate; Katie Mangrum, senior manager of e-commerce, and Shannen McLoughlin, director of CRM. They explained their roles and experiences in digital marketing. Garcia’s experience as a social media associate was particularly helpful for the fellows because she runs all the social media channels for UNTUCKit. We were particularly interested to see how she operated as a one-person social team.
As the creative director of the fellowship, this trip to New York was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It was a transformative experience for all of us that broadened our perspectives of marketing in many different formats. From tech innovations to financial strategies and fashion-forward thinking, the trip showcased the pivotal role of advertising and social media in shaping the future of these industries. After returning to Providence, we now carry with us a wealth of knowledge and inspiration thanks to these Friar alumni and we feel ready to apply these newfound insights to our future careers.
