Seth Adam, Director of Communications, GLAAD
After moving to New York, Seth accepted a part-time entry-level role at GLAAD, one of the largest LGBT advocacy organizations in the country. Six years later, he now leads the communications department and oversees a team of five that supports equality nationwide. Seth works with media outlets to provide best practices for reporting on LGBT topics and serves as an invaluable resource for journalists to tell fair, accurate and inclusive stories about the LGBT community.
In Seth’s words: Marriage equality is at the forefront of the cultural conversation right now. I hesitate to even write how many states now allow same-sex couples to legally marry, because tomorrow that number will likely be even higher. We're at an exciting time in the movement for LGBT equality, and SCOTUS is poised to make marriage equality the law of the land as soon as this summer. But, as GLAAD's CEO says, marriage equality is a benchmark, not a finish line.
Follow Seth on Twitter @sethbadam and read more about his career:
On school:
I actually studied acting, which might sound irrelevant to PR, but you'd be surprised how often I use those skills in my everyday job. I earned my BA from a liberal arts college, however, so I like to think I had a well-rounded education. I took several journalism classes and writing seminars, which continue to inform my work. I'd also say that my extracurricular activities were equally as formative. For instance, I was involved in my college's LGBT student group, which was active in advocating for equality in the community. When first applying for jobs out of college, I think it was both my academic record and my extracurriculars that made me such a great fit for GLAAD.
On internships:
In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential elections, I spent a summer interning for a primary candidate. I remember thinking that the application process was surprisingly simple, considering I could potentially be working for the next president of the United States. But anyone who's worked on a political campaign knows that most candidates, especially those who are under-funded, will take all the help they can get. I was working as a field organizer, which meant I was interacting with voters on a day-to-day basis, spending hours making cold calls to folks asking who they were voting for and why, and traveling across the state organizing community events. It was definitely one of those sink-or-swim type of situations, where you have to just hit the ground running and never look back. That was the first time I'd experienced anything like that, where sometimes all I had to work with was my convictions about the issues. I learned to trust myself, and I learned the value of being a self-starter. Those are invaluable lessons that I carry with me to this day.
On first jobs:
I'm somewhat of an oddity, in that my first job is where I'm at today, although in a much more senior role. After college, I moved to New York and began waiting tables while I looked for a "real" job. I knew that I wanted to do something impactful; I just didn't know what that was at the time. I came across a job listing on Craigslist for a part-time entry level position at GLAAD. I started a few weeks later and waited tables on the side to make ends meet. Six years later, I'm now leading the communications team of one of the largest LGBT advocacy organizations in the country, with the weight of a multi-million dollar brand on my shoulders. I was extraordinarily lucky to fall into a role that I continue to love.
On tools and resources:
A skill set that I think is so undervalued, but which is so essential, is the art of the Google search. I work at the whim of the news cycle, so I don't have a second to waste when seeking out information and breaking news. It might seem trivial, but knowing the ins-and-outs of how to harness the full potential of a search query is essential to my job. For instance, quotation marks, all caps, plus and minus signs -- they all make a difference in the results of a query (more on that here). Of course, programs like Microsoft Word (and increasingly, Google Docs), Excel, and PowerPoint are pretty essential, too. I also use Cision almost daily, as well as LexisNexis.
On his current job:
My top responsibility is always to purvey and protect the brand. GLAAD is the nation's most visible LGBT advocacy organization -- with an array of programs that affect the lives of countless people -- and we play an important role in steering the cultural conversation on equality. That’s not a responsibility we take lightly, and it's one that rests in my office. I love seeing the impact of GLAAD's work, whether it's through a headline or the script of a TV show.
Advice:
The first thing I would say to my college self is "stop wearing your hair like that; Facebook is forever." But secondly, I'd tell myself to take more chances. I used to find myself turning down opportunities, because I didn't know if I was up to the challenge. For younger people, I'd say challenge yourself every time you say "no" to an opportunity or don't go for something you want.
In Seth’s words: Marriage equality is at the forefront of the cultural conversation right now. I hesitate to even write how many states now allow same-sex couples to legally marry, because tomorrow that number will likely be even higher. We're at an exciting time in the movement for LGBT equality, and SCOTUS is poised to make marriage equality the law of the land as soon as this summer. But, as GLAAD's CEO says, marriage equality is a benchmark, not a finish line.
Follow Seth on Twitter @sethbadam and read more about his career:
On school:
I actually studied acting, which might sound irrelevant to PR, but you'd be surprised how often I use those skills in my everyday job. I earned my BA from a liberal arts college, however, so I like to think I had a well-rounded education. I took several journalism classes and writing seminars, which continue to inform my work. I'd also say that my extracurricular activities were equally as formative. For instance, I was involved in my college's LGBT student group, which was active in advocating for equality in the community. When first applying for jobs out of college, I think it was both my academic record and my extracurriculars that made me such a great fit for GLAAD.
On internships:
In the lead-up to the 2008 presidential elections, I spent a summer interning for a primary candidate. I remember thinking that the application process was surprisingly simple, considering I could potentially be working for the next president of the United States. But anyone who's worked on a political campaign knows that most candidates, especially those who are under-funded, will take all the help they can get. I was working as a field organizer, which meant I was interacting with voters on a day-to-day basis, spending hours making cold calls to folks asking who they were voting for and why, and traveling across the state organizing community events. It was definitely one of those sink-or-swim type of situations, where you have to just hit the ground running and never look back. That was the first time I'd experienced anything like that, where sometimes all I had to work with was my convictions about the issues. I learned to trust myself, and I learned the value of being a self-starter. Those are invaluable lessons that I carry with me to this day.
On first jobs:
I'm somewhat of an oddity, in that my first job is where I'm at today, although in a much more senior role. After college, I moved to New York and began waiting tables while I looked for a "real" job. I knew that I wanted to do something impactful; I just didn't know what that was at the time. I came across a job listing on Craigslist for a part-time entry level position at GLAAD. I started a few weeks later and waited tables on the side to make ends meet. Six years later, I'm now leading the communications team of one of the largest LGBT advocacy organizations in the country, with the weight of a multi-million dollar brand on my shoulders. I was extraordinarily lucky to fall into a role that I continue to love.
On tools and resources:
A skill set that I think is so undervalued, but which is so essential, is the art of the Google search. I work at the whim of the news cycle, so I don't have a second to waste when seeking out information and breaking news. It might seem trivial, but knowing the ins-and-outs of how to harness the full potential of a search query is essential to my job. For instance, quotation marks, all caps, plus and minus signs -- they all make a difference in the results of a query (more on that here). Of course, programs like Microsoft Word (and increasingly, Google Docs), Excel, and PowerPoint are pretty essential, too. I also use Cision almost daily, as well as LexisNexis.
On his current job:
My top responsibility is always to purvey and protect the brand. GLAAD is the nation's most visible LGBT advocacy organization -- with an array of programs that affect the lives of countless people -- and we play an important role in steering the cultural conversation on equality. That’s not a responsibility we take lightly, and it's one that rests in my office. I love seeing the impact of GLAAD's work, whether it's through a headline or the script of a TV show.
Advice:
The first thing I would say to my college self is "stop wearing your hair like that; Facebook is forever." But secondly, I'd tell myself to take more chances. I used to find myself turning down opportunities, because I didn't know if I was up to the challenge. For younger people, I'd say challenge yourself every time you say "no" to an opportunity or don't go for something you want.