Kim McKeeman, CEO
When I started my agency 25 years ago, I knew there had to be a better way to surround myself with great team members doing great work without heavily sacrificing (there’s still some sacrifice) the time and care spent at home. I also knew that there had to a better way to partner with clients with shared values and a relationship built on like and trust.
Enter our five core values, and what would become the foundation of McKeeman Communications. To kick off this blog series, we’re starting with probably one of my favorites: freakishly curious problem solvers. For me, being a freakishly curious problem solver comes down to realizing something is a certain way – but that it doesn’t have to be: you can always improve, you can always change, you can always solve problems. And ultimately, that’s what we do – we solve problems, in a freakishly curious way.
Caroline Schmid, Vice President
I truly think that being a Freakishly-Curious Problem Solver is a special combination of both the left and right sides of your brain. It’s something that takes both logic and creativity. Common sense and out-of-the-box thinking. Research but also ideas. Kim also has a knack for saying “there’s got to be a way” so it’s a skillset that’s highly encouraged and valued starting at the very top of our company.
Whitney Williams, Account Supervisor
To me, being a “freakishly curious problem solver” can mean several things. How you approach a situation when a problem or opportunity arises is important to consider. Do you think, “this can’t be done,” or do you instead think “how can we make this happen?” This particular core value encourages me to always be open to learning something new. When you learn something new, your brain actually strengthens – yes it’s true! The combination of these two are what McKeeman Mavens are made of.
Katie Parker, Account Supervisor
In the fast world of tv news – I often had to “figure it out” within seconds, whether it was breaking news, a reporter’s broken mic or needing a bathroom break during the 11th hour of wall-to-wall coverage. Fortunately, my life has slowed down quite a bit since then, but what hasn’t slowed down is my thriving on finding an answer to a question or solve to a problem. That’s what being freakishly curious means to me. Using the resources in front of me to help others in my professional and personal life. Did I mention Google is my best friend?
Shannon Sadler, Senior Account Executive
Freakishly curious (aka, nosey). For me, being freakishly curious is a combination of being nosey and resourceful. It’s a desire to learn, to understand new things and to know how they work. It’s being resourceful in the ways you investigate and explore ways to improve, remedy or help the situation. Curiosity has helped me become a better problem solver and come to the table with a solution.
Becky Ogburn, Account Executive
When we first put together the McKeeman Team core values, this one was – and still is – one of my favorites. I worked in news research at USA Today and then the News & Observer, and some of the requests we got were indeed freakish, which in turn made me super curious to find out the why behind the what. After transitioning to public relations, there was an entirely different way of looking at and solving things. And the freakish sometimes comes at you fast – in the middle of an event, totally unexpected – and your curiosity just kicks in to overdrive. As a core value, it’s one that the McKeeman Mavens excel at. Proud to be a freakishly curious maven 😊
Victoria O’Neal, Account Executive
To me, being a Freakishly Curious Problem Solver means being able to tackle a problem from multiple angles and being able to pivot on the spot when walls pop up in the process. I’m a big believer in being adaptable and taking the punches as they come – it’s just part of life. Solving a problem is never a straight line and being freakishly curious enough to ask the right questions, come at things from a different angle, and consider every single possibility is vital to coming to the right solution as quickly as possible.