The Humans of smrtPhone

The tables have turned and our staff writer is now the subject! For this month’s “smrtie” interview, we chat with our Content Marketing Manager, Kyle Perry.

Name

Kyle Perry

Title / Role in the Company

Marketing Manager. I mostly create content that reaches our audiences – new leads and current clients. 

How long have you worked for smrtPhone?

I’ve only been full-time for 5 months, but I started freelance writing for the company last December.

What’s your background? 

My degree was in English literature and race studies, but my professional background is really varied. Most of my jobs have been in the admin space, but across a wide variety of industries. I’ve worked in fashion, academic publishing, reality tv, for Google, at an experience design firm, a web development shop, and a community non-profit. I have done a lot of freelance writing and transcription. 

What was your first job? 

I worked at Cold Stone Creamery. My forearm got really strong from scooping all that ice cream! 

What do you like about working for smrtPhone? 

This is just a very healthy atmosphere. There is not a lot of ego. Everyone is supportive of each other. Leadership is really engaged and not stressed. Because the company is doing well, everybody is able to have more fun with it than places I’ve worked in the past. 

When people ask me about the job, I explain that most other places I’ve worked either because of money or prestige, the client has more power than employees. But here, the truth has the power. If a client is costing an employee’s wellbeing, we are willing to cut ties with them. For the most part, everywhere else I’ve worked the client was always right to the detriment of the team – everyone knew that they were less valuable than the client and it affected morale.

At smrtPhone, it’s a different model. We care about our clients and making them happy, but we also care about our team. And because the company isn’t in danger if we lose one client, we can keep our high standards and treat it as a mutually beneficial partnership. It feels healthy.

 

 

Kyle Perry - Dog lover and writer extraordinaire

Describe smrtPhone in 3 words: 

Healthy.

Encouraging.

Growing.

Is there a particular moment/project at smrtPhone that stands out and makes you feel proud?  

As someone who likes writing, having regularly published articles is very satisfying. It’s making me a better writer, having to write with frequency and having support and feedback to get better. I enjoy watching my writing improve – and being forced to get things done on time. When I look at my portfolio of written material for smrtPhone, I feel good.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

I really like thrifting. I take very, very long walks. I have days where I walk 25,000 steps or I’ve done almost a half marathon distance of walking. It’s my favorite hobby. I don’t have a car, and I live in a city [Philadelphia] so I walk everywhere I can. 

I also collect and sell magazines, periodicals, and ephemera (vintage, mostly.) I really like the 90s and early 2000s –  think that qualifies as vintage now. 

And, of course, hanging out with friends. 

Name something that is on your “bucket list”

I would like to go to Antarctica. I applied for a job there years ago after talking to someone who works there. He made it sound really cool.

I like going to places that are not frequented by people – accessible only because of modern technology. I like the idea of a made up community. The job that I was going to do was as scheduler for the scientists at a station for multiple countries. There is a regular poker game and karaoke. I liked the idea of a completely fabricated community, ungoverned by any particular country – hard to get into and hard to leave. And there are penguins everywhere. 

What is a fun fact people might not know about you? 

My favorite pet I ever had was a rat. And my last pet was a snail named Rat. 

 

Ellen Sluder and Kyle Perry from smrtPhone
Ellen (Head of Marketing) with Kyle (Marketing Manager)