Wednesday, July 02, 2008

• I'm First! - Women in Charge

  Currently Reading Bartlett's Rule By Chelle Cordero see related

  Since my first contributor needed a little bit more time, I decided to start this series off and put in my own contribution - here goes...

  Can you briefly describe your job/position? Tell us a little bit about your company.

   

  My husband and I own a company by the name of By-Lines, we subcontract to publications and companies to provide photographic and editorial expertise. We have been using the By-Lines moniker since the early 1990’s; before that we operated C&M Sales (since 1978) which had less of a photographic influence.

   

   

  Have there been any major changes in the position’s responsibilities/description since you have been in the spot?

   

  As I said before, we had previously run C&M Sales which was primarily an aftermarket auto-parts sales company. Mark’s earlier photography and most of my earlier writing was in and about the auto industry. As a female writer in those years I did encounter some raised eyebrows when I covered an automotive subject. Under By-Lines, Mark has also incorporated Audio-Visual consulting into the company.

   

  What kind of education or training do you have? Was this current position a goal of yours? What were your original career goals?

   

  My earliest career goal was to be a nurse or an actress – or maybe I would have settled on acting in some medical TV drama… As I attended high school and then college, I had planned to work in theatrical lighting design. I also took the test for the NYPD! But I have always enjoyed writing (my first article was published in a newspaper when I was 18 years old) and dabbled in it for several years. When I was pregnant with my first child I decided to be a stay-at-home mom – but I wasn’t content NOT working (although motherhood is one of the biggest jobs I know!), so I turned back to writing and snet out a lot of queries.

   

  I went to the High School of Art & Design in NYC and studied Theatre Arts; I also had the wonderful opportunity to take creative writing under the tutelage of the late Daisy Aldan. In college I studied Theatre & Drama and continued taking creative writing classes (which included fiction, playwriting and reviewing).

   

  What is the basic male to female ratio at your company? Do you feel that this was a factor in your earning your position? In what way?

   

  If you just count Mark and me, we are equal ratio. There are times that one or both of our kids have “worked” through the company doing photography and/or writing. Our son has recently explored developing a computer off-shoot (computer repair, networks, web-sites, etc)

   

  Do you have any staff “above you”? Is your immediate supervisor male or female?

   

  That would be a BIG NO. Mark and I are EQUAL partners. We both concentrate our efforts in our own specialties.

   

  Did this position exist before you were placed in it? Are you the first female to hold this position in your company?

   

  In my company, definitely I am the first female (or Mark would have a lot of explaining to do – LOL)

   

  How are you received by others in your place of employment? By males in your company? By other females in your company?

   

  I am lucky in that Mark sees me as a partner in our business (in the rest of our lives too, btw). While there are many clients that want both of us as a writer/photographer team, we have often been hired to work on a project separately as well.

   

  Are there any other factors that you know of that might influence your reception by others? (ie: ethnic, family connections, school alumni, age, etc.)

   

  I work professionally under MY name (which happens to be my maiden name too) of Chelle Cordero; Mark uses his last name of Engelman. We have found that more people open up to us if they don’t know (at least not in the beginning) that we are married as well as business partners.

   

  What advice would you give to a young woman who might be looking at your type of position/career in the future?

  Build your OWN reputation no matter who you may be in business with. While your affiliation should certainly work to your benefit, you still have to sell YOURSELF if you want your work to be respected.

         Please include your full name (as used at work) and title (Ms, Miss, Mrs)

                    Chelle Cordero

         What is your exact Job Title?

                    General Partner, Writer/Editorial

         Do you have a personal web-site? And/or a company web-site?

                    My personal author site is http://chellecordero.blogspot.com/

                    The By-Lines site can be found at http://www.geocities.com/bylines333

   

  (Gee, that wasn't so painful )

   

   

   

   

  • 1:32 PM
  • 31 views
  • 2 eprops
  • 2 comments