Our Friend of the Week - Marcy Karpowitz
Your City: San FranciscoWe met Marcy at the beginning of her career in 1999 and we can attest that she is a true master. She is also a generous and loving soul who believes in supporting and mentoring women and who has given us so much invaluable marketing and PR advice as we begin again on our fledgling journey.
Marcy’s What – “Getting my energy read. I have a friend Tiffany Challis who is an Intuitive. She reads my chakras and energy monthly, bringing all those things I am feeling or thinking into a concrete picture and cleans out and heals the space. I die for her. I would die without her.”
FRIEND OF THE WEEK: 11 QUESTIONSWEBSITE: MKM CREATIVEINSTAGRAM: @MKMCREATIVEFACEBOOK: @MKMCREATIVE
- Nickname Family = Mo | Friends = The Karp | Work = Other people in the building call our team the Girl Squad. I thought you had to be Taylor Swift or in your twenties to have a squad. I love that moniker because we truly move as a unit with fun and laughter as much a part of our day as hard work.
- What’s your short story? I’m a version of one of the East Coast archetypes. The Jewish one from Jersey who grew up on Sunday fish and bagel breakfasts with a family that has been in the shoe business forever. I moved to San Francisco straight after college. Career-wise, I settled in corporate retail (a take on the family business) before going agency side with a focus on consumer engagement. Travel and experience are my shoes – I lose count around 30 countries visited. Every. Single. Time. About four years ago I took a three-week trip to Thailand and Cambodia after leaving the last agency I worked for before starting my own. Uncertain of what I was going to do next, I knew I needed to make a change. I left the country and threw it up to the universe. About three days before I was to return, I was relaxing in Hua Hin, a tiny Thai beach town when a past client sent me a "get back quick, I have a program I need you to run" message. I recounted what had just happened to my friend who was lounging in the pool. In the shimmer of sunset, I said I’m going to be an agency. My friend casually replied, “of course you are,” looked at the server and said, “two cocktails please, we’re celebrating.” That moment remains in my mind like a still from a movie. Four years later, I continue to travel, have my own agency, live in the city and love my people.
- What’s your jam? Carpool Karaoke with James Corden – it’s the latest obsession. When we need to hit pause and laugh at work because the stress is piling up, we huddle up around one computer and enjoy 15 minutes-ish of pure feel good. It’s how we refuel. If Eve featuring Gwen Stefani Let Me Blow Ya Mind comes on and some part of your body doesn’t move, we can’t be friends.
- What motivates you? I believe in the universe, manifesting and that a positive narrative and outlook gets you most of the way. Hustle, a good heart and hard work take you the rest. I’m a whatever it takes, anything is possible, one for all, all for one kind of girl. I subscribe to the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do to you. Finger and toe polish should always match as should the color of one’s bras and panties.
- Who do you think you’d have great friend chemistry with? I like freethinker-meets-intellectual-meets-flavorful. Lately, I’ve been active in my love of art, theatre and lectures which puts contemporary artist Cindy Sherman and Basem Yusef, former physician turned game changer at the top of my list. I imagine I would listen in awe and wonder.
- What qualities do your favorite friends have in common? Ballers with soul. They're flavorful, whip smart, have big personalities, are sassy, sparkly, dedicated and would never quit. My dad (the Jewish one; not the 85-year old one referenced below – I am lucky enough to have two) once said to me that the people I surround myself with are all different and yet are so incredibly wonderful. He said what we have in common is that we beat to our own drum. That description makes me smile. They love to laugh, giggle and be silly. I love silly as a quality. Quirky too. I guess that’s the drum beat thing.
- What’s the smartest, most inspiring, awesome thing you’ve read, watching or listened to lately? Everyday Inspiring - Recently painting my place with my 85-year old father. | Another Level Inspiring - It’s going to be a long time before I hear about something more inspiring than Doniece Sandoval and Lava Mae. In their words: they repurpose retired transportation buses into showers and toilets on wheels to deliver hygiene and restore dignity among homeless in San Francisco. I love everything about it. It’s human understanding and acceptance in such a beautiful form. | Super Human Inspiring - I’ve had the pleasure of recently meeting Alison Levine, she has ascended the highest peaks on every continent and also skied to both the North and South Poles and is this tiny powerhouse packed with sparkle and heart. I recently read her book (which another amazing girlfriend gifted me) On the Edge. It’s a blend of leadership meets inspiration through her personal account of her treacherous expeditions and what she’s learned through trying, succeeding and not always receiving the intended outcome. One of my favorite bits that has stuck with me is how she details the difference between a true team and a group of people who have a common goal. She is the embodiment of beauty inside and out.
- What whets your appetite? If I could indulge at Mission Cheese at around 3.00 p.m. every Sunday with a flight of cheese and glass of rosé I would. Rancho Pescadero is where I sneak away to shut it down in order to restore and keep it all running.
- What’s next on your To Do List? Right now, to continue to take it all in stride and stay connected to myself.
- How are you friends with Gina + Amy? Amy called on me when she was all Splendora all the time. I was in marketing for a big SF retailer. In comes Gina. They’re a packaged deal of the best kind. We have stayed connected ever since in some way. We’re people. Gina, Amy and I recently had a rendezvous to catch up. It was pure magic. Ballers with soul.
- Who would you nominate for our next Friend of the Week? All of my people. In the name of space constraints, see number 7, Alison Levine.