Interview: Shachar Orren, Chief Marketing Officer at EX.CO 

By Angela Tai

When you landed in New York City, you were working at EX.CO, a Disney-backed interactive content platform. At that time, the company consisted of 6 people. What strategies did you implement to grow the tiny but mighty team to one that employs over 100 people? And, what was the most rewarding aspect of being part of the original team and seeing your drawn-out efforts come to fruition? 

I started at EX.CO (then it was Playbuzz, we rebranded the company in 2019) in Tel Aviv, Israel which is where I’m from and moved with the company five years ago to New York. Joining an early stage startup was a very rewarding experience for me because every little thing you do has a massive impact on the company and its future success. Joining an early stage start-up is a big decision, it’s a lot of work, and you’re putting your personal life on hold for a little bit.

In terms of strategies for how to grow the company - we used content as a growth method. Our product is a content creation platform which companies use to upgrade their written content, turn words into interactions, and create content that people want to consume in 2020 and beyond. We use content to reach all of those potential clients that we want to work with. I was brought on to the company as the content expert; my role in the beginning was to create content that would get us noticed by clients. It took a few months of really understanding what audiences wanted to engage with, what we can offer, and within a few months, our content started getting really popular. It's great proof of how content can be a meaningful growth driver. 

You talked about working in a dwindling industry and re-establishing your career. I know a lot of people feel the same way right now about their industry. What advice would you give to someone who’s perhaps contemplating on starting over? 

I was a journalist in Israel for 9+ years and then made the transition to tech. It was definitely a big decision but I encourage people to make a big transition at some point in their careers; people hardly spend 20 or even 10 years in the same field nowadays. This year may seem like a bad time to take risks but it might also be an optimal time to make a change if you’ve been planning for it. 2020 might give you the push that you may have needed. It’s kind of like - f a teenager wants to get a tattoo, their parents might say they can do it in 6 months if the kid still wants the same tattoo then. If you give your decision some thought and in 2-3 months, you realize that it’s still what you want, then what better time to capitalize on that? Despite what people say, it might be time for a new beginning.

What are some of the new challenges you’re facing now vs. when you first got into the industry? 

When I just started in the tech industry, I didn’t have prior experience in tech so everything was practically new. A lot of the challenges revolved around knowledge; I’d have to google half the terms and meanings of what my colleagues were saying. I had challenges as a new manager. There were a lot of first-time challenges then, while now, it’s more about deepening my expertise in content and marketing and about expanding my knowledge beyond those areas. Now the challenge of knowledge is also about knowing what you don’t know (yet). 

Do you feel that being Israeli differentiates your approach to work than some of your counterparts?

Definitely. Being Israeli gives me a different perspective. Other than being an immigrant and looking at things from the outside sometimes, there’s also a mentality gap. What’s perceived as being sweet and gentle behavior in Israel might be perceived as direct and rude here, even in New York City. Israelis and New Yorkers actually have a lot in common - they tend to be workaholics and live a very hectic life.I try to combine the best of both cultures: the Israeli side that is never satisfied with mediocrity, that is opinionated and confident, along with what I’m learning here, a high level of professionalism, of managing processes, of how to build your personal and professional brand.

A lot of successful female executives, especially minorities, talk about the Impostor Syndrome. Did you (or do you) ever feel that way despite your success?

100%, I feel that all the time, the more you move up and get to know your field, the more you realize what you don’t know and you’re around people who are very accomplished and may have gone to an Ivy league university, while I’m new here and English isn’t even my native language. Certain situations might evoke feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness. To battle that, I like surrounding myself with smart, talented women who are super accomplished and I look at them and say, “they kick ass.” But then I realize that they also go through this negative thought process and they’re honest about it. Women tend to be more honest and open about these feelings and it’s great because it makes me understand that if I feel that way, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s true, that openness in our conversation makes me feel that I’m in good company. Those feelings don’t change who you are, what you’re good at, and if you know that at your core, then you’ll get through it. 

How has the way you work changed during this pandemic? 

Well, that’s a great question. We’re actually very lucky in that sense, our product and what we do at EX.CO is very relevant in pandemic times. With all or most communications now remote, a lot of companies are realizing that they need to invest more in their digital content. They have to figure out how they can communicate with their customers or potential clients, and they come to our technology for help, so that has been a very fortunate thing for us throughout this pandemic. 

2020 has been a very tough year for everyone; we are working remotely and the world is undergoing a digital revolution but it has been an advantage in some ways. I’m not a work-from-home kind of person, I miss the office and my colleagues but I think it also benefited us in many ways. In less than a month, we had to understand how everyone could work from home. On my Marketing team, we started working with a project management tool prior to the pandemic and all of a sudden, it made us a lot more efficient and it was a positive change. Everything has changed, but there are some things that are good lessons that the business world can implement that will help us with our day-to-day work in the post-pandemic future. 

As a manager and leader, what are 3 of your pet peeves? 

First, I don’t like when people aren’t supportive of their co-workers or don’t give credit when credit is due, or just don’t want to help in general. Also, people who aren’t interested in doing anything outside of their usual responsibilities which is critical when working for a start-up. If you can’t adapt and you’re not curious about what’s beyond your realm, it will probably be very difficult for you to move ahead. Lastly, I hate seeing any type of prejudice or people assuming different things based on stereotypes. It really gets to me and we all make those mistakes but I try to be very aware of when these things happen and change that. 

What attributes do you look for when you interview talent for your team?

The one thing I would say that I always look for is passion. I love working with people who are very passionate about what they do. As long as I know someone is passionate, they will be successful. If you work for a start-up, being passionate is a must, you have to care. If you’re not passionate, you’re going to quickly be asking yourself, “why am I working so hard?”. I also love hiring people who are creative, curious, have strong opinions and aren’t afraid to voice them. But it’s taking all of that and being able to foster that into deliverables and being organized enough to turn that creativity and curiosity into something tangible. I’m very lucky to have an amazing team of people who embody all of these traits. 

How do you decompress these days? 

That’s a painful question. The way I usually decompress is through my exercise/spinning classes which are nonexistent right now; I feel like my sanity was taken away from me. Other than that, anything to do with consuming great content is decompressing for me, like watching very good TV or very trashy TV on Netflix, both are equally as satisfying. Listening to podcasts and audiobooks  has been great too. One of my favorite ways to decompress is to take a walk on the Williamsburg bridge to Manhattan and back, it’s very relaxing and nice to be outside, which is one of the few things that we’re still allowed to do these days. 

In a world that struggles to embrace diversity and is inconsistently exclusive, how do you pave the way for the future of marketing when women are still underrepresented in certain fields, especially STEM and at the executive level? 

That’s actually something that I care a lot about — paving the way for more women and other underrepresented voices. I hope to be more and more involved with such initiatives in the future. One way to do this is that once you get there yourself, start to pull other women or underrepresented people up with you. I think that’s one thing any executive can do. In the marketing space specifically, there are more women than men in junior roles, but that changes as you move on up in the industry. If marketers at the top aren’t diverse, then they’re not doing a good job because they need to be able to understand their diverse audience. I think it goes back to being a part of initiatives like Chief and having an amazing group of female marketers to share our success and/or horror stories. Bringing women together is always a step in the right direction.