Tom Garrity 20th Anniversary Interview
This week Tom Garrity, Vice President, celebrates his 20th Anniversary at Harmelin Media. Continuing our Anniversary Interview Series, we sat down with him to get his thoughts on the industry and get to know him personally.
What are some of the notable changes you have seen in the industry since you started at Harmelin?
The complexity of the media planning and buying process, the continued fragmentation of media, and the ever-growing importance of research, data, and success metrics amazes me!
What has been your greatest success at Harmelin?
Establishing strong relationships and gaining the trust of clients as well as media vendors has been very satisfying to me.
Where do you see the industry in the next 1 Year, 5 years, 10 years?
I anticipate that continued fragmentation, the importance of client/agency partnerships and accountability, and usage and analysis of data will be the key elements to deal with moving forward.
What is the most unique trip you have ever taken?
My daughter studied abroad in New Zealand and I got to spend three weeks there visiting her and seeing some of the most spectacular views and sights ever. We had amazing adventures during the trip, which included watching the sunrise at the first city on earth to see it each day (Gisborne), boating to an active volcano (White Island) off shore of the north island of New Zealand, canyon jumping, visiting the hot water beach where hot springs can be dug up right on the beach, going on a guided Lord of The Rings tour (Matamata) where Hobbiton was built for the movies, touring a glow worm cave (Rotorua), and exploring a glacier (Fox Glacier) on the south island.
Fun Tidbit about person/Something no one could guess about you?
I can get very emotional and sentimental over the littlest things sometimes. It could be an ad, a TV show, and movie, an article, a book… you name it.
What is your favorite Song, Movie, or TV Show and why?
Seinfeld is my all-time favorite show. It was the acting, the chemistry between the characters, and the ridiculous situations each week that made it so great.
Joe Waugh, Senior Vice President, who has worked with Tom for many years raves about him: “Tom embodies Joanne Harmelin’s vision of what excellent client customer service looks like. He develops true, long-standing partnerships with clients, and is a model for all account managers to follow.”
Jenn McFarlane, Media Director, fondly remembers that “Tom was my first boss out of college and has been like a second dad to me! The first thing I noticed about him and that has always stuck with me is how each and every day he comes to work with the most positive attitude and gives a smile and hello to whoever he sees.”
Jack Blanke, who has worked on Tom Garrity’s team for four years, said of Tom, “Everyone I have talked to who has worked on Tom’s team says the same thing: ‘Tom is the best boss you will ever have.’ During my time on Tom’s team, I’ve come to realize that those people are 100% correct. He is heavily involved with all of the clients’ planning processes, and his dedication to each plan shows that he truly cares about the client’s success.”
Thank you, Tom, for 20 years of dedicated service and helping to make our clients successful in the long term. Congratulations on this milestone!