Molly Sposato, Account Executive for Grasslands and Journalist – Interview Series

From a love of journalism since high school to studying at Elon University’s illustrious communications school to serving as a committed journalist covering immigration-related topics for a magazine in Dublin, and not the Dublin in Texas, Molly Sposato’s journalism career has been quite remarkable and adventurous. Fittingly, she’s utilized her extensive journalism and storytelling skills in quite a unique way and currently serves as Account Executive for Grasslands, the PR and marketing firm who’s tagline is “the journalism-minded agency.”

How did you first get into journalism and what valuable lessons and experiences did you have while studying at Elon University?

I first got into journalism in high school—I had a wonderful teacher who helped form my love of writing into a love for journalism through an independent study I was able to work on with her. By the time I got to Elon, I knew I wanted to have a career deeply rooted in curiosity, telling stories and making connections. I was lucky enough to study under some of the most wonderfully inspiring and intelligent professors in Elon’s communications school, where my love for journalism only grew.

One of the best things I did for myself during that time was not claiming an official minor, because it allowed me to take a myriad of classes across a wide range of subjects, and really discover what made me tick. Usually, those other classes—which were primarily in the vein of social justice, anthropology, history and other human-studies interest areas—would end up leading into a story idea for my journalism classes. I think one of the most valuable lessons I learned at Elon, and carry with me to this day, is that it’s important to make room for the powerful stories that live within every corner of life—oftentimes some of the most powerful stories we tell, are from the most unsuspecting voices.

How was the experience of being a journalist in Dublin? What were some of the most important stories you covered during that period?

Being a journalist in Dublin was a massive learning experience—I wrote for a tiny newspaper called Metro Eireann, which is Dublin’s only weekly multicultural newspaper. I was an immigration reporter, so my boss would assign me interviews with everyone from immigrants who had become successful business owners in Dublin, to asylum seekers who were trying to spread awareness on the realities of immigrating to Ireland. I was learning a new political system, a new writing style, and sometimes even working with language barriers in interviews. That said, it was one of the most rewarding experiences I had early on in my career, and I do hope to go back sometime in the future.

What positions did you hold with America Reads*America Counts and why is the work of that organization crucial towards the cause of childhood literacy?

I started as a student tutor during my freshman year of college. As a sophomore, I became the student program coordinator through my senior year. In Alamance County, where Elon University is located, there are upwards of 13 title one schools. At the same time, there are so many college students that are paying their own way through school, and need jobs on campus. This program—started by the Barbara Bush foundation—was a way to bridge that gap. It ended up being one of the most powerful programs I was a part of at Elon. America Reads was another avenue that really propelled my passion for finding the important, and otherwise untold stories, that surround us in plain sight everyday.

Prior to joining Grasslands, what were some of the most vital skills you learned as a freelance journalist and web designer? What were some common and/or widespread issues that your clients regularly dealt with?

My time as a freelancer was really interesting because I was also actually working full time as a line cook in Denver. I really wanted to chase this journalism dream, but needed to pay my bills as a young, broke recent-grad. So I was taking any work in the journalism world that I could get. Most of it was fact-checking, ghost-writing copy, or doing website design—so not as glamorous as I wished, but I was able to learn a lot by working with great, trusted mentors—who I’m still in contact with today!

What initially caught your attention about working for Grasslands? And coming from such an illustrious journalism background yourself, how do you feel the agency stays true to its tagline of a “journalism-minded agency”?

I was knee deep in the job search when I first found Grasslands, but had never really considered PR as a career avenue. The journalism-minded tagline is honestly what stuck out to me, and as a personal lover of cannabis, I was curious to see what the industry had in store for potential careers that lined up with my skillset. At the beginning, I was sort of starting from scratch. But, the more I learned about PR, the more I realized that it could be an incredibly unique way to connect with, and support other journalists—sort of like learning the industry from the other side.

In your nearly three years of employment with Grasslands, what have been some of your most cornerstone professional highlights and/or most successful campaigns?

I’ve been lucky enough to experience a number of professional highlights early on in my career at Grasslands, it’s almost hard to choose. I will say, in the same way I did with journalism, I’ve found that my favorite campaigns to work on are those that are deeply rooted in social justice issues, or connected to change-making in some way—earlier this year, I was able to work on the launch of the first-ever legal sales and consumption of cannabis at a state-sanctioned event, the California State Fair. While different from my journalism experience, it was an incredibly rewarding experience to help normalize a plant, and a community, that has fought decades of political barriers and cultural stigma.

Since a considerable amount of Grasslands’ previous and current clients are cannabis brands, what disadvantages or problems has the agency faced due to having cannabis-related clients?

I think at a high level, the biggest challenge is also the reason we’re all here: supporting the growth, legality and acceptance of a beautifully powerful plant through communication and a commitment to ethical, strong journalism. There are certainly nuanced challenges that come with working in an industry that’s still federally illegal, but the more we can continue to highlight stories that normalize cannabis, the more those challenges become a growing opportunity for us, our clients and our journalists.

As Account Executive for such a notable company, what are some crucial lessons in account management and overall marketing that you learned in your role that you feel you may not have been able to learn elsewhere?

The reality of working in cannabis is that you get to touch a number of different industries under the “weed” umbrella—from policy, to tech, to distribution, to product development, to supply-chain management, and more, I’ve been able to work with clients of all walks of life, touching a wide variety of industries in addition to cannabis, all with their own PR goals. Because Grasslands has allowed me to wrap my arms around so many different layers of PR, I feel like I’ve been able to build a resume of experiences that transcend industry. Had I entered the world of PR and marketing at another agency, I don’t know that I would’ve been able to gather so much experience at such a rapid rate.

With cannabis possibly being rescheduled from Schedule I to Schedule III, how do you see that major change impacting both your cannabis clients and the agency as a whole?

As you can expect, we do a lot of talking and tracking of potential rescheduling at Grasslands. Of course, it will impact our work and our clients’ work on a regulatory level if that change is made. From a journalism perspective, I think what will be extremely interesting to watch once rescheduling happens, is the cultural shifts. I think we’ll see a lot of rapid changes in cannabis marketing as regulations open doors for where brands and operators can place ads, sell products, etc., and I do think we will also see this create a ripple effect in the socialization of the plant. That said, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the cannabis industry, it’s that it’s unpredictable, so you have to be willing to roll with the punches.

Thank you for joining us Molly! To stay updated on the upcoming events and annoucements from Grasslands, please visit their very trendy website.