Inside the Job: Teri Kattan, Brand Marketing Manager at Westman Atelier

What do you do, and how long have you been in the field?

I'm a Brand Marketing Manager at Westman Atelier, working across influencer marketing, gifting, PR, and brand activation. I've been in beauty marketing since 2021 (if you count interning!). Coming up on five years.

What did you do post-high school? Do you have a degree?

I went to Barnard College, which was liberal arts, and they didn't actually have a marketing and branding program, which is what I knew I loved. So I made sure to supplement my coursework with internships. I took internships in any artsy or creative field I could find. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do at the time, but I knew I loved being creative. I interned for an intimates company, an artist, and then ultimately Westman Atelier, which is where I stayed until now.

What do you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?

Nobody knows everything, and experience is the number one most valuable thing. Going into it, I felt like you had to be an expert. You don't. Hard work and experience will get you anywhere. And always be yourself. Your unique viewpoint is very valuable.

How did you get into your field? Was it a straight path or did it take a few unexpected turns?

Definitely turns. I started as a Brand Marketing Intern at Westman and really wanted to work there full-time after graduating, but they didn't have a role open yet. So continued interning and at the time I was living in a new city, DC, and wanted something in person to get to know the city. I took a job as a field rep for Westman at Sephora in Georgetown. Not what I wanted to do long term, but incredibly valuable, having boots-on-the-ground training and interacting with customers firsthand.

After that, a role opened up at Westman in paid media. Again, not what I wanted long term, but hugely valuable experience. It was super analytical, managing all our ads across Facebook, Google, and TikTok and all the analytics. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in a way that ended up shaping how I work now. Not many people in brand marketing have that analytical background plus that boots-on-the-ground experience, and I think it makes me a unique and valuable player on my team.

What does breaking into your field actually look like, what are employers really looking for?

Being able to hustle, putting in the work, and being generous with your time and effort. Also just being organized and staying on top of projects. Project management is huge. You don't need to be an expert in whatever you're doing, but if you're organized, able to manage projects, and you're hustling, you will succeed.

What do you actually do day-to-day, what does a typical week look like?

Working on outreach, contracts, and briefs for influencers, coordinating with our PR agencies, working on press releases, staying on top of our gifting and EMV numbers, and a lot of project management and cross-functional back-and-forth to keep launches on track. Shout out to my team, I love working with them. A typical week looks like touching base with my team and sharing our reporting from the previous week with the broader team, and lots of emails!!!

What is the most exciting thing you've done/encountered throughout your career?

Honestly, I hate to be that person, but what I'm working on right now is the most exciting thing. Stay tuned.

What's the dullest thing you have to do in your job?

Budget tracking and staying on top of project management. It's dull, but I actually like it. There's something satisfying about the boringness and organization of it. Maybe that's just my personality?

What's the best and hardest thing about working in your industry?

The best thing is the exponential gains you can get from what you put in. You can gift one person and get exponential returns - it's truly so exciting when that happens. The hardest thing is stacking up against other brands. The bar is so high for how creative you can be, especially if you're working with a tighter budget.

Are there any assumptions about your job that you learned were untrue, or that people just assume?

People think it's all glamorous events and gifting, when it's actually a lot of spreadsheets, contracts, and problem-solving behind the scenes. I'd also say there's an assumption that you need to already have "made it" or have years of experience to be valuable. In reality, someone who's more senior and has been in the industry a long time doesn't have your fresh ideas and young perspective. Keeping your finger on the pulse is so important.

Any general advice for young people who want to do what you do?

Relationships are everything!! Make sure to keep in touch with anyone you meet, not just when you want something. Also, make sure you're taking shots to get you where you want to be. If you know you love marketing, join the marketing club on your campus. You never know who could be speaking at one of their events.

If you could go and tell your young self at the start of their career one thing, what would it be?

I'm very grateful to my younger self for sticking with this for so long and interning early on. I don't know how I would have gotten this job otherwise, since the industry has gotten so saturated now. I honestly wish I had started posting as a creator earlier. I would have loved to have documented all my days as an intern on social media. I'm posting again now on my page, sharing what my days actually look like working in beauty marketing, so follow along <3