Four Questions With Brenda Franco
Please welcome Brenda Franco to the Dala Communications team!
Before joining Dala, Brenda worked for insurance start-up AdvisorSmith, helping to launch the company’s PR efforts when they were only doing PR part-time. She also was a marketing coordinator at fiberglass door manufacturer Plastpro, where she worked on putting together tradeshows, writing copy, and creating content.
What was your very first job?
My very first job was working as a maintenance assistant at UC Irvine’s recreation center. I learned how to use tools like a power drill, circular saw, and anything that’s in a garage tool shed. I worked there for three years until I graduated- I loved the variety of projects the job offered. I was very intimidated at first because I worked with all men and was the only girl on the team. Although that job has nothing to do with PR, it taught me to not be intimidated in a male-dominated field and that I can do anything I set my mind to.
What advice do you have for people growing in their careers right now?
Follow your intuition, take risks, and believe that everything is rigged in your favor. As I was growing in my career in my early 20s, it was common for me to doubt my decisions and skills. But as I started to gain more confidence, I started following my intuition and took risks like leaving a steady job during the pandemic, leaving my hometown of Los Angeles and moving to Dallas, and taking a job break without another lined up. If I didn’t make any of those decisions and believe that everything would work out better than I could imagine, I wouldn’t be here working at Dala.
What are you looking forward to this year?
I’m looking forward to attending When We Were Young Festival. When I was in middle school and high school, I went through the emo/scene phase that a lot of teens were a part of in the early 2000s. This festival has so many popular emo bands from back in the day performing in one day. I still listen to that music, and I’m really excited to see so many of my favorite bands with some of my good friends and boyfriend!
Do you have a favorite charity you wish more people knew about?
A charity that I wish more people knew about was the Paw Project. I am a cat lady, and I’m not ashamed of it! The Paw Project’s mission is to spread awareness of what cat declawing is and help pass laws to make it illegal to declaw your cat. Growing up, declawing was known as a solution to getting your cat to stop scratching furniture. What declawing really is, is an amputation of a cat’s first knuckle. It’s an inhumane practice that leaves cats crippled and in pain for the rest of their lives. I hope that one day I can spread awareness of cat declawing and help people put their cat’s well-being over their furniture.