Katie Witkin is the Co-Founder and COO of AGW Group.
Witkin co-leads AGW, an award-winning integrated culture marketing and communications agency credited with successful initiatives for a roster of clients, including Red Bull, HBO, Condé Nast, Smythson, Armani Exchange, MTV, ‘47, and more.
Founded in 2013, AGW specializes in brand communications, social media, influencer marketing, and experiential programming, serving as a liaison between companies and culture.
Witkin is a driving force behind the agency’s success, spearheading AGW’s client services and account operations. After years of experience in the music industry, Katie Witkin met her co-founder Adam Gorode, and together they set out to design a full-service agency that reflected the evolving intersection of music, media, and advertising.
Before founding AGW, Witkin’s career began at Sony Music Entertainment as a college marketing representative. She later assumed leadership roles in newly formed social media departments at music marketing agency, Sneak Attack Media, and music subscription provider, eMusic.
Witkin graduated from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
It’s important to point out that leadership is a skill, and I don’t think that is talked about enough. Like any skill, leadership is something that requires practice and focused attention. We always hear about “natural leaders” but I wouldn’t say that leadership came naturally to me, and I don’t think leadership comes naturally to most. That said, I was raised in an ambitious household with strong exemplars of success. My parents' discipline and professional achievement motivated me at a young age and provided a strong foundation from which I was eager to learn to be a leader. One thing I’ve come to appreciate over time is how crucial empathy and selflessness are to effective leadership. Most people tie leadership to a hierarchical structure, meaning, how much authority one has dictates how much of a leader one is. The reality is that leadership can originate from anyone at any level of seniority regardless of position or power. Those who lead effectively create a safe environment to ask questions, debate ideas, and make others feel secure. I consider my evolution as a leader to be a constant work in progress; it is one of the most rewarding and challenging “roles” I’ve played thus far in my career.
How has your previous employment experience aided your tenure at AGW?
My professional roots are tied to the music business, more specifically in the social space. In college I promoted artists for Sony using my own social channels, then followed the management of artists’ social channels. During this time social media was in its infancy, which is important to note because there were no guidelines, rules, or best practices. Observational learning and thinking fast on your feet were critical to being successful in this newly-forming industry. When you’re 21 and fresh out of college it can be jarring to look around a room of older professionals and realize that you are the most experienced in your primary discipline and accept that you are the expert and thus need to look to yourself to answer your own questions. This teaches you to be resourceful, confident, and self-reliant — critical skills for entrepreneurs. Looking back, I realize how invaluable that experience was as I embarked on the journey of building AGW.
What have the highlights and challenges been during your tenure at AGW?
I have a vivid memory from 2014 when we ran our first payroll and began offering health insurance to our employees. It changed everything. It’s difficult to put into words, but in that moment, the stakes became greater. It was no longer just about working hard to succeed with clients; suddenly we had an increased responsibility to the individuals who demonstrated trust and belief in our company, so much that they were dedicating their livelihoods to it. Instead of allowing what most would view as an overwhelming set of responsibilities debilitate our output, we excelled. We had become a “real” company — we began thinking bigger picture, challenging ourselves to reach greater goals, and in many ways graduated to a new level of professionalism. We doubled the size of our company in the following year and have since quadrupled.
What advice can you offer to women who want a career in your industry?
My message is simple: you will face different and more difficult challenges as a woman in business than you would as a man in the same role. And because of this reality, it’s important that women support and encourage one another. Today's female professionals should remember that we are all paving the way for those who follow, which I view as more important than our individual ambitions.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career to date?
The one key lesson I have learned throughout my career and can’t stress enough to anyone is to stop reacting. Instead, listen and process what is happening in order to identify a thoughtful response or, sometimes more appropriately, no response at all. Oftentimes when I reacted immediately I would stop listening, which made me incapable of digesting anything. By pausing and considering things without responding right away, I have found a new level of calm in handling difficult situations. While learning to practice this approach has required a level of self-control that still challenges me, it has become paramount to my professional development. Whether it be receiving feedback, trying to prove a point, or properly assessing a work “emergency," having the patience to gather a more holistic perspective always works in my favor and helps me deliver the most desirable outcome.
How do you maintain a work/life balance?
It’s funny you should ask. I’ve always found this question to be rather leading, implying that maintaining a “work/life” balance is the absolute goal or an aspiration everyone wants to achieve, even though both "work" and "life" have their ups and downs. For me, sometimes work demands more of my time, and I can say the same about my personal life. As long as I feel happy, and, more importantly, present in whatever I am doing, that works for me. The moment I feel disconnected or distracted, I know I need to make a shift one way or another.
What do you think is the biggest issue for women in the workplace?
The biggest issue for women in the workplace is not women. I’ll leave it at that.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional and personal life?
Mentorship has been an incredible resource in my life and has helped shape the person I am today. Mentorship provides opportunities for experienced insight, soundboards, confidence boosters, candidness, and perspective, all of which have contributed to my personal and professional growth. I still rely on many of my mentors as I'm constantly faced with new situations that feel like uncharted territories. My appreciation for my mentors' generosity with their time and knowledge is immense, and I believe anyone who is successful would point to mentorship as one of the most critical drivers of his or her success.
Which other female leaders do you admire and why?
I was lucky enough to meet Dani Lever at the University of Wisconsin in the Journalism School. Dani has a fiery, tenacious energy that I was immediately drawn to, and we instantly became close. If you had told me then that in her twenties, Dani would become the Press Secretary for the New York State Governor and the first woman to serve in that role under Governor Cuomo, I wouldn’t have blinked twice. I knew it from day one: her ambitious and hardworking nature paired with her incredible intellect and aptitude would lead Dani to great success. Her charisma, confidence, and approachability are extremely admirable, and I consider Dani as much a role model as I do a friend.
What do you want AGW to accomplish in the next year?
I want AGW to accomplish continued growth and scalability. AGW is moving into a new, significantly larger office space at the end of this year. With this move comes exciting opportunities like bigger projects, growing teams, and new experiences. With this growth I want to continue providing leadership opportunities to our employees; I'd like to see their skill sets develop as teams grow. By relinquishing some of my day-to-day responsibilities, I'm looking to expand my own skill set beyond my comfort zone in order to better serve our clients and improve AGW as a whole.