Patty Oien, Account Executive
Spring 1992
Everyone wants a job that excites them, challenges them and leaves them feeling satisfied—but not everyone is lucky enough to find the position that is able to do that for them on a consistent basis. Former TGCer Patty Oien has lucked out with her role as vice president at Breakaway Communications.
"I never get bored at Breakaway," Oien admits. Even after six years working for the company, first as an outside consultant, then as a director and finally as a vice president, her job has never ceased to be interesting.
"Every day I'm excited about something," said Oien, who was a TGC account executive in spring 1992. "I'm most excited when someone on my team is excited."
A big part of Oien's current position is coaching, and she loves it when she can help make things "click" in the mind of someone newer to PR. The rest of her time is taken up overseeing three high-tech accounts.
The company was founded in 2002 — to "break away" from the pack — and Oien began working with Breakaway when the company was just a few months old. "We've grown as an organization as fast as I've grown as a professional," Oien said. "So I've had the unique opportunity of being able to shape my role along the way."
Before Breakway, Oien worked in a variety of positions in the Bay Area that capitalized on her skills as a project manager, copywriter and publicist. Her knowledge of the technical side of things, as well as her ability to promote ideas and organizations, was valuable during the dot com boom.
Oien credits her can-do attitude to her days at Chico State, where a "just do it" approach prevailed. A former boss once told her that one of the biggest reasons she would miss Oien was because she knew that she could just hand her anything and she would figure it out.
That same can-do attitude is seen in the two other Chico State alums working in the Breakaway office in San Francisco. Oien praises Lindsay Wright and Devan Gillick for their ability to work through problems and figure things out on their own, as well as not being afraid to ask questions.
In addition to having a positive attitude toward learning, Oien encourages current PR students to network.
"When I was in Chico I never realized just how important my network would be," Oien said. During the dot com bust - when jobs were incredibly few and far between - she found employment thanks to a former boss who made a key introduction and gave her a glowing referral, so she knows the importance of good word-of-mouth and keeping in touch with people who know you and your work.
During her days as a TGCer, Oien worked on the COMM newsletter as well as on an awareness campaign for a local Montessori school. Her most vivid memory of her TGC days was when an earthquake hit while she was in the TGC office. Tehama had just been built as an earthquake-safe building, but Oien remembers hiding underneath a computer desk as the building seemed to sway.
Looking back Oien says TGC gave her the first "taste of a real agency" and made her confident that she could step into the world of PR and be successful.
To reconnect with Patty:
E-mail: poien@breakawaycomm.com
By: Christine Amorose