From paper and pen to idea and strategy, Krystina King has made a successful career in marketing after being the Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of the Bark in 2004. King now works at Mekanism, a creative advertising agency founded in San Francisco in 2002. But how did she build a path from journalism to marketing, and what influenced the change in her career mindset? It all started with her love for writing.

Although now in a career seemingly different from journalism, King still uses some of the key skills that being an EIC supplied her with in marketing.

“One [skill] that I built through the Bark that I still use today is curiosity,” King said. “Paying attention to detail and being curious about your fellow teammates has been brought up, especially in a work environment.”

From the start, King had always been interested in journalism and pursuing writing. Throughout her time being EIC, she deepened her skills and passion for storytelling.

“I loved growing up with the Bark, and I think because of all that it taught me I wanted to go to a college with a strong journalism department,” King said.

King ended up at Boston University, with a powerful drive for reporting on the truth, however ultimately finding herself doing something else.

“I got to college and thought ‘I love journalism but maybe I want to do something like advertising or just communication in general,’” King said.

King then discovered the marketing world as something intriguing, with different careers and path options.

“The Bark and marketing were so connected; communication and stories are everything in both areas,” King said. “Anytime you’re working with a client in marketing, you’re selling a story.”

With a strong foundation in journalism and a new passion for advertising, King thrived and emphasized the bold transition.

“I found myself just going down my chosen path in advertising and then I just kept following it,” King said.

King found marketing compelling and intriguing, eventually ending up at Mekanism, the advertising agency she currently works at.

“I’m the group media director, which means I oversee a couple different pieces of business from a paid media standpoint,” King said.

One of King’s colleagues, media planner and coordinator Ashli Horrell, talked about what King is like in the group environments at Mekanism.

“She is a very good mentor for me,” Horrell said. “She’s always there if I need help and is very quick to respond.”

Horrell explained how inspiring it is to see King work across every account at Mekanism and how she is able to juggle all the duties of her important role. Horrell also pointed out the caring role King takes on in the office.

“She is very motherly-like and easygoing,” Horrell said. “We’ve had some issues in bringing more people onto the team, and it’s made it hard because we don’t have as many hands;but she always tries her best to advocate for me and get the help we need.”

Not only is King caring and flexible at work, she also has a hard-working and dedicated side when making successful campaigns that hold meaning and purpose.

“This year I worked on a colonoscopy campaign,” King said. “One of our old employees at Mekanism unfortunately got colon cancer and passed away, but he filmed a documentary about it so we did a very meaningful campaign in his honor.”

King got to work behind-the-scenes in the story and bring it to life through a marketing lens.

“We did wild posters, posings, some in bars targeted mostly towards men, and it was super fun,” King said.

When thinking about where King stands now in her career, she stated how important it is to always stay flexible about the idea of one’s future.

“[Students] should have an open mind when thinking about career choices,” King said. “There are so many possibilities; you can stay curious about all of them.”