A Conversation With Lisk Marketing Manager Michael Borowiec
A strong marketing team is the backbone of any successful project. Lisk's marketing team is full of passionate and driven individuals who work hard every single day to spread the word of Lisk and its potential to change the world. One of those individuals is Marketing Manager Michael. At Lisk, Michael is responsible for communications, influencers and social media. We had the chance to sit down and chat about his background and more.
Jennifer: Please start by telling me a bit about yourself. Where are you from?
Michael: I was born in New York, but spent my childhood in Poland where my parents come from. I spent my teenage years in Northern Ireland and studied Political Science at university in Scotland. After a brief stint in London, I decided to move to Berlin to immerse myself in the city's vibrant startup scene.
J: When did you embark on your journey that led you to communications?
M: I have always been interested in the psychological aspects of marketing and communications. I'm also fascinated by how a non-human entity, a group of sometimes hundreds or thousands of people, can have common goals, values and speak in a unified voice through a variety of platforms and senior spokespeople. My journey with organizational communications began at university as a political journalist for a university newspaper, where I first learned how to turn interviews and current events into compelling storylines that both educate and inspire the reader. Having interviewed and written pieces about Californian metal bands, Bahraini human rights activists and Obama administration insiders, I knew it was my time to test put my skill sets outside the realm of journalism. After arriving in Berlin, I threw myself into the local startup industry, with stints in the fashion and automotive sectors, as well as large communications agencies. It wasn't until arriving at Lightcurve that I knew I landed on an exciting challenge.
J: Why should people care about decentralization and blockchain?
M: It doesn't take a full-blown idealist to marvel at the potential of blockchain technology in the near future. Decentralization, along with the rest of the technological advantages offered by this nascent technology, can be applied to many causes, global industries and charitable causes, helping to ensure ultimate efficiency and fairness alike.
J: How would you describe Lisk?
M: Lisk is a blockchain application platform. We create tools to allow developers and app commissioners to create blockchain applications using the mainstream language of JavaScript and focus on accessibility and education in our marketing and community channels.
J: What makes Lisk different from other blockchain projects?
M: While there are of course technological features that are unique to Lisk, such as the focus on JavaScript, sidechains and modularization, I feel the true specialty of Lisk lies in how its core values of blockchain accessibility, education and user-centricity trickle down to guide departments such as marketing and community. Between our Sidechain Development Kit (SDK) based in the most widely-used programming language and the long-form educational marketing content in the Lisk Academy, we care that everyone who has even the smallest blockchain disruption vision has the potential to do so. There's a high degree of professionalism that guides everything we do and it shows; for example, we're constantly commended for our high-standard of code quality as well as for our strong presence at conferences all over the world.
J: Tell me about a day in the life of a marketing manager.
M: Working in the dynamic environment of a blockchain startup, there isn't one fixed formula for how a typical day goes. I usually start my days catching up on emails, news from the night before and scanning social media for stories and opportunities. Throughout the day, I tend to a variety of tasks including creating content, posting on social media, managing our PR agency, Wachsman PR, developing relations with influencers, or reacting to sudden challenges. In a peaceful moment, I take the time to come up with new ideas for how to best continue growing our brand's reach and communicate what happens internally.
J: What skills are you the most interested in learning or improving upon?
M: Being relatively new to the fast-paced blockchain industry, there's always something to learn. On one side, it is part of a marketeer's role to catch up on the developers' in-depth technological knowledge. On the other hand, it is an exciting challenge to learn how best to communicate complex technological ideas within blockchain to new audiences in an educational and inspirational way.
J: What industry sites and blogs do you read regularly?
M: I gain the majority of my blockchain industry knowledge from one-on-one conversations and daily perusal of social media. I highly recommend the CoinDesk and Token Economy newsletters for industry events and in-depth analysis of the most current technological trends in blockchain. I also stay up-to-date by following blockchain influencers such as IvanOnTech, Boxmining, and Ameer Rosic.
J: What do you like to do in your free time?
M: When possible, I like to use my free time to travel to new places, where I can immerse myself in the local culture and culinary scene. I'm also a bit of a music nerd - I like to explore different genres and subcultures, Going to concerts and club nights is always fun too!
J: What is your favorite book and why?
M: My favorite book is always changing - there are simply too many great ones out there! I would say right now my favorite book is The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan. It's basically a revised history of the world, told from a non-Western perspective, ranging from beginnings of agriculture to modernity. The book brilliantly illustrates the flow of goods, ideas, culture and technology on the many 'Roads' throughout history established through war, politics or trade. It perfectly captures the multiculturalism and dynamics of the pre-modern world, which a lot of people take for granted. It also serves as a good explanation for why certain modern countries developed they way they have. Despite the density of knowledge, it's written in a reader-friendly way, so anyone can pick it up and digest the content with ease. I highly recommended it!
Visit the team section of our website to learn a bit more about all the incredibly talented individuals behind Lisk.
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