The MAS team after an activation at VidCon, an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives and online brands.
Minority-led and founded, MAS has always operated with inclusion at its center.
The marketing agency has team members who are dyslexic, on the autism spectrum, and who have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder. MAS makes necessary accommodations for these employees on a case-by-case basis, said Melissa Mahon, executive VP of business and operations. That includes offering AI-based writing app Grammarly to those with dyslexia.
“We want to always be striving to do better,” Mahon said. “Neurodiversity has become spotlighted in the last six months, more than ever before, which is so wonderful because it really affects so many different people. We are remote, so we need to be thoughtful about virtual and [in real life] support. If a member of the team needs quiet time on site instead of listening to the construction of scenery, we’d adjust their call times to avoid the trigger. If a large virtual brainstorm feels intimidating, we’d adjust our ’camera always on policy’ to give that team member more privacy.”
MAS works with various minority-led recruitment firms, as well, including Black Girl Group and Fierce Staffing Services. Mahon said the agency’s senior managers are 28% people of color, 71% female and 28% LGBTQIA+.
Training is critical to the culture at MAS, which bills itself as a bespoke experience agency.
January is typically a month of “really intense preparing for the year ahead,” which involves trainings on topics such as how to “incorporate AI into your workflow,” Mahon said. In doing this, MAS ensures all employees are “swimming in the same direction.”
MAS is still headquartered in Brooklyn, where it got its start in 2007 operating out of President and Founder Mia Choi’s apartment. As it’s 100% remote, employees can opt to go into the office. MAS does bring the team together for three days in a different city each year in an event called “Heyday.”
“When people come together in real life, it needs to be really focused time,” Mahon said. “And if it is, then it’s incredibly effective.”
Sustainability is another major focus of the agency’s, and something employees increasingly care about. For example, Mahon said MAS ensures all of the products it uses for events can be repurposed or disposed of responsibly.
Mia Choi, president and founder: “We’re all creatives here, and with creativity, we can craft bold solutions and generate enduring outcomes we never thought possible. To us, tomorrow’s biggest challenges are simply opportunities to get wildly creative.”
The MAS team at the agency's annual company offsite, Heyday, after a field day competition.
A MAS T-shirt that reads “Caution: Bold Ideas Here.”
