Navigating the Agency World as a Woman in Tech
By: Teresa Tulipano
Tags: Process, Creative Process, Inspiration, Agency, Tech

Huge Senior Tech Lead Katie Sexton talks about the evolution of the tech industry, the importance of meeting etiquette, and her biggest pet peeves.

Employees at Huge like to say that the only constant at the agency is change. As a nine-year Huge veteran, Senior Tech Lead Katie Sexton has witnessed some seismic shifts as the agency has tripled in size, from a small shop to a global agency. On a personal level, she’s been active in its social clubs and affinity groups, even some unofficial ones. Unassuming and quiet, she might be mistaken for being timid, but only if you miss the hyperawareness brimming behind her bright eyes. Sharp and thoughtful, she catches everything, and she is watching to see if you are sharing in her secret. Just respect the Headphone Rule, and you’ll stay in her good graces.

What did you do before Huge?

I had a pretty tech-heavy background. I worked for startups and some smaller agencies. Back in the distant past, I did more database and work setting up servers. That was what the tech world was back at that time — mostly it was a lot of databasing and a lot of really ugly webpages.

How long were you in that world before coming to Huge, and what was Huge like back then?

Oh, several years. I missed the dot-com bust but got started right after that in the tech world. In the earlier years, things were very web heavy. A lot of magazines needed websites, and different clients needed a social campaign, which generally meant building a website. Today, there’s a much more diverse ecosystem: Now it’s apps, it’s OTT — like, now you could be working on a project that is in a fridge, or something like that. There are these smart products that we work on. It could be making an Alexa skill, or it could be doing an iPhone app. Apps have been pretty big for a while, but since from when I started to now, the focus and diversity of what you might contribute as either an engineer or a tech lead on a project has really broadened.

What did you know about Huge before you started working here?

I was at a period in my life where I wanted to be really choosy about places that I applied to. I had been noticing some of Huge’s work, and it just seemed to be consistently really good. And then the CNN redesign happened. This is such ancient history. I was, like, Yeah, this is great. This is an amazing website, and I’m sure that that client had a lot of restrictions, but they still did something amazing. CNN is such a big brand. That was the door that opened. It was the piece of work that I was just, like, Alright, I don’t even care about these other places. Fingers crossed, gonna do my best to get hired here.

Can you walk me through a typical ask of you from a project team?

There are really no typical asks. Here we do a lot of either lean or agile scrum, which are two similar methodologies. You’re supposed to fail early and often, and then iterate on your ideas. At the start of a project, you have a vague idea of what you’re doing. As you get further into it, you have a more discrete idea of what you’re doing, and you can also see how the good ideas at the start can now be fixed. We work with the XD team, trying to point out things that might be overly complicated, or maybe won’t work for certain reasons. Maybe that’s not a standard pattern. Then we would maybe put that into user testing and see what users think. Then there’ a lot more tech-specific stuff: getting the code set up in architectural reviews, talking to the engineers and trying to figure out how to improve process.

What has been your experience as a woman in a very male-centric field?

Sometimes it’s been a challenge. I had a weird situation with a friend at a bar, just talking to some random person. My friend was also a female in tech, and this guy we met straight-up did not believe that I was a software engineer and that she was a quality assurance analyst. So we just started making up actual lies to mess with him, because at that point there’s nothing more fun. I didn’t see another option. One of the funniest ones that still sticks in my mind is someone asked at a lunch, “Are you the only one?” And I was, like, The only one what? Which thing are you referring to? The only one with glasses? Do you mean the only female on the team? Or the only software engineer? I don’t think they even realized that it was a weird thing to be asking.

But Huge is great, because we have a really good mix of all sorts of people, so I’ve generally felt pretty comfortable here. It does get a little lonely sometimes, and for a while, there were a lot more women on the tech team. But you know, everything fluctuates, right? And our chief technology officer is a woman. And that’s pretty unique for most companies. It really helps to have strong female leadership in tech.

What are you working on outside of Huge? Do you have a side hustle or favorite hobby?

I’ve got my one hustle: Huge. I’m trying to get outside more — going hiking, snowboarding. I’m working on getting a better balance and seeing more trees. I am also a hobbyist painter. I do watercolors, which is easy to fit into a small apartment. Very convenient for New York City and nontoxic. My subject matter is often landscapes. I really like fjords and mountain scenes.

So you’re a creative person outside of work, and also technology always offers many ways to be creative. I think people maybe don’t see that.

It’s really refreshing that you acknowledge that. Most of what technology is doing is just trying to be really creative in a way that might be a bit regimented and nerdy. I’m hyper-focused on the rules and the structures, but ultimately, having a structure that you need to work within is a great way to be more creative. To think that just because there are rules that creativity isn’t involved is a very weird thing. It’s such a common misconception that you can just swap in and out engineers, and they’ll just do the job and then everything will be perfect.

What is the most overused agency expression?

Oh, man. I have just so many. It used to be “synergy” ages ago. I’m so glad we’re over synergy. I hate “socialize.” I hate “circle back.”

What is the weirdest thing in your bag right now?

Probably the weirdest thing is the amount of iPhone cables that I have. I must have four or five, and I don’t know why, because I have one on my desk and I have them at home. The thing that might surprise people the most, even though I think it makes total sense, is a can of tuna fish. You never know when you, or someone you’re with, will need emergency protein. I’m kind of a mom like that.

What is your biggest pet peeve?

I have very strong feelings about meeting etiquette, and no one follows them at all. Meetings should start on time. Meetings should have an agenda in advance, and if there are documents that are going to be reviewed in the meeting, they should be at the bottom of the agenda. Also, the meeting needs to end on time, so that the next people who have reserved the conference room and are trying to start their meeting on time aren’t waiting around.

Do you have a current playlist? What is on heavy rotation in it, and does it differ in the office or for different tasks?

Yes. I love this question. I don’t like using iTunes. Please don’t tell anyone. It’s my secret shame. So I’ve been listening to the same music essentially outside of the office on repeat almost all the time, like when I’m commuting or when I’m at the gym. It’s all my favorites right now — a mix of old-school hip-hop bands like Blanck Mass or Black Moth Super Rainbow. A lot of jazz and indie rock. Tortoise is my favorite band, as well as Minutemen. Also got some Out Hud. No Joy, so much good stuff. I just put that on repeat most of the time unless I really want to listen to Steely Dan, or some specific album. And then at work, I have a few playlists. I think my favorite playlist is Tribe Fridays, which is simply just all the non-live A Tribe Called Quest albums that are available on Spotify, which I put on repeat. You know, every week is hard, but in a good way. So, Friday’s a good time to celebrate it by just putting on that playlist. I also have a loud-music-to-drown-out-work-noise playlist, which is necessary. Mostly industrial and indie electro stuff.

The status indicator on Sexton’s laptop.

Do you use over the ear headphones, or earbuds?

I use over-the-ear headphones in the office, and I installed a status indicator on my monitor that has a green light or red light in an effort to get people to respect the Headphone Rule and know when I don’t want to be interrupted. It’s not working, but I believe I’m handling it incredibly gracefully. I don’t get a whole lot of time at my desk, nor am I able to put on headphones anymore. But anyways, if you come over, do a drive by, and I have them on, I’m actually super friendly, even if I don’t seem that way when you interrupt me. I have given up on expecting adherence to the Headphone Rule in the modern workplace, but I still like to practice its principles, and I’m holding a torch for it in my heart.

What was the last meaningful book you read?

I read a lot of books, and the most recent one that had an impact was Walkaway by Cory Doctorow. He’s not one of my favorite writers, although I completely respect him. He’s good, but I just usually don’t read him. It had a lot of interesting ideas about society and where it’s going, as well as the intersection with things like 3-D printing and also cloud computing — human computer interface used to be a design-system thing, but now it might be a thing that you physically put into your brain.

What’s the best Huge event you’ve ever attended?

There have been a few good ones. I really liked the roller-skating party quite a few years ago when the third floor of the office was under construction. It was when they had finished knocking down the walls but hadn’t done any of the other construction, and they brought a bunch of roller skates that you could wear. I was actually really grumpy about it at the time, because I was busy and I was, like, I have work to do! I will admit that sometimes fun makes me grumpy when I’m busy. But it was amazing.

Where do you go to heal or to take a break?

I like going to the middle of nowhere, where there is no cell-phone service. My favorite vacation spot is near Lincoln, New Hampshire, where it’s a little bit less crowded. I really like a few of the swimming holes up there. And there are a few places to get good food, and there are also some fun, tackier things you can do there, like Clark’s Bears. Trained bears ride bicycles, and you can feed them ice cream.

Do you belong to any Huge social or affinity groups?

Yes, I belong to several, and at least one unofficial one, which might have to be stricken from this interview. I belong to the Huge LGBTQ affinity group — I don’t know why I didn’t join it sooner. It’s really great. I was here for the founding of Beer Club, and it’s really funny, because I think I am the only original member still here. And there’s so much lore about the starting of Beer Club, and it’s, like, yeah, I was actually there, and no, it’s not that mythical. For example, supposedly the Beer Club recently made its first beer. I’m sorry, not true. We’ve done it before. I have the receipts.

Do you believe in magic?

Not in a classical sense, but yes. I mean, it’s all just kind of magic, right? Just a bunch of particles that are barely held together. You know, we’re basically not solid. The whole thing is nuts.

Are you fanatical about anything?

I guess a work thing that I’m fanatical about is trying to make everybody feel like they are an equal part of the team and accepted. I think it’s incredibly important, and some people don’t think of it very much. And some people are unintentionally not good at it, but it’s important.

This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.

Magenta is a publication of Huge.