Our next alumni spotlight is Paulina Gallagher! Join us in learning about her life as an Armourite as well as what she is up to now.
What was you favorite Armour editorial?
My favorite editorial was “Coffee Tables” in Issue 18. “Styles and Spaces” was a recurring segment within Armour when I joined, and was the first type of editorial I shot for Armour. We brought it back for my final issue as Editor in Chief and focused on coffee tables in students’ spaces. These tables capture a moment in time – Spring of ’17 – when my friends were obsessed with Drake, taco bell, and cheap beer. I have always loved documentary style photography –> I also loved shooting a student’s INCREDIBLE cakes in Issue 17 and visiting an Alpaca farm in St. Louis to learn about the farm’s process to make textiles.
What was your role in this editorial and how was that process for you?
I was Editor in Chief at the time. Issue 18 is my favorite issue because 1. 18 is my favorite number 2. it was the final issue before I graduated from WashU and 3. because Karalena Davis shot the beautiful cover of a mannequin with my dad’s old 35mm film Nikon (which I had never been able to take as beautiful of photos with).
What’s been your trajectory since graduating WashU?
I pivoted into the tech world after WashU. I started at Google and became obsessed with the intersection of beauty and tech. I worked with large beauty companies like Glossier, Estee Lauder Companies, and Revlon and advised them on advertising and customer insights. After this, I went to TikTok and worked on monetization –> basically figuring out new ways for advertisers to creatively incorporate advertising into the TikTok app. I recently boomeranged back to Google and am a Global Product Lead working on ads focused on top content a.k.a. whenever you see an ad on channels like SNL or Emma Chamberlin!
What’s been your favorite part of job/ what’s your job now?
I’m chronically online and LOVE Youtube and TikTok as platforms. In my most recent roles, I’ve been laser focused on finding ways to pay creators more from our advertising. I’ve loved learning about the creator economy and it’s been incredible having a direct impact on someone’s livelihood through the products I’m working on.
How has Armour influenced your job trajectory and your life today?
The friends I made in Armour have remained lifelong friends – I’ve loved seeing where everyone has gone in life and am consistently learning from them. My time at Armour was a transitional time coming out of our rebrand and managing our team size growing. Not so sexy, but the experience taught me a lot about project management and leadership all while letting me pursue my love of photography, fashion, and beauty!
What was the most valuable lesson that you learned while working at Armour?
Probably the importance of exposing yourself to people in all different walks of life and interests – I was in the bschool and it was easy for my day to day to become silo’ed with my small group of classmates/friends with similar interests. I loved hearing new perspectives and learning new things everyday – whether it was a new restaurant in St. Louis in an area I never went to, or beauty brands I hadn’t heard of.
Any advice for current Armourites?
Meet as many people as you can – join shoots as an extra set of hands or grab coffee with someone in Armour you may not know as well. I’m always surprised by how much I encounter Armour folks in different aspects of my life and I’ve loved having exposure to people in a variety of professions (whether it’s via an Instagram follow or life-long bonds).
Featuring Paulina Gallagher
Armour Magazine Season 30 — F/S 2023
