TheBridge profile: Amy Widdowson

Name: Amy Widdowson

Current city: San Francisco, CA

Current job: Vice President Communications, Medium

Past job: Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, Zeno Group; Vice President at Vrge Strategies; Marketing at various SF startups, travel blogger a lifetime ago.

Q. Job advice in three words? Be the thermostat.* (*not the thermometer) Set and control the temperature in every room you walk into. Energy is absolutely critical, we’ve all been in meetings that have been derailed because one person shows up ready to pick a fight. It’s easy to pick up on that energy and reflect it back, amplifying the anxiety. Instead, consciously set the tone you are looking for, it can facilitate discussion and smooth so many disagreements, leading to more productive outcomes.

Q. How are you currently bridging the gap between politics and tech? Giving anyone the chance to tell their personal story and share their own expertise. The big names in politics dominate the news cycles, but behind every elected or appointed or regulator is a legion of talented staffers doing the really hard work. And with tech advancements moving as fast as they are, it’s the advisors and activists that are exploring the profound impact on real people we must recognize and reckon with.

Q. Why are you part of TheBridge community? Why do you think it's important this community exists for tech, policy and political professionals? Policy political professionals need to learn from tech workers and vice versa - there is so much to fix and get done. It’s easy to stay ensconced in your own professional bubble and scoff when someone outside your industry tries to raise criticisms, but it’s a helluva lot stronger to Bridge that gap (see what I did there, Allie) and share your wisdom with someone else. 

Q. Favorite app? Medium, obvi. It’s really great, y’all! I feel like I wake up every morning and pull it up to find some of the most insightful / charming / intriguing / funny / educational stuff on the interwebs. I've always loved longform writing, so I use our Save feature to save up stories to read before bed. For a non-Medium app, I love Instapaper’s bookmarklet for the same latter reason - saves stories across the web for the end of the day.

Q. What can regulators teach innovators? The necessity and importance of "soft skills" in any organization. This is much better now than in 2018, but think about what would have happened over the last ten years if Silicon Valley companies had respected and encouraged communication, emotional intelligence and empathy across departments as much as they had moving fast and breaking all of the things - things might not be as FUBAR as they are.

Q. Describe one skill you learned in a previous job that helped you in your new job. Fresh out of college, I did marketing and donor relations at DonorsChoose.org, where I saw just how important a personal connection to giving can be. Transparency and communication mean so much to every donor, whether they've given $5 or $5000, and that's a great lesson to take in to every person you work with. People want to know they are being listen to and seen, and that you’ve taken the time to connect with them in a clear and kind way.

Q. How often do you work from home? We’re fully remote, but I do go into a coworking space a couple of times a week. It’s by no means an official diagnosis, but my TikTok FYP keeps serving up videos on ADHD and body doubling to help you focus - and I swear, it helps so freaking much to have someone sitting in the same room as me to help me get stuff done.

Q. Favorite spot for a coffee meeting? Cafe Reveille near Duboce Park in San Francisco - and obviously my Chief Canine Officer Orca has to attend to take notes.

Q. Morning routine? Wake up at 5:00, make coffee, try to write for an hour for my personal newsletter (The Morning Missive.) Gets the brain moving and sets the tone for the day. And then take my pup for a walk.