Carolyn Cohen, associate content director at Barkley, talks nail polish, annoying Emma Stone and more in The Pitch Questionnaire
Carolyn Cohen will be blogging the SXSW Interactive festival. Look for her posts on pitch.com.
Twitter handle: @carolynrcohen
Hometown: Dallas, Texas. Home of big hair, high school football and Whataburger.
Current neighborhood: Prairie Village. Drinking the PV Kool-Aid hard lately.
What I do: Help clients build better content, attempt to read all the Internet has to offer and play with my puppy. Oh, and explore the ocean.
What’s your addiction? Painting my nails. I have 300-plus bottles at home and may have had to buy an IKEA cabinet just for them.
What’s your game? Old school, charades.
What’s your drink? Lately, Moscow Mules.
Where’s dinner? Chuy’s. I have a soft spot in my heart for Tex-Mex.
What’s on your KC postcard? A Z-Man and fries. Mmmm.
Finish these sentences: “Kansas City got it right when …” They gave kids the day off for the World Series parade. It was great to see the whole city celebrate.
“Kansas City screwed up when …” They didn’t know how to explain that “Kansas City” is in Missouri. I spend an unfortunate amount of time explaining this to people.
“Kansas City needs …” Beyonce to come to the Sprint Center.
“As a kid, I wanted to be …” On Broadway. Fun fact: my AOL screen name was DivaInTheMaking.
“In five years, I’ll be …” Using the new iPhone 13s, whatever that will be.
“I always laugh at …” Dumb jokes, a la Family Guy and South Park.
“I’ve been known to binge watch …” Scandal. #notsorry
“I can’t stop listening to …” Troye Sivan. Lil’ pop singer from NZ. Me and a bunch of 13-year-olds contribute heavily to his millions of YouTube views.
“My dream concert lineup is …” Taylor Swift, St. Lucia, Daft Punk.
“I just read …” Currently in the middle of Ready Player One. No spoilers please!
What’s your hidden talent? Sneezing five times in a row, every time.
What’s your guiltiest pleasure? Eating candy. Just about any kind, on any day.
The best advice I ever got: “When in doubt, no doubt.” I use this for personal decisions, work issues and everything in between. If you have to question it, it isn’t meant to be.
Worst advice? “No, you’ll be fine without sunscreen.” This goes right along with “You don’t need to go to the dermatologist.” Go, people!
My sidekick? My puppy. I’ve never had a dog before this, and I’m quickly becoming a dog person. You’d be amazed how many puppies I follow on Instagram.
What is your spirit animal? Sea otters. For all the obvious reasons, of course.
Who is your hero? My husband, David. I’m constantly surprised by his dedication to his work, passion for adventure and how much I laugh when we’re together.
What is your nemesis? I would say alarm clocks and/or mornings in general.
What’s your greatest struggle right now? I wish I did a better job keeping up with my friends who don’t live in KC.
My favorite toy as a child: Barbies and microphones (see Broadway answer).
My dating triumph/tragedy? My maiden name was Battle, and I was once approached with the line “Can I sink your battleship?” Just no, dude … just no.
My brush with fame: I’ve been known to embarrass myself in order to get the attention of a celebrity. Last year, I saw a show with Emma Stone in it. Instead of waiting by the backstage door for an autograph like everyone else, I decided to sing (read: scream) “Pocketful of Sunshine” in her face, while of course recording a selfie video. Needless to say, Emma Stone actually plugged her ears, which is forever captured on my iPhone.
My soapbox: Encourage everyone around you to be more open to different cultures and people who are not exactly like them. I’m not perfect, but I’m constantly surprised and disappointed with some of the things going on not just in KC but across the country.
What was the last thing you had to apologize for? Saying sorry is actually a bad habit of mine, so I’ve been trying to say “thank you” instead.
Who’s sorry now? People who said Pinterest was just going to be a new shiny toy for a month. Enjoy that deck I made in 2011!
My recent triumph: Seeing projects that I’ve worked on with my teams coming to life. There’s nothing better. #tear
