5 Questions with Angela Kosek

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Communication First

Angela Kosek is Studio Hyperset’s Director of Service Operations & Human Resources. She has a professional background developing websites and apps using WordPress, Bootstrap, Rails, Backbone, JavaScript, and jQuery. Before joining Studio Hyperset, Angela was a a “Jane of all trades,” working as a SCUBA instructor in Hawaii and starting a massage therapy company in Colorado. If she isn’t creating fun things on her laptop, you can probably find her playing outside or traveling.

What is your role at Studio Hyperset?

As the Director of Service Operations and HR, I mostly manage projects, dialogue with clients, and scout and on-board talent. The experience has been nothing short of amazing. This is the first time I’ve ever worked with a company where the owner/boss is looking out for your best interests and wants to empower you. Not only that, but every teammate so far has been great to work with.

How does this differ from a more traditional agency model?

The difference is huge. At a traditional agency, everything just takes longer. I have friends that work for large tech companies, and when we talk about the differences between their company and ours, they’re always amazed — and quite frankly jealous — at how quickly SH completes tasks, pushes new projects, and how efficiently we communicate. Basically, SH has eliminated a lot of the unnecessary bottlenecks that many larger companies face on a daily basis.

How do you communicate with a team distributed all over the world?

We communicate via Slack as well as in Basecamp. I am always available to answer questions and help in any way possible. Our team knows they can call, text, email, use Slack, or Basecamp to connect with me. I think it also helps that I try to respond to our team just as quickly as I would a client. Our team is our core, and without them, we wouldn’t exist.

What makes SH more efficient? What is the average turnaround time for a project or response time to a request?

I would say relying on tools like Basecamp and Slack help make us more efficient than the average agency. We’re also very, very communications-focused, and cutting down on confusion and misunderstanding always pays efficiency dividends. The average turnaround time varies from project to project. However, we’re always focused on being the fastest shop on the block. Our response time for a request can range from a minute to an hour, but rarely would a client request go unanswered for more than a few hours. Our clients are always amazed at how quickly their requests are completed.

How do you lead the development team at Studio Hyperset?

I try to lead our development team (a) with respect because they are amazingly talented and resourceful, (b) as efficiently as possible because all our time is very valuable, and (c) with humility because I do not know everything. One of the best things about my job is I’m always learning from our dev team and from my peers on the leadership team: Cynthia, Whitney, and Quimby.

Every day, Quimby and I work very closely on the operations side of the business, and I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s very intelligent and knowledgeable and has taught me more than I’ve learned in some college classes. Without Quimby, we wouldn’t be here, and we wouldn’t be growing. He really does an amazing job all around. Not only does he do his job efficiently, he does it with humility and grace, which sets a great tone and example for our company.

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Cynthia Wilson

Chief Relationship Officer

Cynthia served as SH's CRO from 2013-16. She studied Journalism and Technical Communication, with a focus on Public Relations and a minor in music, at Colorado State University. In her professional life, she's worked with a number of different companies including the music incubator SpokesBuzz, where she managed social media and blog content for their SXSW showcase. Cynthia has also managed PR and logistics for the USA Pro Challenge Women's Grand Prix, served as content manager for Cheese Chick Productions' "Best of Show" project at the American Cheese Society's annual conference, and coordinated marketing for the MouCo Cheese Company. In addition to serving as CRO, Cynthia created content for Studio Hyperset's "3 for 3" blog post series.