Meet Mary Grace, Nick, and Marissa

Ask anyone at Jun Group their favorite part about working here and odds are you’ll hear the same response: the people. Everyone at Jun Group is ambitious, adaptable, and highly intelligent, and our newest hires are certainly no exception. We’re proud to announce three of our newest Jun Groupies!

 

Mary Grace Orlando, Account Manager

mary-grace

What’s your background? Tell me your story.

I grew up in New Jersey and was a graduate of Fordham University where I studied English and Economics. After I graduated, I went to Oxford, England to complete a book publishing program- convinced that a career in fiction book editing was my path. When I returned to New York at OMD as a TV media buyer, I realized that I could find an intersection of my love of storytelling and my business acumen in advertising. Now I find myself in a new role again, learning another facet of the business and I couldn’t be more excited!

Explain your job to a first grader.

I manage campaigns that clients have with Jun Group, making sure that they’re happy with the end result.

How do you do your job differently?

My role as an Account Manager is one of problem solving- figuring out why something isn’t working and fixing it. I make sure to always look at things from a macro level first before diving into technical details– this way I can recognize problems before they become a problem.

What are you most passionate about?

I am extremely passionate about cooking, exploring different farmers markets, and buying ingredients I’ve never heard of before. I also consider myself an amateur ocean conservationist and I’m slightly embarrassed to say I love reality TV as much as I love reading.

 

Nick Tran, Machine Learning and Data Science Engineer

What’s your background? Tell me your story.

When I was a little kid, I watched a documentary on the nuclear bomb and thought “Yes, I must possess this power. This shall be my destiny.”  I grew up in North Carolina and studied Nuclear Engineering and Economics at NC State University. To me, these fields were alike in that they investigate large-scale phenomena arising from the interaction of minor, individual actors: one being atoms and the other, people. What I enjoy about machine learning and data science is having the tools to interrogate nearly any observable phenomena and create elegant systems which effectively contain little pieces of the world.

Explain your job to a first grader.

I build machines which can predict very specific things before they happen or guess at things that aren’t particularly obvious.

How do you do your job differently?

A professional engineer is much the same as a doctor– you’re given the authority to sign off on things that absolutely must be done perfectly.  I like to think I approach my work with the same scientific rigor and severity as in my studies, even if sometimes data folks will say, “At the end of the day, we’re not doing brain surgery.”

What are you most passionate about?

I really enjoy the arts, specifically theatre, ballet, and symphony, and I make pottery on the side.  My favorite thing in the world is watching a performer execute technique with precision and economy of effort. 

 

Marissa Repole, Account Manager

What’s your background? Tell me your story.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Bentley University in May. It has been a crazy adventure graduating in a Covid-19 world but I am forever grateful for the extra time it gave me back home with my family. Before I moved to Massachusetts to attend college, I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. Most of my childhood was spent on a softball field but I would not trade it for anything because now I am a coach and I get to help young girls reach their college athletic goals. 

Explain your job to a first grader.

I look at numbers and information to determine how well advertisements are running.  

How do you do your job differently?

Working from home can be strange for most of my coworkers because they are so used to an office environment. Working full time from home is all I know and I try to bring excitement and joy virtually.      

What are you most passionate about?

I absolutely love all things food and cooking. I am in the process of trying to master desserts and baking! My absolute favorite thing to eat will always be a Portillo’s Italian Beef.