LMA Metropolitan New York Member Spotlight - Kelly M. MacKinnon

Your Work History:
I started my career in marketing in the events and promotions group at Bon Appetit but followed my love for ice hockey to the broadcasting department at the National Hockey League. After several years in sports, I decided that I wanted to take a different career path and entered the world of professional services marketing with the Northeast Consumer Business group at Deloitte. Shortly thereafter, I came to Paul, Weiss.

Education:
BA in American History and Behavioral Management from Brown University

Lives:
New York, NY

Where did you grow up or where have you lived?
I was born and raised on the North Shore of Long Island and have spent most of my post-college days in Manhattan.

What was your first job?
I was a counselor at a hockey camp tying skates and teaching 5-15 year old boys and girls how to play ice hockey.

How did you get into legal marketing?
I grew up working for my Dad’s small law firm so when I opted to switch careers from professional sports to a more stable industry, I knew that it was only a matter of time until I migrated to a law firm. When the recruiter found me at Deloitte, I jumped at the opportunity.

What makes a good legal marketer?
Enthusiasm, patience, ability to tactfully challenge tradition

What’s the best thing about your job?  What’s the worst thing about your job?
I love to see the excitement when it finally clicks and the partners buy into an idea.
It takes a long time to see results.

What would you be doing if you weren’t in your current job?
I would have pursued the beginnings of an on-air broadcasting career.

So, we hear you were a professional ice hockey coach, is that true?  Tell us about that.
Yes, I grew up playing ice hockey and translated the experience of playing Division 1 college into a coaching career. I have worked with boys, girls, women, and men focused specifically on goalies. The culmination of my coaching career was being selected to be the Head Coach of the Chinese Women’s National Ice Hockey Team and running their on and off ice program in Harbin, China.

What’s your favorite team?
New York Islanders. Born and raised to bleed blue and orange.

Who was or is your favorite player?
There was a goalie named Kelly Hrudy (a goalie for the New York Islanders and then for the LA Kings) who was my idol growing up. So much so that I cried in school when he got traded to LA. Fast forward 15 years and he became a good friend through my job with the NHL. I consistently reminded him that I thought he was dreamy way back when.

We also hear you’re quite the mountaineer?  What mountains have you climbed?
I don’t know if I would call myself a mountaineer after one, but yes, I summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in February. It was a very rewarding experience but don’t think that Everest is in the near future.

When you’re on flat land not climbing mountains or on ice, what do you prefer:  subway, bus, taxi or walking?  What’s the best way to get around this vast city?

Depends on my mood and my propensity to be running 5 mins late. Subway mostly.

Uptown, Midtown, Downtown, or the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, etc.) – where’s the best place to hang out with friends?

I get a little lost below 14th street so I tend to spend more time Midtown/Uptown.

What’s your favorite restaurant or cuisine?
Italian hands down.

What’s currently on your i-Pod?
I am consistently listening to my i-Pod so much so that it is almost an appendage of my body. I love Bon Jovi, the Fray, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson – a little bit of everything.

Where’s your favorite place to go to relax (locally or abroad)?
My parents house out in the country (aka Long Island), Skiing in Vermont, or anywhere where I know my cell or blackberry will not work.

What book(s) are you currently reading or What was the last book you read?
I just read Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

What’s your favorite television show (guilty pleasure)?
With DVR, I have guilty pleasure TV shows for every night. I have a tendency to love crime shows – CSI, Numbers, Cold Case

What could you not live without?
Pizza, flip flops, a strand of pearls

If you were stranded on a desert island, what or who would you want to have with you?
My two best friends, matches, and a knife.