Without knowing what the future might hold, Faiz Mandviwalla moved to San Francisco after graduating from Temple in 2016. After working as an associate for six months at The OutCast Agency, Mandviwalla was hired full-time as an Assistant Account Executive. A PRowl Public Relations alum, he recently spoke to the firm, sharing his experience about post-graduation and welcoming questions about his time working in the field.
Mandviwalla joined PRowl as a sophomore at Temple; he spent his first year working on the university’s communications account, SM+C, and helped plan and execute several events that increased school spirit.
“I actually heard about PRowl when I was still in high school. One of the reasons I chose Temple was because I already knew I wanted to study public relations. In my first year at PRowl, we brainstormed and executed several campaigns to increase school spirit, including coming up with the #CherryOn campaign,” he said.
Mandviwalla became the Director of Finance during his junior year, and worked on the Liacouras Center and Department of Strategic Communication (STRC) accounts. He created social media content for the Liacouras Center and developed promotions to target incoming students for STRC. He served as an Assistant Firm Director his senior year, overseeing the same accounts.
While working at PRowl, Mandviwalla also interned at various organizations and companies around Philly. One of his most valuable experiences was a year-long internship at the Philadelphia Bar Association. “I was given a lot of autonomy and responsibility, even calling and pitching reporters myself. I also led communication strategy for several smaller events, such as an intimate conversation with the Philly school superintendent, and another with former world heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes,” he explained. Mandviwalla also interned with Bellevue Communications Agency, where he was able to draft social media calendars for multiple clients and work on story content for the then-upcoming Democratic National Convention.
At The Outcast Agency, a communications and marketing agency with locations in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles, he worked with clients such as Amazon, Facebook, HBO, JetBlue Technology Ventures, Recharge Labs, Tanium and Zunum Aero as an associate. “The first six months at OutCast as an associate were great. I learned the ins and outs of tech PR and worked with some amazing clients along the way. After getting hired on full-time, I realized that the fun was only just beginning. Now, I have the freedom to interact with my clients at will and to pursue interesting opportunities for them as they appear, rather than wait for approval.”
He currently works with Facebook Games, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Primer AI, and the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE). Facebook Games is the part of Facebook that is pushing into video game streaming and partnerships. DARPA is the Pentagon’s R&D division and is credited with creating the Internet, GPS, and drones. Primer AI is a recently launched AI startup that processes and analyzes the world’s information. And finally, the LTSE is an ambitious idea to create a new kind of stock exchange where long-term planning, rather than quarterly reports, are prioritized. Mandviwalla does something completely different for each of his clients, which is something he loves about being at a PR agency.
He misses being on the East Coast and PRowl, but also loves how amazingly weird and energetic the West Coast is. “I miss Wawa, Jim’s on South Street, and my mom’s cooking the most, but PRowl will always will have a special place in my heart.”
This alumni spotlight was written by Account Associate Neil Egan.
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