Member Spotlight: Annelise Lynch

“I build things, I debug things, I fix things, and I really like it. It allows me to be technical, but also customer facing at the same time. ”

Greg Kelly: Hi, Annelise.
Annelise Lynch: Hi.
GK: All right, so for posterity’s sake, can you tell us your full name?
AL: Annelise Lynch.
GK: And what it is you do for work?
AL: I'm a Success Engineer with Parse.ly
GK: Oh. That's what I'm supposed to tell people at the party. How'd you get started in that field?
AL: I kinda ... I don't really know how to answer that, how'd I get started with ...
GK: Oh wait, wait, wait, back up. What does that mean, what is a Success Engineer? Just talk about what you actually do.
AL: What do I do? I have a hard time describing this. Parse.ly is a content analytics platform, our customers are large publishers and digital media companies. I sit in between our Success Team, which is our account managers, and our back end team. So my job resolves around data and data engineering. I build things, I debug things, I fix things, and I really like it. It allows me to be technical, but also customer facing at the same time. So I get to use both sides of my brain.
GK: Did you like the definition I used when I introduced you?
AL: What did you say?
GK: I said I have no idea what you do, but I know what you do helps people a great deal and you're good at it.
AL: Haha, that was fine. 
 

GK: Cool. What are you passionate about, and specifically in regards to what drives the work that you do? Or, are they connected?
AL: I am passionate about building efficient systems. In my life, or in work. So, I think that's how I kind of fell into the data field, and data engineering is how to efficiently and correctly build sustainable data models, and data warehouses, and reporting structures to help businesses and people to make informed decisions.
GK: Who are some of the clients you work for?
AL: Some of our customers are Huffington Post, and Arstechnica and NBC and Conde Nast.
GK: Mudhouse Coffee Roasters is totally separate?
AL: Yeah. Mudhouse Coffee Roasters is my freelance passion project. I worked as a barista as an undergraduate and helped open up the Crozet store. Recently, I've been working with Mudhouse Coffee Roasters to get them and their analytics up to speed so that they can measure, engagement and conversions for their online store. Working with them to be competitive with other specialty coffee roasters.
AL: And I also am just passionate about that industry, and I want to know more about it and John and Lynelle are just wonderful people to be around, I like to absorb as much of their energy and knowledge as possible.
GK: Yeah. They were the first people I worked with when I moved here.
AL: Same.
 

GK: I know, or happen to know, that travel is a big part of your life, lifestyle. I'm just curious, first of all just talk about why you love it. There's probably obvious things. But does it play into what you do at all? Or, does what you do play into it?
AL: I'm gonna start off with this. I like my job because it's a fantastic company. My team is amazing, and I love everybody that I work with.
GK: Are they based here?
AL: No, they're based in New York.
GK: In New York, okay.
AL: But the CTO, Andrew Montalenti, works out of Studio IX sometimes.
GK: Okay.
AL: Where was I? Oh, and that my job allows me to be fully remote. All the engineers can be fully remote. I like to travel because I am a person that likes their routine, and can fall into routines and habits really easily. So, part of the reason I started traveling was because it makes me step out of those comforts. If I'm only in a city for one to two months I can make a routine, then I have to break it when I leave. I either leave because my visa expires, or because I want to.

I like exploring different cultures and different ways of life in different cities. When I was living in Lisbon my schedule definitely shifted back to the Lisbon way of life, which is waking up late and staying up late. But then when I was in Berlin it was the opposite. So, I did solo, 12 month working and traveling journey last year. Then next year I'll be doing it through a program with about 60 other people.
GK: That's not credit, or anything like that. It's just really structured to take you guys certain places, and do certain things?
AL: It just takes away a lot of the things that were consuming much of my time, which was finding an apartment and a co-working space and flights.
GK: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
AL: Yeah.
GK: Cool.
AL: It's like built in adventure buddies.
GK: Yeah. Awesome.
AL: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

“I like to travel because I am a person that likes their routine, and can fall into routines and habits really easily. So, part of the reason I started traveling was because it makes me step out of those comforts.”

GK: Can you talk a little bit about Charlottesville, why you make it your home base, or your sort of base camp? What you love about it?
AL: I love Charlottesville.
GK: Yeah.
AL: It's mostly my home because this is where my mom and my sister are right now. But, it was also home before my mom moved to Charlottesville.
GK: Where'd you grow up?
AL: Ashland Virginia.
AL: Little podunk town.
GK: What brought you to Charlottesville?
AL: UVA. I came here for undergrad, and then stayed for a bit before venturing off to DC, and Chicago.
 

GK: So you’ve  been a member at Studio X off and on for quite a while?
AL: Yeah, about a year and a half off and on.
GK: What about being here, what draws you here then?
AL: To IX?  I really like the space. I find it really easy to concentrate. I like the people, I like the location. I love being close to downtown. Yeah, it's just easy. I don't really have to worry about anything.
GK: Yeah?
AL: Yeah.
GK: Thanks, Annelise.