Philly’s tech scene deserves more credit: Steph Parker [Exit Interview]

It’s not that the Philly tech scene didn’t do it for it Steph Parker.

During her four years in Philly, the 24-year-old community manager for Center City marketing firm allen & gerritsen (formerly Neiman) started a social media supper club, led social media for clients like Sunoco, Dietz & Watson and Donate Life Pennsylvania and reveled in the Philly Geek Awards, which she calls “the hallmark event of [her] year.”

Parker said she just needed a change. That’s why she’s leaving her Chinatown digs for Boston to join advertising agency Hill Holliday‘s social strategy team. Below, Parker, who was named one of Forbes’ 30 under 30 in Marketing and Advertising, talks about what excites her about the local tech scene and how she think it could improve.

What are your Philly roots? 
I moved here during the blizzard of 2009. I started out as an undergrad in D.C., but quickly realized I needed a city with a stronger creative (and less political) undercurrent. I related to Philly, so I transferred to Drexel halfway through my junior year like an insane person to finish off my PR degree. After school, it felt right to start my career here.

What are your next plans?
I’m moving to Boston to work at Hill Holliday with their social strategy team. I think people need to go outside of their comfort zones and take on new experiences to truly become themselves, if that makes sense. I only know one or two faces up there, and it’s a little terrifying to be leaping out of the nest, but in my life, those types of things have ultimately been the most rewarding. You do some of your best work when you don’t have a net beneath you.

What’s your best loved memory of the work you’ve done in the Philly tech scene?
Getting to work alongside our team for “Tweet to Shoot” on the promotional side was a lot of fun.

Though it was short-lived since I’m on my way out, I’m also pretty proud of starting The Social Supper Club. It brought together a lot of the smart social and digital people in this city who put a focus on analytics, quality content, and building experiences through online interaction. I hope they continue to trade notes with one another.

Was there a specific event or moment that you realized you’d have to leave Philly?
I made a silly deal with myself that I’d move to Boston before my 25th birthday which is rapidly approaching. When I was up there most recently over Memorial Day, I told myself that it was time to shut up, stop being scared and take the plunge.

Was there anything that could have been done differently to keep you?
I doubt it. I’m from New Jersey, about 45 minutes away. Philly is a place where I hear the same DJs on the radio that I grew up with. My father worked in the building two blocks from my current office. The colloquialisms are all familiar. I need to go somewhere different. Even though Boston’s only about 300 miles away, I’m completely in love with it.

Could you see yourself coming back to Philadelphia?
To visit, absolutely. The Philadelphia Geek Awards is the hallmark event of my year. You can bet I’ll be there moving forward to support everyone involved. Plus, Boston doesn’t have Wawa, and there’s only so long I can go without a Sizzli. It’s unclear if I’ll ever take up residence again. At the very least, I think the next chapter of my life involves hiding the fact that I’m a Jets fan from the majority of New England.

When someone you meet from outside the region asks about Philadelphia and its tech community, what do you tell them?
Go see the allen & gerritsen Labs team. One of the things that’s paramount for our industry is translating digital experiences into everyday environments, and we’re cranking out some game-changers that break the traditional molds and cross over into what the future of consumer experiences should (and will) be.

On a broader note, this city’s tech scene is more vibrant than it gets credit for. The passion the people have here is unparalleled, and they have the talent to match.

What is the perception you most often find of Philadelphia?
I’ve mostly heard that it’s unsafe, extremely dirty, and has clinically insane sports fans (which is true). People don’t seem to associate Philadelphia with its universities, startup community, or anything we produce that’s not a cheesesteak.

It’s a shame. New York casts a shadow, but there are so many opportunities for Philadelphia to lead in advertising, tech and design. I’d like to see the heavy hitters kick things off to propel that shift. It’s an undertaking, but it’s not going to happen by itself.

What advice or specific action would you take to improve the tech community here and retain others in the future?
My advice would be to communicate with one another. The biggest problem I’ve seen in this community is that all of the people filled with great ideas never connect.

They end up feeling like this city is empty for people like them, but in order to give Philadelphia the community and industry it deserves, it needs to be built. We can’t rely on monthly networking happy hours to keep us together.