It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Francesca Parker started with us as a bright-eyed intern ready to change the world, or at least project management, as we knew it. Now, as PRPL’s Director of Project Management, we see that same spirit, both in the relationships she builds with our client partners and work she puts into every project. And in celebration of her recent 10-year PRPL anniversary, we wanted to do a little Q and A to shed some light on who she is and what makes her so amazing.

I love getting to work closely with the people I manage and help them through challenges and witness their growth. It’s so rewarding and motivates me to give my all each day.

I have so many hobbies… reading, movies, puzzles, chess, sudoku, spending time with my 3 year old nephew. My favorite hobby is probably making art specifically painting. I’ve enjoyed art since I was a kid.

I enjoy making art as a way to relax and practice creativity. I like to do portraits and landscapes in acrylic, but I’m experimenting with water color for a new piece and I’m excited to see what comes of it. As a perfectionist, art was really hard for me growing up because I couldn’t handle imperfections. As I get older, I’m more and more ok with my art not being perfect and not putting pressure on myself. I also, tend not to make art for profit or for myself, I’m mostly motivated to do art for friends or family and as gifts than anything else.

All of my museum projects have a special place in my heart because I love that museums are institutions for learning, exploration, and creativity. The Field Museum will probably always be my favorite project because of the symbiosis within the team and with the client. It was a true partnership with collaboration along the way. I was part of something incredible and got to create an experience that is so popular and has so much impact, that we have museums that still ask about replicating it more than 5 years later.

I LOVE books and movies! Currently, I’m reading a book called “Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World that can’t stop talking”. I’m fascinated in learning more about the human experience; how I and others think and process and live in this world. I read books about leadership and how to understand myself and others better.

Movies-wise, my favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption. I love anything that makes me think, or has a great twist, mystery, strong characters, visually stimulating. I’ve been really into this latest trend toward animated films, Spiderverse and Teenage Mutant Turtles were amazing.

My favorite memories are moments spent with my project teams or managing the PM department. So many memories of laughing, being intellectually stimulated, awed by the creativity and intelligence of my colleagues. Problem solving together and working toward shared goals. If I have to pick one memory, it may be when I won first place at the PRPL Art Show or traveling to visit some of our museum clients.

An easier question would be what don’t I enjoy about leading a team. I love helping people, guiding them, seeing them grow and learn and overcome challenges with or without my help. I love problem-solving with my team. I’ve learned a lot from the people I manage, they teach me so much about how to be a better leader every day. I appreciate everyone I’ve had the honor to be able to lead.

PRPL isn’t easy and it isn’t for everyone. I enjoy working here though, even after so many years, I still find a way to laugh every day at work. I love the people I work with and the opportunities we get to work with each other and come up with creative solutions to complex problems. I love the things we create. I love watching the growth in the people I manage. I enjoy that I’m given freedom to explore and try new things every day. Most of all, theres never a dull day and there is always something to do. I could never work somewhere where I don’t feel motivated and busy each day.

PRPL was unique for being one of the only digital agencies in Orlando when I started working here. It’s mix and focus on strategy, design, and technology has always been fascinating to me. Everyone who works here not only wants to make things that looks great, but our work should be backed by logic and be of quality function. I think the shared drive for most everyone I have worked with is what makes PRPL unique.

My latest productivity hack is time-blocking my calendar down to the task. It makes most people nauseated to look at my calendar, but it has been helping me to stay focused daily and forces me to critically prioritize my day and re-prioritize future days when things pop up. Plus, I never have to pause and ask myself “what I should work on next?”; It’s all planned out so I feel more efficient with my time.

I think there are some people who are born to be project managers with inherent skills and specific personality traits. In my experience, project managers feel comfortable in organization, structure, and feeling accomplished every day by checking off tasks. I think to be a truly great project manager, it’s important to have a vision and be able to motivate the team toward a common goal. As project managers lead project teams, great leadership qualities will only make a project manager greater. To me, great leaders and project managers listen to people, help them, motivate them, remove blockers, help others to succeed over themselves, think through risks, and document everything.