Today we’d like to introduce you to Grayson Mask.
Grayson, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born and raised in the DFW area, primarily in Grapevine. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of North Texas around August 2018, I knew I wanted to get back into the Dallas area and make positive changes for the local community. I started my job at Republic National Distributing Company, a national wine and spirits distributor, right after graduation but still wanted more ways to meet new people and benefit others. I joined young professional groups like the Dallas Global Shapers, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Young Professionals, North Texas Food Bank Young Professionals, and other organizations that allowed me to regularly network and collaborate with philanthropic projects.
When COVID-19 hit, it really interfered with the various organizations I worked with and slowed down volunteer opportunities due to the increasing social distancing. I knew I needed a way to stay productive while working from that could have some impact for professionals throughout the DFW area. This is why I started The Platinum Mask and use that blog to raise the voices of various professionals navigating the DFW landscape. I ask them how their businesses have adapted to COVID-19 but also what they expect in a post-COVID world.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There were some bumps here and there because I dealt with anxieties since I was a kid and always struggled with different social interactions. Being able to get out of my shell and meet new people has never been an easy task and required just years of practice. I started taking small steps by joining clubs in college, applying for internships outside of my classes and got active mentorship from local extroverts. This was definitely needed when I left college and tried to develop a whole new friend circle from scratch because I knew I had to be surrounded by other outgoing, motivated individuals. Starting the blog was also a small struggle to begin with because my writing was definitely rusty and trying to find people to interview was a difficult task by itself. A lot of people see a startup blog and don’t want to take the time out of their to collaborate, so I started out with friends and family to come up with content.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Platinum Mask story. Tell us more about your work.
The Platinum Mask is a Q&A interview-style blog that currently addresses how businesses and professions adapt to COVID-19 and the pitfalls they face. It also really dives into what each profession expects in a post-COVID world and how the landscape will experience long-term changes. I wanted to start this concept because we all know the massive economic, geopolitical, and cultural changes we’re still experiencing from the aftermath of 9/11 and was very curious on what to expect in the aftermath of this global pandemic. I hope to be able to branch off into new series like a concept behind how BLM movements affect diversity within corporate structures throughout the DFW area. I believe this blog is new for the DFW area because it offers engaging questions related to COVID-19 that a lot of interviewers aren’t diving into. I’m really excited for the future holds and to what guests I might speak to next.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I certainly have been lucky to be born in an environment where I didn’t have to face major struggles that many in this country have to deal with on a daily basis. I would also consider myself fortunate to have mentors and people I can reach out to for advice on my career or to speak over obstacles I’m dealing with. I think luck has played a minor role in my life but have learned to not take things for granted and to always regularly work on myself because luck will not accomplish everything. I think luck is a roll of the dice, but you can meaningful changes to increase the chances.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theplatinummask.com/
- Phone: 817-948-7867
- Email: GraysonMask@my.unt.edu
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/graymask12/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grayson.mask
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