Marcia Frankenheim didn’t expect to make business history when she RSVP’d for last week’s Young Media Professionals Network meet-up event. She expected to hear a lecture, make awkward small talk with strangers, and duck out early. Instead, she took the local multimedia industry’s cheese plate by storm.
In a move that rocked her life to its core, the 23-year-old media buyer partnered with expertly cubed white cheddar for the entirety of the networking happy hour, with the option left open for future collaborations.
“It was rocky for a while. She milled around for a bit, hovering around different groups in conversation, but she never really said anything above a whisper,” a caterer who worked the event tells us. “But once she saw the catering table, her eyes lit up, and she walked right over to introduce herself to the cheese. Real power snacking move right there.”
While the partnership may have taken some at the event by surprise, sources close to Frankenheim say the signs were there for a significant power play between the two. “She’s been a fan of cheese’s work for years,” says a close personal friend of Frankenheim, who chose to remain anonymous. “They’d met at many, many parties before, and she had even spent time with its relatives in her home, so the foundation was already there for Marcia to corner the market on slightly sweaty Irish cheddar. I’m proud, but I’m not surprised.”
When asked about the partnership herself, though, Frankenheim was tightlipped. “I guess I’m hungrier than I thought,” she mumbled, before taking a nervous sip of water and pretending to notice somebody across the room.
“She experimented a bit with the vegetables,” says fellow attendee Henry Ross about the merger. “But that collaboration was clearly doomed from the start. It was impossible for her to dip celery into the ranch while still holding her wine and checking her phone. Shows you how important it is to know your brand when it comes to snacking.”
“Once cheddar had her attention, no one else stood a chance to connect,” Ross recalls. “I even tried to exchange cards with her, but she just awkwardly shook my hand, asked ‘Where do you live? Shit! Sorry, I meant to ask what you do for a living. These networking things are so awkward,’ laughed nervously for like a full minute, and then just walked off for more cheese.”
“I guess with the cheese connection, she’s in the big leagues now and feels too good for us middle management schmucks,” he adds, not attempting to hide the glint of envy in his eyes.
As for what the future holds for these two titans of industry, only time will tell, though analysts predict they’ll likely team up again for the office Christmas party.
