By FP1 Strategies
In this edition of “Meet Our Production Pros,” we’re featuring the contributions of Natalie Szemetylo. Natalie is a Senior Director at FP1 who works in our finance and media buying departments, providing essential operational and managerial support to our production team.
Natalie tracks and handles production billing for our clients. She manages the payment processes for multimillion-dollar media campaigns and ensures that clients get on the air in a timely fashion, and she executes media planning and placement for statewide, congressional and downballot campaigns.
“Natalie is a great operations professional,” said Managing Director Michelle Neuman. “She is very organized, hardworking and conscientious. Her contributions to our finance department and media buying team are critical to our success. I am glad that Natalie is advancing her career at FP1, and I look forward to her making an even bigger contribution in the years ahead.”
Read this lightning round of Q&A with Natalie Szemetylo.
What is your alma mater?
I earned my bachelor’s at The University of Akron and my master’s at The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management.
What got you interested in politics?
I caught the bug early. I volunteered for my first race when I was 14 years old for State Senator Joy Padgett back in 2004. She was an early mentor for me, and I shadowed her at the Ohio Statehouse when I was in high school. I also met the late Senator George V. Voinovich back in 2004. In college, I was a Hill intern in Senator Voinovich’s D.C. office during his final year in the Senate. He continued to be a mentor for me until his death in 2016.
What do you like best about working at FP1?
The people. It’s a team-oriented environment where we all support each other to win the tough fights. Everyone works hard and pulls their weight.
Do you have a favorite FP1 ad?
My favorite would have to be “Your Girl” from Martha McSally’s 2020 U.S. Senate race.
What’s your favorite podcast?
I’m a child of the 90s so Pod Meets World. I grew up watching TGIF and Boy Meets World so I’m into that ‘90s nostalgia category. It is interesting hearing the POVs of former child stars as they rewatch their beloved ‘90s sitcom as well as interview former cast and crew, guest stars, fellow TGIF alumni, etc. Not every former child star has a tragic ending.
What’s the last book you read?
Outofshapeworthlessloser by Gracie Gold. It’s Gracie Gold’s memoir about her time in figure skating while struggling with her mental health.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Wizard of Oz, which was released in 1939. 1939 is considered the greatest year in film. It ranges from Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to Stagecoach to Goodbye, Mr. Chips and a little film called Gone with the Wind. While the film is a classic, The Wizard of Oz was a flop in its original theatrical release. The film did not make a profit until its 1949 re-release. Did you know that in the novel, Dorothy’s slippers are silver, not the famous ruby red that we all know from the film? MGM changed the shoes to ruby red to showcase the new technicolor technology. They also hold the rights to the ruby red color, which is why the slippers are the original silver in Wicked.
What’s your favorite thing to do on a Saturday?
If I’m in town, I love going to water aerobics and hydrospin classes back-to-back first thing in the morning. It’s a great way to jumpstart the weekend. Otherwise, you can probably find me on Amtrak early on a Saturday morning to make the trip up to New York for a two-show day. I love plays and musicals, and I make regular trips to NYC throughout the Broadway season.
If you could have dinner with one historical figure, who’d it be and why?
Angela Lansbury. Her career spanned 80 years in film, television and stage. She was one of the last actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood before she passed away. I grew up watching her on television as Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote. Cabot Cove had quite the crime rate. Her voice was forever preserved as Mrs. Potts in the Disney animated feature Beauty and the Beast. Lansbury had a prolific stage career where she won five Tony Awards and originated roles like Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Mame in Mame. She even went on tour at age 89 to reprise her Tony Award winning role as Madame Arcati in the Noël Coward play Blithe Spirit. I was lucky to catch her performance myself during the D.C. stop. She would have a range in stories from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Broadway and television. She also worked with greats like Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman.
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