A Day in the Life of a TestLion: Zach Chrissinger, Senior Director of Media Practice

Carina Kärt Mattikas , Employer Brand Manager based in Tallinn, Estonia.

June 28th, 2022

A Day in the Life of a TestLion is a blog series where we ask TestLions from different teams and positions to give a walk-through of their usual day at work powering networked testing to enable human possibilities.

This time, our headliner is Zach, Senior Director of Media Practice in California.

Starting the day with a roar

As a Senior Director of Media Practice, I oversee QA efforts that ensure your favorite streaming app works as expected. I have a great team and work with some really awesome clients in the entertainment space. In essence, the Media Practice is a department within Testlio’s Services team that deals with all things entertainment with a specific focus on digital streaming. We test everything from major live sporting events to data strategy to catalog distribution. 

I normally start my day around 7am. Coffee is a must for me, so I always pour a cup before sitting down for about 30 minutes and scrolling through TikTok. Giving myself time to wake up and catch up helps set the tone for the day.

My morning work routine focuses on email and Slack. I try to keep my inbox reasonable so I can act on new emails faster, and keeping up with Slack keeps me connected to what’s going on in real-time.

Hunting down the challenges

Currently, I am working on customer account alignment for the EMs (Engagement Managers) and TMs (Testing Managers) on my team. Having the right people in the right place at the right time is crucial to what we do. I regularly complete exercises like this to understand capacity —  ensuring no one feels overwhelmed with the work they have while also being able to staff new clients as they come through. It’s a balancing act, to say the least, with additional forecasting exercises to understand what may be coming in the future. 

I would say my most recent success is how truly amazing my team has become in the Media Practice. Each EM and TM has their own flavor they bring to the work they do and have an incredible dedication to their craft. Every day presents a new challenge and my team is always ready to take that on with me. It feels like a family and that, in itself, makes me very proud of them and proud to be a TestLion.

Connecting with the Pride

I sync with the team regularly to understand what is going on and how I can help. That being said, I firmly believe that you should also be able to enjoy yourself at work. So sometimes we joke or chat about the upcoming weekend plans, keeping things light and giving everyone a moment to breathe. I also have an open-door policy where anyone can come to me to talk about whatever they need. Or if you just need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here. 

I really love the Slack channels we create to share our lives with one another. Whether it is sharing pictures of our animals or vacation destinations, it feels like we can be connected to one another within our interests.

Winding down & finding balance

I typically end my day by creating a list of items to do for the following day. This allows me to structure my day a bit more while also ensuring I didn’t forget anything before logging off for the night. I typically leave non-urgent items for the end of day so I can focus and knock them all out in one go.

I play video games. A lot! I have a group of friends I play with on Discord almost every night. Not only can I unwind a bit within the content of the game, but I get time with friends. I also play with my puppy Pepper or go out with friends.