Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Adams.
Hi Karen, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started as an account executive at Bozell Worldwide, working on the Taco Bell account. It was a big-agency introduction to advertising: big ideas, a major national brand, and a fast education in what it takes to get people’s attention. From there, I moved into technology startups in the ’90s, when everyone was talking about stock options and IPOs = until they started handing out pink slips instead. That was its own education!
At Mars, I helped bring single-cup coffee to North America, traveling the world and learning how to introduce innovation to a new market. Then came QVC, where I led its first national advertising campaign and built its social media organization from the ground up- putting QVC on the map for being on of the first pioneers in this uncharted territory. We were figuring out how a brand built on television could connect with customers in an entirely new way – and turning those connections into conversion.
After QVC, I joined its founder, Joe Segel, to help launch a personalized haircare brand. Getting to build alongside someone who had helped change the way America shops was a remarkable next chapter.
Eventually, I took everything I’d learned and put my own name behind it. I founded my first agency, Sundae Creative, where my work included partnering with many beauty and fashion brands.
In 2023, I founded PWRHOUSE COLLECTIVE. PWRHOUSE brings together the people you want in the room when you’re trying to build something: experienced strategists, exceptional creatives, and seasoned pros who know how to make things happen. We help businesses find their story, sharpen their brand, and bring it all to life.
Looking back, the thread through my career has always been the excitement of building something – introducing a product, opening up a new channel, or seeing an idea become a business. Today, I get to bring all of that experience to our clients while building something of my own. That’s a pretty exciting place to be.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Smooth? Not entirely, but I’ve never been someone who needed the road completely paved before heading down it.
I’ve always marched to my own drum, so fitting into corporate America took some refinement! I’m naturally gung ho. I’ll jump in the pool then figure out how to swim. Things that make other people hesitate tend to make me curious, and I’m usually bold enough to try. That instinct has opened a lot of doors, but I’ve also learned that seeing the opportunity and getting everyone else comfortable with it are two different skills.
One of my biggest lessons has been learning how to influence: when to push, when to listen, and how to bring people along. Earlier in my career, I wanted to get straight to the idea and get moving. Over time, I learned to give people room to ask questions, contribute, and make the idea stronger. You can move quickly, but you still need people with you.
30 years later, I still bring the same energy, conviction, and willingness to take a chance. I’m just more thoughtful about where I direct it and how I deliver it.
I have a little of that “move fast and break things” spirit in me – especially when it comes to breaking habits and challenging the way things have always been done. And I hold the work to an incredibly high standard. I care deeply about the idea, the details, and delivering something we’re proud to put our names on. That passion is what drives both my pace and my insistence on quality.
My speed and organizational skills have always been two of my greatest strengths. I can see the big picture, break it into a plan, and get a lot moving quickly. The growth has come in pairing that ability with patience and perspective. That combination has made me a better leader – and a better partner to the people who trust me with their businesses.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
PWRHOUSE COLLECTIVE is a strategy and creative agency built around a simple idea: bring exceptional people together and make exceptional things happen.
We help businesses figure out what makes them compelling, how to tell that story, and how to bring it to market. That can include brand positioning and messaging, visual identity, campaigns, websites, social content, influencer programs, you name it, we can deliver. We connect the thinking with the execution, from the first spark of an idea to the final deliverable.
The “collective” part of our name is intentional. We’ve spent decades building relationships with talented people, and PWRHOUSE brings that experience together in a team shaped around each client’s needs. Strategists, designers, writers, videographers, editors, and specialists who know their craft and care about the outcome. My partner, Eleni McCready and I stay closely involved, so our clients work directly with the people doing the thinking and managing the team.
What sets us apart is the combination of business experience, creative ambition, and speed. We’ve been on the client side. We understand the internal conversations, the budget pressures, and the responsibility that comes with putting your brand in someone else’s hands. We can see the bigger business challenge while still caring deeply about the wording of a headline or the details of a shoot.
We’re especially good at finding the compelling story inside something complex. Whether we’re helping an emerging business introduce itself or an established company bring a new offering to market, we ask questions, get close to the business, and create work that gives people a reason to pay attention.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that PWRHOUSE feels like the people behind it: bold, capable, passionate, and invested. There’s a lot of energy here, and an equally high standard of excellence. I want clients to feel that they have a team beside them that cares as much as they do.
What I want readers to know is that you don’t have to arrive with all the answers. You can come to us with an opportunity, a challenge, or an idea you can’t stop thinking about. We’ll help you figure out where to take it – and bring the right people together to get it there.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m naturally curious, and some of my favorite resources are the ones that introduce me to something I didn’t even know I was interested in. TikTok has given me access to experts across so many categories – people, perspectives, and subjects I didn’t know I loved or needed in my life. I’ll discover something and then want to dig deeper. I love that learning can start with a completely unexpected encounter.
Professionally, I also dive into platforms to study how they work: how people communicate, what captures their attention, and how communities form. Personally, I enjoy being a beginner at something again. After more than 30 years in business, there’s still so much to discover.
AI is another resource I use to brainstorm, organize my thoughts, and work through questions in both business and everyday life. My brain moves quickly, and having a place to untangle ideas is incredibly useful.
And I always come back to people. A conversation with someone who knows something I don’t, challenges my perspective, or shares their experience can stay with me for years. The resources I value most keep me curious, open my world a little wider, and give me something I can actually use.
But if I’m putting on my headphones, it’s usually for an audiobook that lets me detach and get lost in a story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thepwrhouse.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pwrhousecollective/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pwrhouse-collective/
