Meet Our Team: Addison Reckley

“She is my PM partner in crime. Working with Addison proves the point ‘Two heads are better than one’.” - Larissa Sweitzer , Director of Operations and Client Services.

Driven by a passion for turning ideas into reality, Addison Reckley is an experienced project manager who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments. As a lifelong athlete and Pittsburgh sports fan, she knows how to play the long game, using her unique blend of skills to find creative solutions that help brands succeed online, in print, and on the field. 

All About Addison

PMs are the backbone of an agency. From creating scopes, budgets, and timelines, to managing resources and defining project goals, Addison has solidified herself as an integral part of our small but mighty team. As proud Pittsburghers, we know a few things (nearly 450) about bridges, but Addison takes things up a notch, bridging gaps between vendors, partners, clients, and coworkers. She keeps traffic flowing and tasks fine-tuned. 

“Working with Addison is a contradiction. She is very approachable and easy to get along with, but she has a tough, competitive streak that shows how vested she is. She protects her clients’ interests when she knows she’s right and she empowers her coworkers to do their best work.” Bob Kiernan , Actual Size Founder, is a big fan. But that’s no surprise; Addison was initially hired as an intern in April 2022. A week later, she was offered a full-time role. 

Praise for Our PM

In most cases, playing both sides would be a bad thing, but good project managers are experts in navigating the delicate balance between meeting client needs, wants, and expectations, and coordinating internal workflows, scopes, and resource allocation. While both sides work toward the same goal, they do so in very different ways, and project managers play a crucial role in aligning those efforts to ensure smooth collaboration and project success.

Director of Digital Operations, Eric Yeamans , shares his appreciation for Addison’s skills in this arena. As an OG Actual Sizer, he knows how hectic this can get. “Addison does an amazing job of keeping clients happy and the internal teams on track to deliver what was promised.” 

The Dev team leader isn’t the only one who recognizes Addison's contributions. “As a Project Manager, I think the amount of work and projects that she keeps moving often gets overlooked, but she keeps a LOT of trains moving,” says Larissa. These two make Actual Size’s dynamic duo of customer engagement, tag teaming projects, and celebrating with Hannah Montana singalongs. 

Kevin Stewart-Mercurio is more of a Jordin Sparks fan, but differing music tastes won’t stop the Developer from giving Addison the kudos she deserves. “My favorite thing about Addison being on our team is her ability to communicate client requests clearly and concisely.” 

Having someone to outline action items and protect against scope creep keeps everyone aligned, in tune, and excited about the next steps. “She’s good at what she does and cares about getting things right,” says Joe Shumbat , Actual Size’s Creative Director. “I never have to worry about not having all the information,” Digital and Content Manager, Cecily Milligan agrees. “She helps everyone feel more confident in the work they produce.”

“Addison is a great person to work with. She is super organized which makes my job a lot easier. She is also really good at making a stressful situation feel manageable just by being there.” As a member of the Design team, Clare Connell works closely with Addison to bring ideas to life - giving form to client wants, needs, must-haves, and would-love-to-haves. 

“She’s terrific,” says Mary Kiernan , Actual Size Principal, describing Addion’s passion for her clients. “It’s evident in the ways she advocates for them within our Actual Size team.” 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and we’d love to be as hardworking, dedicated, and bright as Addison. So we asked her for a little advice.

Addison’s Advice Column

“As it relates to what? Give me a topic and I’m sure I’ll have something for you. Just kidding. My piece of advice would be to always strive to be better, work smarter (not harder), and remember to laugh a little.”

Luckily, Addison helps us laugh a lot! “She makes work so much fun. She’s honest and hilarious and she can make everyone laugh,” says Larissa. “Addison has a great sense of humor and puts everyone at ease,” Bob agrees. 

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Brennan Huff. “Will Ferrell is not funny and Step Brothers is a stupid movie,” says Addison, when asked for her hot take. Maybe things would be different if they had Addison as the project manager for the Catalina Wine Mixer.

So Much Room for Activities (and Admiration)

“My favorite thing about Actual Size is easily the people I work with. Everyone collaborates with one another so well and is so encouraging and open to ideas.” Well, without Addison, we wouldn’t be able to do any of that, so we wanted to take a minute to say thanks. 

What’s something that you admire about Addison?

• “Addison can look at the big picture. She knows when to not sweat the small stuff. It’s a thin line between worrying over too many details and acting like everything will always be fine. Addison is wise beyond her years.” - Bob 
• “She’s so sure of herself! Addison sets such a great example for women in the workforce. It’s so important to speak your mind and to advocate for what matters. Seeing her do that so consistently has given me a little push to be more confident.” - Cecily 
• “Addison is good at communicating the clients’ needs to us in a really clear way. And any time something isn’t clear, she is really good at getting us the answers we need to be able to get the job done.” - Clare 
• “Her attitude. Being in any client-facing position is never easy, but she takes it in stride and doesn’t get overwhelmed. Keeping a level head in stressful situations allows everyone to keep focus on what they need to do.” - Eric 
• “Addison likes to know things. I think we’re similar in that way. She is willing to crack open a program she hasn’t ever used and see if she can make something herself to help out. That’s a good quality.” - Joe 
• “In my head, Addison’s job requires a lot of multitasking and I think Addison is good at her job, so I admire her ability to multitask.” - Kevin 
• “I’ve learned so much from Addison. She reminds me to slow down and think about things from a strategic standpoint. In such a fast-paced industry, that is such an important skill.” - Larissa 
• “She approaches her work with a calm and measured demeanor, diligently skiing the most effective solutions to the often complex communication needs of our clients.” - Mary 

We’ll say it louder for the people in the back: give project managers the recognition and appreciation they deserve! Actual Sizers will proudly lead the charge in honor of our fearless, focused, and undeniably friendly PM, Addison.