Pat Florence, an alum and former captain of the Warriors’ baseball team, graduated in 2016 with majors in mass communication (as it was called then) and Spanish. He has since navigated a diverse array of experiences to become the Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Torro Media, a Boston-based web design and SEO agency.
Pat’s entrepreneurial journey began in high school when he established Gus’s Landscaping. This venture flourished and provided him the flexibility to excel in baseball, a passion he pursued throughout the years. Pat’s obsession with building the brand fueled his efforts, laying the groundwork for future endeavors.
Pat always had a love for video creation. During college, he produced videos for the baseball team and worked as an assistant for a wedding DJ. Although unexpected, this experience propelled his video skills to new heights. Pat collaborated with the wedding DJ to create videos for social media, which started his freshman year at Merrimack. These videos garnered attention from the wedding couples, inspiring Pat to establish another brand, 27 Video Productions, focusing on innovative wedding videography with an entertainment angle.
After graduating in 2016, Pat spent two months in Spain, completing an internship that introduced him to the professional marketing industry. Upon returning home, he initially pursued a finance role at Brown Brothers Harriman, where the interviewers took a liking to his entrepreneurial businesses. Two years later, Pat transitioned to the sales industry with Toast, Inc., but faced job loss at the onset of the pandemic. Throughout these challenges, he sustained the growth of his business, 27 Video.
A pivotal moment of self-reflection followed Pat’s job loss, prompting him to seek videography-related opportunities going above and beyond to prove his talents. Seeking help from a friend led to a meeting with Matt Sullivan, Torro Media’s founder and CEO, who offered him a role aligning perfectly with his diverse skill set.
Through determination Pat found his dream job, working with the team at Torro, he loves going to work everyday and supporting the growth of the business, something that has stuck with him from his first endeavor mowing lawns.
Over the past year, Pat has visited campus multiple times with the aim of reassuring students that navigating career uncertainties will ultimately lead to success, emphasizing the significance of every effort made in the journey. One thing that has stuck with him through all his careers has been the foundation of professionalism. He doesn’t forget where he came from, and he learned in his previous finance role that professionalism goes a long way.
Pat encourages students to build portfolios, showcasing their skills on platforms like Instagram. He emphasizes the importance of starting something—whether creating content or pursuing a creative outlet—that can be presented to future employers.
During the fall Professional Development Retreat, senior Chloe Newell, mentored by Pat, showcased her TikTok content creation to him. This interaction and her created work earned her a Social Media and Content Creation internship at Torro Media, embodying what Pat hopes to see more students achieve.
