Legacy Is Only The Beginning
Big Ideas require inspiration. The inspiration for EOP Media, LLC can be traced back to the life and legacy of my grandmother, Pearl McCoy Mason, whom I affectionately call Mama Pearl. Despite the challenges of being a Black woman in America, Mama Pearl made a deliberate decision to take the more difficult road. Her unwavering commitment to family and her unwavering love for others inspired me to name this organization after her. You see, EOP stands for Essence of Pearl.
To understand what it means to exude her essence, you must first know a few essential details of her life. She was born in Arkansas in 1912, the daughter of sharecroppers. As a young woman, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in the country, but after marrying my grandfather, Fred Mason, the family migrated to Chicago, IL. As a young woman, Mama Pearl raised her family and worked for the P.J. Gould textile factory in downtown Chicago. It was there she excelled as an innovative seamstress and manager. With only the limited authority granted to a Black woman at the time, she earned the respect of the other seamstresses and was recognized for her ability to manage and maintain production quotas. She was also a skilled pattern designer responsible for several home and commercial pillow designs, including one of the first character pillows for the StarKist Tuna company.
She lived to be 104 years old, and I had the pleasure of learning from her as a child and as a mother. She was a woman of few words but taught me many things through her actions. Her lessons have served me throughout my career, and her teachings have been essential to my success.
Legacy isn’t only about what is passed down; it’s about what we do with what we receive.
Duplicating her example would be an insult to her remarkable legacy. Therefore, the goal of EOP Media is to build a culture that advances the principles that drove her decisions and create a path for those who choose to follow.
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- Courage to take the road less traveled
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- Focus on what’s possible vs. what’s expected
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- Relentless commitment to creativity and innovation
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- The understanding that education is vital… never stop learning
Her example is why, at EOP Media, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of innovation, creativity, and unconventional approaches. Our history dates back to 1997 when our founder, Angelia McFarland, took the bold step of leaving her corporate job to establish a small boutique agency called Market Now in Raleigh, North Carolina. The agency was established to provide top-notch services to small and medium-sized businesses.
Although no longer in business, that experience inspired and taught Angelia the best practice and risk management skills to found EOP Media, LLC, a startup venture and product marketing consultancy in Austin. With over 30 years of technology, marketing, and business acumen, EOP Media prioritizes innovation and transformation by pushing the boundaries of accepted systems. Since its founding, the agency has investigated and introduced several startup ventures.
In 2007, EOP Media built and launched Essence of Pearl, a community for young girls to embrace their unique differences and come together to celebrate their accomplishments. Expressions of Purpose, a sister company, helped teachers and students access internet technologies for writing and blogging.
In 2014, EOP Media identified an opportunity in Williamson County, Texas, and established a retail food service business in partnership with Chef Brian McFarland. The Sweet-N-Cheezy Food Trailer was the county’s first successful food trailer business. In collaboration with Bluebonnet Beer Company, Sweet-n-Cheezy helped open the city of Round Rock and later the county of Williamson to the mobile food service craze.
The consulting division of EOP Media has served organizations and assisted individuals in achieving their goals. We have helped public, private, and startup clients, including The City of Austin, the Austin Independent School District, Phunware, Thought AI, and the Sacred Wordsmith Raja Rao Memorial Literary Endowment.
Our current strategy is an evolution of the organization to focus on what’s next. We call it Advancing Big Ideas. As an idea studio, EOP Media provides services aligned with our Big Idea focus area. Our venture studio, EOP Innovations, is engaged in commercializing technologies and making them to all.
Legacy is a continuous process that should grow and change with each generation. EOP Media will make changes to the legacy that was passed down, but my grandmother, we will always move forward with a culture that exemplifies courage, innovation, education, and creation.
We hope you will join us on this important journey.
