Meet Karlie Slayer, Director of Marketing and Publications at the Boone and Crockett Club and designer and editor-in-chief of Fair Chase, the official magazine for the club. Karlie started as a design assistant for Boone and Crockett 16 years ago, and her career took off from there.
“When I was young, my dad had a subscription to Travel + Leisure magazine. I would look through every issue and always said I would work for a magazine someday,” she writes. “I don’t know if many people get to say their dream came true.” As you’ll see in her answers to our six Gal Gab questions, Karlie values consistency and community and lives by these values in her career and personal life.
Karlie attended college at the Art Institute of Seattle, where she completed a degree in graphic design. She then moved to Las Vegas, where she worked at an advertising agency as a graphic designer and production manager. After a few years, she moved back to her home state of Montana to be closer to her parents and grandparents, and to raise a family of her own. Still based in Big Sky Country, Karlie loves to travel and camp with her young son.
At home, you can find Karlie spending time with her family and menagerie of farm fowl, donkeys and cats. She’s also befriended her boyfriend’s macaw, named Boss, who Karlie says is a “lady boss” indeed. She also enjoys running with friends. She’s competed in trail races and even a few marathons, but mostly enjoys running as another way to connect with the great outdoors. Read on for Karlie’s career advice and to learn about her unique giant-slaying weapons.
What does a typical day in your work life look like?
When you work for a nonprofit, you wear many hats. When I’m not working on “Fair Chase” magazine, I’m working with my amazing team creating newsletters, web pages, merchandise, social media content, annual reports, books and more. Everything the Club produces gets touched by our communications department, which ensures consistency in branding and messaging.
What is the #1 piece of advice you would give to other women who want to break into your industry?
Try everything! With technology evolving at the pace it is, there’s no shortage of new skills, tools and trends to learn and take advantage of. And look for mentors. I have had the privilege of working and growing alongside amazing women. Some are now my lifelong friends. When everyone is working towards a common goal and mission, everyone lifts each other up.
What motivates you?
Seeing a finished product through to the end is very satisfying. Taking something as basic as a logo for a t-shirt design and then seeing someone excited to wear it is pretty cool. But more than that, being part of the legacy of the Club is an honor. Knowing that I am continuing the work Theodore Roosevelt started 139 years ago is inspiring.
What is the most unexpected thing you’ve learned while working in your industry?
The teamwork that conservation nonprofits exhibit. Many members of the Boone and Crockett Club are also members of other organizations, and before I started working for the Club, I didn’t know about the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP), which the Club founded in 2000. Today, AWCP consists of 52 organizations proactively addressing the most pressing challenges facing hunting, wildlife and land and water conservation. It’s a community that works together rather than in competition.
What is your favorite product on the outdoors or shooting market right now?
Honestly, it’s not really a product, but how we use products right now. I love to run and I like to hike, too. Now, brands are building longer lasting trail shoes and they double as my hiking boots.
Let’s have some fun … What weapon would you use to battle a giant?
Pool noodle swords! My son and I have 2-foot-long PVC pipes with pool noodles around them, held together with duct tape. We’ve had lots of fun making them for birthday parties, and they’re a staple in our household.
Follow Karlie Slayer on LinkedIn.
Madeleine Golob, formerly “Anna,” is our intern at the “Women’s Outdoor News,” and manages the “Gal Gab” column. She also pens features and takes care of our Pinterest activities. Madeleine is a high school student who loves to write, read, study her family’s genealogy and play any musical instrument she can get her hands on. She also enjoys working Action Pistol matches while her parents compete and dreams of becoming a historian and writer. View all posts by Madeleine Golob
