Hi, my name is Alex Gargano and I work at Horizon Media.

 I joined Horizon right out of college and have been here for the past six years, working in Brand Strategy across a mix of different brands.   

 As I became more rooted in Horizon’s culture, I had the opportunity to lead the company’s Habitat for Humanity initiative.  I signed up because I had a passion for travel and was looking for a way to give back within the confines of my career. As a select group of employees, we traveled to El Salvador and Trinidad, each time working together to build a home for a local family in need.

 The home in El Salvador specifically was built for a local police officer who lived in a gang-riddled neighborhood and was just starting a family with his wife. There was a mix of roles in the construction process, but I did a lot of ditch–digging and cement–mixing, simple but tedious work in the 90+ degree heat. When we got back to our rooms at the end of each day, we were all exhausted but would still find the energy to assemble small task forces, charged to chase down the cockroaches that frequently invaded our rooms.  Even with the cockroach hunting, cold showers, warm beers, and awkward t-shirt tan…I would do the whole thing over again if I had the chance.

 The police officer who we built the house for was a quiet man and very self-conscious with respect to his English. However, by the end of the week (when the house foundation was completed), he genuinely opened up and expressed his gratitude for our efforts, inviting us all back to visit anytime as we were now “a part of his family.”  

 These experiences not only cultivated deeper connections with my coworkers, but reminded me of the different people and cultures that exist outside of our daily office life. There is a great big world beyond Horizon Media and I think a global perspective is crucial to our success.  

 Horizon Life means… being connected to people around the world.