Updater

By Ben Weger

Published May 18, 2018

Updated Jan 16, 2024

Meet Deborah Tampubolon, Marketing Manager for Updater’s Insurance Division and language-loving polyglot (she speaks four languages!). Deborah’s ideal day starts with simplifying the insurance process for people moving and then getting home in time for her favorite activity, her daughter’s daily bath. We sat down with Deborah to learn more about her journey to Updater and why she loves working with Updater’s Insurance Division.

Where did you grow up?

Paris and then Miami. I moved to NYC as a teenager.

What are two personal tidbits about you?

1. I was born in France and moved to Miami as a young child which means I grew up speaking three languages (French, Spanish, and English). I also recently learned Bahasa Indonesia, the official language of Indonesia, to speak with my husband’s family.

2. I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Noa in Oct. 2017 and it’s my biggest accomplishment to date. She is my masterpiece, hands down.

How many times have you moved?

At least a dozen. Growing up, my mom liked to move every five years or so and I quickly became a box-packing pro. Seriously, I can pack anything.

Do you have a moving horror story?

I once moved three times in the span of one year — never again! The first move was a disaster. We hired the wrong people, many of our things went missing, and the whole thing was a frantic mess. By the third move, we were pros!

What’s your best piece of moving advice?

Hire a moving company. Unless you are 18 or younger, the time for schlepping stuff is long over. There are real professionals who can help you move faster and more efficiently than you’ve ever dreamed. Plus, no back pain for a week!

You’re about to move. What would you make sure to never do again?

Wait until the last minute to prepare. Moving is best done when planned in advance. If you take the time to plan your move, a really chaotic experience can actually be fun and exciting.

What’s your favorite thing about working at Updater?

Updater is the perfect balance of work hard, play hard. I work hard during the day but I still get to make it home for bath time every day with my daughter, Noa. That’s a huge privilege.

What do you see as the biggest challenge in the insurance industry?

Insurance is a heavily regulated market which often stagnates efforts to make purchasing or transferring a policy more enjoyable for people when they’re moving. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our insurance partners, who are as excited as we are, to create user-friendly solutions for policyholders who are moving.

How did you come to work at Updater?

In the most random way possible, I stumbled upon the Updater website and thought, “wow, it would so cool to work here.” I applied for the open position and somehow got called in. I guess you could say I was at the right place at the right time.

What’s the best part about working on a small team?

I have the best of both worlds because I am on Updater’s Marketing team and lead the Marketing team for our Insurance Division. Both teams are great in their own way. Updater’s  Marketing team is super supportive and the Insurance team is smart and excited about all the innovation we are bringing to the insurance industry. Talk about having your cake and eating it too!

What motivates you to come to work every day?

Doing something you love is one of the best gifts you can give to yourself. It makes work fun and the time fly!

What’s your favorite quote?

“The way you do anything is the way you do everything.”

No idea who said it but it’s so true!

What’s the first app you check in the morning?

Flipboard! I love that it aggregates all of my favorite news topics in one place.

If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

What do you do to unwind?

In my fantasies, I unwind with a hot bath, cold bottle of wine, and a good book. But these days it’s more like a quick shower so I have enough time to give Noa a hot bottle and read her a bedtime story.

What’s your favorite fast food restaurant?

I haven’t eaten fast food since college so it’s honestly hard to say. I am, however, a huge fan of “street food” when traveling and could survive off of that day in, day out no problem.

What’s the largest item you’ve ever had to carry on the subway?

My husband Donald and I once found a 14-foot painting frame outside of a gallery one week. Donald had just finished one of his first paintings on a loose canvas and we thought, “How can we not carry this frame from Manhattan on two different subway trains and all the way to our Brooklyn apartment?” It was a trek but it was worth it. I had Donald’s painting stretched on the frame and it still hangs on our wall today.

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a veterinarian when I grew up. I have always loved animals and wanted to be around them all the time. Then I found out what a vet actually does all day, and that idea went out the window.

Ben Weger

Ben is the former Content Intern for Updater’s Marketing team. The only thing he finds more exciting than discovering a new trend for content is starting his own.