Careers in Advertising & Technology: Guidance from Industry Pros

The?FreeWheel Council for Premium Video (FWC)?and the New York and Philadelphia chapters of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) recently hosted an online event featuring several widely recognized “Premium Video Pros.” The event offered attendees guidance and recommendations for pursuing careers in video advertising technology and related fields, including information about currently available jobs at the panelists’ companies.

Panelists included:

• Beth Crotty, Executive Director at Cox Media, where she focuses on developing and enhancing best-in-class advertising solutions for local businesses;
• Anthony Greene, Vice President at Gamut, a next-generation digital advertising agency and part of the Cox Media Group;
• Jermaine Roseman, Senior Director for Advanced Advertising Solutions at A+E Networks; and
• Misha Williams, Vice President for the Global Client Services organization at FreeWheel, a Comcast company.

Moderator James Rothwell, Vice President of Comcast Advertising, asked the panelists to relate how they found their respective paths into the industry. Panelist backgrounds range from sales and product and partnership management to software programming, systems analysis, and cloud computing.

Beth Crotty said that in her early career, “digital advertising was a fairly new concept, especially in the cable world.” That created an opportunity to explore how traditional and digital advertising could be combined. The rise of streaming is creating similar opportunities for exploration today.

Jermaine Roseman’s background was in international business and project management. He’d always had an interest in advertising, but “didn’t know how to get there.” However, when he moved to New York City, he got an opportunity to work with Martha Stewart’s organization. There, he was able to apply his project and process management skills to that organization’s emerging digital advertising efforts.

Panelists agreed their backgrounds amply demonstrate there is no single or best career path or course or study, and the industry’s need for people of multiple skill sets. Curiosity and passion about advertising, advertising technologies, and buyer journeys are more important and valuable than any specific skills or experiences, panelists said.

James asked the panel to reflect on the effects of the pandemic on the television advertising industry, its workforce, and recruitment. “Since COVID, the digital aspect of TV has skyrocketed,” Jermaine Roseman replied. More people are watching more content on more digital devices, compelling companies to invest heavily and quickly in digital technologies. This is creating a “talent crunch,” making the industry more open to people who “may not have a pure-play digital background,” Whatever specific skills or experiences a person has, a critical success factor is “the ability to navigate ambiguity,” because “TV and media are changing every day,” Jermaine added.

James also asked each panelist to share specific recommendations and guidance for those considering pursuit or pivot to an advertising technology industry career. Misha Williams was an engineer in the military. While he did enjoy working with technologies, he quickly discovered that he “enjoyed varying challenges.” That led him to cycle through several different functions, from sales to launching companies to consulting. That experience taught him that when presented with a new opportunity, one should “say ‘yes’ to the challenge. Do not allow yourself to become commoditized. Think of yourself as a product.”

Misha added that to be successful, candidates should “become fluent in both business and technology. Those who can straddle both lines are desired anywhere.” He also recommended that job seekers in advertising technology should “master data. Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” Those exploring new career options should also network, to “learn from the people who are in the current roles you’re interested in. It’s always best to be able to understand the language that the industry speaks.”

Anthony Greene went to school for communications and was a graphic designer when he discovered internships. An internship is “a great way” to enter and explore this industry, Anthony said. Panelists agreed, and noted that their respective companies were looking for interns as well as those seeking more formal engagements. And unlike many past internships, those in today’s TV advertising industry are often paid well. Interns also get to combine functional work with professional development, which “pays dividends over time,” Beth Crotty said. “We do a good job of preparing our interns for the workforce, and we hire a good number of them,” she added.

The panel offered multiple additional interesting and valuable observations, reflections, and recommendations. In addition, a current list of open positions at all the panelists’ companies was made available to webinar attendees. Click here to view the list of jobs. Have questions about a job on the list? Email [email protected].