I've spent two decades in the Adtech/Martech space, but can't say that was the original plan. I remember having a family desktop computer in our living room (really dating myself here) and spending hours playing flash games, browsing the web on Netscape Navigator, talking in IRC chat rooms, and using ICQ/AIM to message friends. My parents would say, "Get off the computer, you won't earn a living on that thing!"

Oh how the turns have tabled.

After learning HTML/CSS and early design programs like Dreamweaver / Adobe Photoshop, I started building websites for myself and designing Winamp skins. Napster launched around this time, Limewire was just on the horizon, it was the early days of file sharing protocols and peer-to-peer networks.

Fast forward a few years and I've worked a lot of jobs to support a shorter-than-hoped college career: managing new accounts development and SEC compliance for an institutional trading firm, preparing Amgen cancer medication studies for FDA review (where I was introduced to Oracle's clinical database tools), and even working customer support at a major toy company (yes, that's as terrible as it sounds). I was floating and not 100% sure what direction to take professionally.

My feet touched the ground in late-2005, joining Hydra Network as a network production manager and eventually moving up to become their first Digital Compliance Officer, managing regulatory / CAN-SPAM compliance across a network of 5,000+ active marketing affiliates. With all my exposure to ad campaigns and creatives, I started to love the art of copywriting, eventually launching my own consultancy called WrightCopy. I wrote and optimized conversion-focused language for landing pages, ad creatives, and corporate sites across the spectrum of verticals.

I'd worked in the affiliate / CPA space for almost 3 years, for my next role I wanted to interact with a different side of the Adtech ecosystem. After working as a Senior Operations Manager for the CPC feed aggregator Nami Media, and spending a summer off in London visiting family, I was hired by the self-serve display platform AdSupply as their marketing manager. Here I started to get a taste for SEO, SERP optimization, A/B testing, and working with agencies on RFPs and designing creative pitch decks.

I left to help a close friend scale his startup auto styling company – Wrap Labs – as the Director of Marketing. Together, we built an extremely strong brand, ranked #1 for multiple target local search terms, and designed a custom WordPress site with strong organic traffic, low bounce rate, and great time on site. Company revenue grew 257% during my tenure, but the overall market wasn't as large I hoped, and Adtech was still calling.

After getting the chance to re-join AdSupply as the Director of Client Engagement, I was able to focus heavily on customer success: strategic onboarding, inbound sales, client management, and upsell / growth strategies. I spearheaded our CRM migration, developing inbound / outbound sales pipelines, first-party data design, email automations, and customer health scoring. This was all supported with a self-serve client knowledge base and helpdesk with 90+% positive ticket resolution rates.

My promotion to Vice President of Marketing in late-2019 allowed for even more operational and creative control: rebranding AdSupply and launching a new corporate site, optimizing marketing & Google suite operations (Analytics, Tag Manager, Ads, Search Console, etc.), and managing our domestic / international trade show presence (4-6 yearly shows, including the Affiliate World Conference series). eCommerce and content marketing opportunities arose for special projects. I spearheaded email / SMS marketing, analytics / multi-channel attribution, Shopify store management, and Google Ads spend across multiple verticals with consistently positive results.

Now that I've left AdSupply, I'm excited for what's next. Upjectory Marketing is my new consultancy and I'm using it to bring the wide breadth of skills and experiences I've acquired over the past 20+ years to help businesses navigate the complexities of digital growth. Whether it's advising on SEO/SEM tactics in the world of generative / AI-driven content, driving email marketing strategy and execution, or building dynamic company websites, I'm riding this new wave of digital innovation and looking to connect.