Happy Anniversary, Natalie!
Q: Introduce yourself- who is Natalie?
A: I have taken every personality test there is and I fall under the category of enthusiast/curious, so you could say that I don’t know how to love things a normal amount. I have a degree in evolutionary biology and was a few hours short of another in math. I like to know how things are connected and how those connections change outcomes. Randomly at a wedding, I was offered a job at an advertising start up and took it. I quickly found my way into the data side of digital advertising, looking for patterns the same way you learn to in science or statistics. I bopped around from agency to agency picking up new skills from different teams, and I realized it was time for a break. I took four months off, and did everything I wanted - from making wire sculptures to knitting beanies, going on trips and camping in the woods, binging tv shows and podcasts, exploring different internet communities and digital wormholes. When it was time to get back to work, TFD was the first opportunity that came my way. Can you imagine, with a checklist of things I’d love to gain in a new place of employment from environment to humans — and TFD pops up?! A lovely little dream team of empowering women, helping publishers optimize their revenue based in data - a dream come true. Luckily, we clicked and I can’t believe it has already been a year.
Q: How did you become interested in this field and what tips do you have for those pursuing a career in their field?
A: I had no idea I was going to enter this field. Like, at all. It was a random decision that set me on this path. There were no internships or resume building efforts. I just always followed what I was curious about. The themes from science and math apply to reading and interpreting data for audience development. I hadn’t even heard the term audience development before TFD - so if that tells you anything…. I’m not sure I’m qualified to give advice, but I’d say just keep reading and pursuing what you’re curious about and apply what you learn to whatever you do. A path will appear and you can bend it from there.
Q: What have you learned since joining TFD?
A: I have learned so much from these lovely ladies and our clients - how to be effective quickly, how to manage time, and oh boy the organizational skills. And, I’ve had the luxury of being completely supported and free to grow in any direction I’d like.
Q: Favorite memory at TFD?
A: I think my favorite memories at TFD are all when we work together to accomplish something and it turns out better than any of us thought, because we worked together. It’s wild how humans can complement each other so nicely without ego. I learn from each member of the team every day, making me more effective for clients, but also a better human.
Q: What is a typical day in the life of Natalie?
A: My human and I decided about a year ago that we wanted to take some time to “live life on the road”. We had no idea what that would mean, but this year we purchased a little travel trailer and have spent 3 months on the actual road. A day in the life is never the same on the road. Finding service to start a work day is always the first thing, that can take anywhere between 15 to 45 minutes. Then I set up my little desk, make breakfast and ingest caffeine, and get to work. Optimizing campaigns, video calls with clients, writing thought pieces on optimizing efforts that all our clients can learn from, strategizing for client’s growth goals, and slacking memes to the team make up a majority of work days. Then, I read a book or we’ll go on a hike with our two dogs Echo and Shadow.
Q: Anything interesting you want us to know?
A: In June, we were camping in Colorado and all of a sudden a live grizzly bear was in the middle of our campsite, digging through our storage tent looking for goodies. It found our dog food and ran away with it. This all happened during a work day, imagine a co-working slacking you "uh, there's a bear in my campsite, brb." A true #adventuresofTFD.
Thank you so much Natalie and happy one year anniversary at TFD! We’re so glad to have you!
