We strive to foster a culture at Just Media where our team is inspired to be innovative, take risks, grow themselves, be creative and most importantly have fun. The vibrant culture here at Just Media is fueled by the amazing people that we work with. In our Team Spotlight series, we feature a different member of the team, highlighting the individuals that contribute to our culture.
Meet Brandon Parry, Media Account Supervisor. Disney Super-Fan. Golden Girls Enthusiast. Collector of Unnecessary Things.
Brandon didn’t just make a contribution in his first 18 months; he became a leader at Just Media and earned the complete trust of his client. He joined Just Media as a Media Account Associate in April 2017 and quickly made an impact. Never afraid of a challenge, Brandon took on a new and fast-growing account in the financial services sector by making it his own through careful attention to detail, dedicated customer service, strong teamwork and a tireless work ethic. Most recently, Brandon was named the sfBIG 2018 Rising Star of the Year!
What have you learned & how have you grown at Just Media?
Prior to this career, I was working in vendor management for a scrappy SF start-up. Everything that school didn’t teach me about marketing, Just Media did. My first couple months were spent absorbing information; the marketing landscape has changed so much that half of what I’ve learned wasn’t even taught in school. Over time, I started leading calls, building plans, strategizing, and (eventually) I began to supervise my own team in less than a year.
The best thing about Just Media is their “open-door” policy for asking questions, which I took advantage of in my first few months (and still do, really). There was one week in the first month I was hired when my team was on vacation and I had dozens of questions coming in that I couldn’t quite answer with confidence. Two employees spent several hours one day teaching me everything I needed to know to answer all of these questions, which I will forever be grateful for. This open-door policy to learning requires a lot of teamwork, which is also a key to being successful at Just Media.
What does it take to be successful at Just Media?
I think everyone beats to their own drum and will have a different answer to this. It sounds hokey but I believe “dedication” is a giant key to success at Just Media. Just Media employees truly care about the success of their client’s work. They ask questions, collaborate, stay updated on trends, and even challenge each other’s ideas on a regular basis.
With the ever-changing marketing landscape, our team is always keeping an eye out on new ideas, even when leaving work. I find myself shopping downtown (on my day off 😉) and looking at billboards or checking my Instagram on my commute home and taking notes on the 5 competitor ads that just targeted me. Yes, I have a life outside the office but some ideas don’t jump out at me when I’m sitting at my desk. Essentially, Just Media employees have a sense of ownership to their clients and it’s a big key to their success.
What was the most complex project that you worked on?
Can I say “all” of them? Most of our campaigns have a lot of thought that goes into them and they rarely ever work like one another. I do get to work on one project that continuously evolves; things will be running smoothly for a week and then a new law goes into effect or a competitor enters the market and starts bidding on our keywords. My team has to think outside the box for this project because we’ve learned that everything can change overnight.
Even though it’s the most complex project I’ve worked on, it’s also my favorite. There are so many marketing tools and tactics that work well with this campaign so we get to test a little bit of everything until we find the perfect formula (until the laws change again).
How does it feel to win the Rising Star for Just Media for SF Big?
The feeling I got when they called my name is still setting in and it’s something I’ve never experienced before. As much as I don’t want to repeat the speech I gave, it’s the best backstory for my current feeling. I chose marketing; it wasn’t just a random selection to graduate with a business degree. When I graduated, it was very difficult to find work in my field due to lack of experience and I continued to work retail for a couple years after that. I got to the point where I was accepting that I might not get a career in marketing. Luckily, I have a close friend who worked for a company called Just Media who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer when telling me to apply for a job at Just Media. I remember every interview I had and was so happy when I finally received the offer letter.
Just Media took a chance on hiring me and I would’ve never guessed that a year and a half later, I’d be accepting the sfBIG Rising Star award and delivering a speech to 300 marketers while wearing glitter shoes (I assumed I’d be classier by now). I can’t accept credit for this award alone though. As a Supervisor, it takes a team to be successful and I wouldn’t be anywhere without them. Overall, I’m grateful and feel incredibly honored to be the Rising Star for Just Media because there are so many other Rising Stars at Just Media and throughout the Bay Area.
(I also might be channeling my inner-Sally Field with this award)
Join our vibrant, curious & growing team! We’re looking for individuals truly passionate about media. Check out our open positions > or reach out to us HowDoIWork@JustMedia.com.
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