Get to know the MSM team…

By, Craig Doyle- Director of Digital Media

This year, MayoSeitz Media celebrates 25 years in business. 

There's a lot to celebrate in 25 years – from client wins that have evolved into friendships, to the cold-call vendors that have turned into long-standing partnerships – but at the center of it all are the people who made those 25 years possible.  MayoSeitz Media's talented personnel, past and present, have helped shape the agency to what it is today – a strategic media agency powered by data and analytics and who's average Agency of Record tenure is twice the industry average.   

Many of the people who have passed through the agency's doors began their marketing careers here while others found their second act.  We've even had a few revenants.  No matter where the people have been in their journey, MayoSeitz Media is proud to be part of their narrative and we celebrate their accomplishments here and elsewhere.  

Like many companies in the past year, the agency has welcomed a lot of new faces to the team.  I sat down with MayoSeitz Media's latest crop of rising stars and asked them a few questions so our readers would have the chance to learn a little bit about the people making the most recent impact in media. 

Julia Livesey and Kevin Pollock have added immediate value as Senior Integrated Media Strategists. Julia joined the agency in January 2022 from Philadelphia Magazine where she worked as their marketing manager.  Kevin arrived last October after serving as a media planner for A3 Media. 

Kit Schofield currently sits on our Insights team as an Associate Data Analyst.  Kit came to the agency in October with a background in telecom and hospitality industries. 

Emily Nardo, Hannah McDevitt, and Kathryn Hershey all joined the agency's digital team in September after leaving social media positions with three different backgrounds; consumer services, gambling, and logistics.  

Carina Condiles, and Jade Beasley, both additions to our media planning teams in August 2021 and May 2020, respectively, are attached at the hip and refused to do this interview separately. 

What intrigued you most about working in media/advertising in the first place? 

• Julia Livesey – I was a journalism major, but I fell in love with media. I thought I would go into sports marketing/broadcasting but I wanted more... More opportunity to express my ideas, my creativity.  I took a job in marketing Xfinity Live and got to know all the other partners involved and learned there was so much more to media than I thought.  That's when I knew.  
• Kevin Pollock – My dad worked in TV/film production. Being around him and listening to his stories, I always had an interest in media and then eventually narrowed that field down to advertising.  I had an opportunity to work at iHeart radio after college and I got to see how agency and client side businesses interact.  I saw that as a stepping stone and took that jump towards agency life. 
• Kit Schofield– I've always been more interested in data and analytics than advertising, I'm most interested in understanding sales goals and being able to forecast outcomes using historical data.  An advertising agency offered an opportunity to work with a ton of data from a variety of sources to make purposeful and meaningful decisions. 
• Emily Nardo – When I was a little girl, I would rip out the ads from Vogue magazine because I wanted to be a model and when I realized I couldn’t be a model, I figured I could do the advertising instead. 
• Hannah McDevitt agrees with Emily, to an extent – Same, but I was more interested in the graphic design than the modeling. 
• Kathryn Hershey – The concept of interfacing with a variety of clients, brands, and products is extremely appealing. Advertising offers an opportunity to learn a little bit about each business and as the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life." 
• Carina Condiles – I was intrigued by the strategy behind the marketing.  I studied psychology in college and saw an opportunity through advertising to apply what I learned.  It's amazing to see how often psychographics are used to determine strategy and understand how creative + environment influences consumer behavior. 
• Jade Beasley – I have always been curious of what it takes to go-to-market for new brands and products so I thought working in an agency was a great place to learn just that.  I'm used to a fast-paced environment and multi-tasking from my time bartending plus the people skills required to succeed in that industry.  I think there's a lot of transferrable skills between bartending and working in an agency setting.  We're a service-industry first and foremost.  

What encouraged you to apply to MayoSeitz Media? 

• JL – I was interested in exploring more verticals and channels than I had available to me in my previous role so I was searching for a place that offered media all under one roof. 
• KP – I had heard of MayoSeitz Media from my time at iHeart and there were only good things to be said. The agency name was well respected from those I spoke to so when I saw an opening, I took it. 
• KS – They had posted an opening in a data science role.  I had been considering a role in healthcare analytics when the agency role became available and I was excited for the chance to work with data from a variety of industries. 
• EN – I enjoyed my past agency experience, it's just an exciting environment to be in.  This agency seemed to have a great company culture and offered the work-life balance I was looking for.  Since working here, it has been even better than expected and the people here are great! We have a lot of fun together. 
• HM – All of my previous roles were on the brand side.  I really wanted to try the agency thing and when I came across this agency I really liked the client list they were working with and I loved the Philadelphia feel. 
• KH – For me, the timing was right.  I was looking for something new and I really liked what this company stands for, their core values and their mission statement.  Also, the people whom I interviewed with were just super nice so when they offered me the position, it was hard to pass up. 
• CC – The client roster was extremely appealing to me since I was familiar with most brands simply as a consumer.  I also liked the size of the agency – it had more of a boutique feel. 
• JB – I was referred to MayoSeitz Media and when I meant some of the people I felt instantly connected.   

For each one of you, you were all hired and started at the agency during the COVID-19 pandemic.  How was that experience? 

• JL – Learning was definitely challenging in the beginning.  Was my question worthy of an email? was a constant stressor for me.  I felt like there were things I should know but having to formally type a question instead of walking over to someone for help was something I had to adapt to. 
• HM – It was WEIRD!  The company was extremely inviting but it just took a long time for me to truly feel connected to people and develop those relationships.

Just about everyone agreed that building relationships remotely had its challenges.  Reading people through a screen when body language isn’t as clear is tough especially when you’re just getting to know them. 

What about your role excites you most? 

• KP – I enjoy being part of a team and collaborating on projects.  Putting together a plan for a client is like putting together a puzzle and at the end it's nice to see the picture that you made.  
• JB – I really like constructing the media plans and the strategy that goes with it.  Its super rewarding to see when my plans are approved and the positive reactions from clients.  To see all the time that goes into putting those recommendations together become realized is a great feeling.  Then the real work begins.
• KH – A big part of my role is spending time hands-on in the digital platforms building out the campaigns and handling the optimization.  Essentially each campaign presents a challenge to identify things that will make the campaigns run better.  I really love optimizing campaigns.

What will be the next big thing in marketing? 

• KS – Second-party data monetization.  With the deprecation of cookies, I think a lot more brands will be looking to cash-in on the data they can offer others.
• EN – TikTok content creators will be sought after by brands and agencies.  TikTok usage is rapidly closing in on YouTube consumption numbers and brands will be fighting for that attention.  I think TikTok advertising will become a complement to any media buy that’s considering YouTube.  Hiring people who know how to make engaging content on these apps makes a lot of sense.
• HM – VR/Metaverse-style advertising will have us feeling like we’re living in an episode of Black Mirror – ad experiences that make us question, what’s real and what’s not?
• CC – It might not be the “next” thing… influencer marketing has been around, but I don’t think it’s being considered enough in media plans. With the increasing usage of TikTok and the popularity of short-form video ads on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, I think there should be more of a focus on partnering with the people already having success on these platforms.

I concluded my interview by asking the group to share some of their professional goals.

What do you want to accomplish in this industry?

• JL – People will know my name in the region.  I want to be the next Cynthia Weiss previous NBC Sports Regional VP of Marketing and current Executive Director of the Philly Ad Club.
• KP – I’m going to find my niche as the director of audio for a podcast company, signing the best programs and creating exclusive partnerships. But that’s a long way from now – there’s a lot of emerging media trends I want to dive into first.
• KS – I’m all about becoming the best version of myself.  I want to have a better understanding of how data can work together.  Better analysis = better outcomes.  I want to immerse myself in all of it, not just one particular aspect.
• EN – My goal is to specialize in SEO and SEM, working across luxury brands and with a focus on fashion.
• HM – I’m an agency lifer! One day I will open my own agency or be the COO of another, combining my knowledge of media strategy with my knowledge of graphic design.
• KH – I’d say that I’ve set my sights on staying in digital media and becoming a manager or director of some sorts.
• CC – I want to be well rounded in all aspects of marketing including analytics and digital operations. I also have a deep interest in creative direction, so I just want to be as balanced as I can be.
• JB – My goals right now are focused what I plan to accomplish here at the agency.  I want to run the Penn Medicine account and I plan to become a media director.

If you’re interested in joining the team here in MayoSeitz Media, we want to talk to you.  View our current open positions here mayoseitzmedia.com/contact.  If you don’t see a current position that fits your skills but are still interested, please contact Lisa Volpe at lvolpe@mayoseitzmedia.com.