Member Profile: Liz Weinsten, Director of Marketing, Gimbal

How did you get started in advertising? What's been your career road map?

I graduated with a Sports Management degree from college with the vision that I would work in sports, whether that be for a network, team, or athletic brand (Nike was my dream), but realized sports were more of a participatory thing for me. “Hey, movies sound fun,” I thought. So, I moved out to LA from NY and started my career at a talent agency. I continued down the entertainment route and worked for a film production company after that.

My experience in “the industry” taught me just enough to know that it wasn’t my forever career path. I learned more than I could have imagined, met incredible people, learned the business of business, and then some. But I had always been drawn to the convergence of advertising and entertainment to create emotional brand connections through storytelling. That said, I was compelled to dip my toes into the ad world. I somehow fell into the tech side of advertising (who knew?) and have been entrenched in it for about 10 years now. 

What has been an important, perhaps the most important, lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?

Be fearless and don’t sit on your ideas. Oftentimes, we stifle our creative thoughts and/or choose not to contribute out of fear of being rejected or feeling like it’s not our place. The thing is nobody really knows what they’re doing; no single person has the right answer. I’m very fortunate to work at a company where new ideas are encouraged and each and every contribution matters. Lastly, always remain flexible. Our industry is moving so fast and priorities can shift often. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to remain nimble, move forward with conviction, and make space for emotionality in the creative process.

What keeps you motivated? Do you have a personal motto?

Working towards a vision. If I have a long-tail goal in mind it’s easier for me to get excited about working on projects, however big or small they may feel at the time, that I know have wide reaching impacts. Also, while I enjoy autonomy, I’m motivated by creative people and being able to work in an unstructured, structured environment. Having access to collaborative teams for idea generation is so important to me because it brings new perspectives that allow me to reprocess and think differently.

My personal motto is to always remain curious and push the boundaries. I’ve never been one to sit around and wait or work in the confines of a boxed mentality. Ask the hard questions and challenge the status quo. There’s no innovation without curiosity.

What excites you most about this industry? 

That it’s always changing. It’s evolving at a more rapid pace than ever before as a result of technological advancements. When I think back to when I first started in ad tech it was a very different world. As consumers, we’ve gone from getting ads for products we don’t care about with no option to personalize, to now being in control of that entire experience. Also, there is so much opportunity in this industry and we have the ability to shape what it’s going to look like in the coming years.

Where is advertising is headed? What do the next five years look like? 

Advertising is heading in a direction where connection is everything. Connection being the ability to connect with consumers across the entire journey – online and offline – and connection on a more human, emotional level. Data and privacy rights will continue to be a big factor and the third parties and other solution providers will have to continue to evolve their policies. Lastly, I think we are moving towards more consolidation in the ad industry with larger companies scooping up smaller tech companies. And then of course, AI/AR. Technology is going to catapult new advertising experiences through an augmented lens.

How are you doing through the current situation in the world?

Respectively good. And I’m fully aware of how fortunate I am to say that. From an objective viewpoint, the current situation in the world is terrible. We’re facing a pandemic, social injustice, economic turmoil, and environmental disasters. However, at the same time, I believe all of this is necessary for real change to take place - positive change. The world needed a shake up and while it’s been a domino effect, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve seen people unite for good; we’ve seen businesses form partnerships; we’ve seen competitors coming together to support one another, i.e. Burger King endorsing McDonald’s in an ad campaign to help the restaurant industry and their employees. There’s always a silver lining and multiple linings are starting to shine through.

What advice do you have for ad professionals who are beginning their careers?

Find a mentor if you don’t have one and reach out to someone you admire. Start building those relationships and show tenacity. When I started ThinkLA’s event series, YoungStars, we wanted to get individuals that were on Forbes’ 30 under 30 list to speak and I thought, “there’s no way they are going to get back to me, they’re probably too busy, not interested, etc.,” but I reached out anyway. To my surprise, not only were they open to it, but they were excited about it. Point being, don’t be afraid to ask. Relationships are everything in this industry and many people would be humbled to hear from you.

Any closing thoughts for the ThinkLA community?
 

Keep supporting one another and keep creating. The ThinkLA community has an incredibly strong foundation, leadership, and following. The committed board members, volunteers, and of course the phenomenal employees, have done an exceptional job building a one-of-a-kind community and powerful platform. I can’t imagine how challenging it is to be an event-based company during this time, but I’ve never been more excited about and confident in ThinkLA’s ability to expand into new realms and continue to inspire the advertising and marketing community.  

Liz Weinsten is Director of Marketing for Gimbal.