Her Story
About Denel
I've been working in advertising and marketing for over 20 years, starting back in 2005. I began my career at a local ad agency, then moved to a TV station where I worked in research and as a sales assistant for a couple of years. I learned the back end of things - the software systems and the research side of the business - which I really enjoyed. I never considered myself a salesperson, but I like to solve problems and I like to work with people, so when a sales position opened up at the station, I gave it a shot and got the job. I've been in it ever since. Now I work as an Account Executive for a Fox affiliate owned by Nexstar, where I handle both linear TV and digital marketing campaigns. We work with clients to develop marketing strategies that help grow their business and hit their marketing goals. Every day is completely different - I'm interacting with clients, onboarding new clients, checking in on campaigns, managing current business, and researching trends in different categories like QSR and HVAC. I get to use both the creative side and the analytical side of my brain. What makes this work meaningful to me is that I'm making a real impact on local business owners' lives. When clients tell me I've changed their business, that makes it all worth it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Denel
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to genuinely caring about making a difference in my clients' lives and businesses. When I first went to college, I wanted to be a social worker because I wanted to help people. Even though I ended up in advertising and marketing instead, I've made it my mission to help business owners succeed. I don't think of my job as just making sales - I see it as solving problems for people and being there for them. The biggest measure of success for me isn't one specific sale or campaign, it's when clients tell me that I've changed their business or that they wouldn't be where they are today without the marketing strategies we've developed together. I also think my success comes from really learning every piece of the business - the software, the analytics, the research, everything behind it - so that I can truly understand what I'm doing and help my clients effectively. I work for a company that doesn't handcuff me and lets me provide tactics to clients that actually work, which allows me to focus on what really matters: making everybody happy and helping local businesses thrive.
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