Maegan Haynes

I would say being a hard worker and keeping up with the industry standards are key to my success. But I also have to credit having great mentors in the space. My first boss ever, Laura DeRapps, is my number one mentor who keeps me in line and tells me the next steps I should go for. And my current boss, Becky Byrne, has always believed in me. Having good mentors and just staying up with the industry has made all the difference in my career.

The best career advice I've ever received is to never doubt myself when I'm in a room. Don't get in my head, don't let imposter syndrome take over, and just know that I know what I know. I need to believe in myself and get the job done. This advice has helped me stay confident and focused, especially in challenging situations where it's easy to second-guess yourself.

I would definitely tell them that networking is key. Stay on top of industry things and what's happening within the industry. Network, network, network - I cannot express that enough. I'm in the rooms that I'm in today because I networked and kept great connections. Make sure that you stay on top of what's going on in the industry, and also go to different events and talk to different professionals in your same field. Building and maintaining those connections will open doors for you throughout your career.

The biggest challenges right now, especially because I work in the offline media sector, is that a lot of clients and brands want to focus on digital. So it's more about letting them know that radio's not dead, TV's not dead, and showing that these are actual marketing and media channels that can make a big impact on their brands, which I have proven and shown. On the opportunities side, as we continue to grow, we are seeing the offline channels bring in new things to help prove that they work. We now have new ways to do attribution with radio, and we're bringing in different things on the digital side, such as using Claritas and Podscribe to track radio. These are opportunities for offline media to grow, which is great because that means I'll still have a job and we can continue to grow the channel and show clients that it works.

My values are hard work, being trustworthy, and being a people person. Communication is key, of course. These values guide how I approach both my professional work and my personal relationships. Being able to connect with people and communicate effectively while maintaining trust and putting in the hard work has been essential to everything I do.