Samantha Blacketer

I graduated in 2010 with a degree in electronic media studies and have been working in media for 16 years. I started at iHeartMedia as a part-time board operator after an internship, then did the old-fashioned thing and worked my way up. They finally hired me full-time as a sales assistant, and from there I did some on-air stuff, got promoted to midday, and also became the digital content director. I was there for about 9 years before budget cuts led to layoffs. Then I went to Cox Media as a sales support specialist, where I put TV schedules together and really learned to listen to client needs, pay attention to their budget, and give them the most commercials to make their goals. After that, I became media project manager at OBI Creative advertising agency, which was a new world for me. I had worked with agencies but never in one. It was very collaborative with lots of meetings, and I really enjoyed working with everyone. I took projects from initial client meetings through to completion, working with my media team to suggest the best tactics for campaign goals. Unfortunately, they also did budget cuts and laid off me and 6 other people when I was 6 months pregnant. That was a hard time because I kept interviewing but people would see me in person and realize I was pregnant. After my baby was born, Link Media reached out. My current boss had worked with me on campaigns at OBI and knew I was reputable, so he brought me on. I've been here almost 3 years as business manager, handling commission assignments, aging and collections, and supporting our sales team. It's a really laid-back atmosphere with a hybrid work situation, which is great since I have a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old.