We often talk about the tech behind the ads, but what about the people behind the tech? What are their days like, what inspires them, and what are they up to when they’re not launching the next big campaign? In this aX profile, we’re getting to know Stephanie Denevan, VP of Client Services at AUDIENCEX.
A Day in the Life
In her role, Stephanie leads the accounts team, which is tasked with fostering long-term client relationships by developing & refining effective campaign strategies for hundreds of brands at a time. So what does a typical day look like for Stephanie? In her words:
“Every day is unique and dynamic, which I love. My time is often split between three main areas: meeting with members of my team to support their success with a given client, analyzing overarching trends & retention strategies, and collaborating cross-departmentally with other internal leaders on organization wide initiatives.”
Life Before AUDIENCEX
Admittedly, that’s a lot to juggle in a given day. For Stephanie, it’s been a norm since her days at Yelp:
“Prior to joining aX, I was a Senior Account Manager at Yelp, where I helped local and national advertisers gain market share and drive growth. That experience equipped me with digital marketing expertise across numerous verticals, which was helpful when I began my aX career as I developed best practices around client service that I still lean on heavily today.”
Of course, Stephanie hasn’t always worked in advertising. Prior to AUDIENCEX and Yelp, she spent two years working for Teach for America, teaching English to underserved middle schoolers. When reminiscing about the experience, Stephanie mentioned:
“Learning to motivate low-income inner city teenagers to follow my lead in front of the classroom prepared me to tackle adversity in business and leadership in countless ways.”
Why AUDIENCEX
So what brought Stephanie to AUDIENCEX, and what makes it the right fit for her? In her words, “the culture is one of real autonomy, endless opportunities to be challenged and grow, collaboration, and high expectations. These things all really resonate with me and have made aX a place where I feel like there are no limits in terms of my professional potential and my impact.”
Continually Growing
One of our values centers around being driven to continuously improve, and Stephanie is no exception. So how does she take time to grow during an often busy week? She looks for everyday opportunities:
“I try to seek out as many opportunities to learn as I can, whether it be podcasts, industry news, webinars, or just absorbing wisdom from my colleagues. I also aim to always stay curious, asking questions and digging into ‘the way’ behind the data we’re seeing, the best practices we’re recommending, or our strategic thinking. In general it’s also important for me to be self-reflective and constantly evaluate progress and areas for improvement both for myself personally and for our organization.”
Helping Her Team
When it comes to collaboration & helping the growth of those around her, Stephanie uses a guiding approach while drawing on common experiences and best practices.
“Since I’ve been in so many of the same situations and encountered similar roadblocks as those on my team, I try to offer insight, potential solutions, and a point of view to help them anticipate issues, problem-solve and strategize. Outside of formal training sessions, I aim to sprinkle in best practice recommendations and training nuggets whenever possible.
My goal is for every AM to operate really successfully with a great deal of autonomy and strategic latitude. To that end, I try to empower my team to come to the table with own point of view or set of recommendations in any scenario, get really curious and creative about solutions, and take the initiative to seek other resources both internally and externally.”
Outside the Office
When she’s not inspiring those around her or spending time with her family, Stephanie is most likely found outdoors, either hiking, cycling, paddle boarding, or sailing.
Of course, she does spend some time consuming media. Lately, her favorite show has been The Americans. While commuting along the southern California coast, she’s listening to podcasts. In particular, she loves Ed Mylett, Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, Oprah’s Super Soul, Serial, Hidden Brian, and How I Built this.
About aX Profiles
aX Profiles provide a glimpse into the bright & fun personalities that shape our culture. Stay tuned each month for additional stories, and thanks to all who have shared their story!