Key Insights

Editorial integrity is paramount to audience development and, ultimately, a successful advertising and branded content business. Without trust in the editorial product, you will not have an audience. And without a dedicated audience, there is no advertising revenue potential. I take that into account with every sponsorship program and product that I create.

No matter how exciting or innovative the branded content campaign is, it will fail if you do not engage with an audience. And you cannot meaningfully engage with an audience if you do not have that audience’s trust.

Developing a system of trust and communication between the business and editorial teams will allow you to create opportunities for advertising clients while also furthering desired editorial programs and products. For example, if you know the editorial team is looking to launch a podcast around AI, you can use that intel to pitch an AI podcast launch sponsorship to a client who is looking to reach AI influencers. You hit the client’s objectives while also funding a dream editorial product.

However, this approach only works if you have a trusted relationship with your editorial colleagues. You need to demonstrate that you will respect the editorial/business line, never pressuring the editorial team to create content or kill content based on what would be strategic for an advertising partner. The editorial integrity of a publication is invaluable, and there are a multitude of ways for a business team to work with editorial to maximize benefits while also respecting their prerogative to publish whatever is best for the brand and the reader (even if that means critically covering an advertising partner).

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Signature Work Achievements

• 15 years of experience creating and executing cross-platform advertising campaigns to drive revenue for renowned media companies
• Building the STAT advertising team, offerings, and sponsorship strategy from the ground up
• Originating STAT’s now lucrative and thriving events business
• Launching the original STAT Brand Studio (https://sbs.statnews.com/p/1)
• Inventing and developing the STAT@JPM program (https://www.statnews.com/jpm-conference-stat-events/)
• 2025 Silver Medal Native Advertising Award for “Best Cross-Channel Program” - STAT x Real Chemistry GLP-1 Program
• 2024 SxSW Panel Moderator
• 2018 WAN-IFRA “Best in Social Media Engagement, North American Digital Media” - STAT Madness
• 2016 Knotch Winner: “Best Grown Up Branded Content (Non-Video)” - PureWow x Perdue Chicken
• 2014 EPPY “Best Online Advertising/Marketing Campaign with 1 million unique monthly visitors and over” - Newyorker.com x Showtime

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Career Lessons

Peer mentors are invaluable. Remember that a mentor does not have to be someone with a more historied career than you brilliant mentors can be found at every level of the career ladder.