Episode #38: Advocating for Advertising with Special Guest Cary Hatch
In this episode, Kelly talks to Cary Hatch, former CEO of MDB Communications about her 40-year passion as an advertising evangelist advocating for the power of communications to elevate the profile and stature of brands, causes and organizations. Cary talks about her rise to become CEO and Owner of MDB Communications, provides her input on the state of the industry, and gives advice for women wanting to follow in her footsteps.
Advocating for Advertising with Special Guest Cary Hatch Episode Recap
Cary Hatch is a renowned advertising advocate and former CEO of MDB Communications. Cary’s impressive career spans over four decades, and her passion for advertising has driven her to achieve remarkable milestones. Cary’s career accolades include recognition on the Power 100 list and a prominent role in the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Her dedication to promoting the power of advertising in elevating brands and causes has made her a respected figure in the industry.
Kelly shares a personal connection with Cary through their mutual friend, the late Ron Owens, an industry legend in Washington DC. Ron’s encouragement brought them together, and they met in person at his funeral, a testament to the stars aligning for this inspiring conversation.
Cary describes herself as an “advertising advocate” or “evangelist,” deeply in love with the industry’s potential for good and its role as a global economic driver. Her journey into advertising was not linear, but her passion for consumer behavior and creativity led her to find her true calling. Cary’s career took a significant turn when she became the CEO and owner of MDB Communications at a young age. Taking over the company was a leap of faith, and though she faced challenges, it proved to be the best decision she ever made. Cary’s dedication and willingness to learn helped her overcome obstacles and thrive in her role.
Cary’s four-decade-long career has given her a unique perspective on the evolution of the industry. One of the most pressing challenges she emphasizes is the rapid velocity of change. In today’s digital age, new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), are emerging at an unprecedented pace. The industry must stay ahead of these developments to remain competitive and continue providing value to clients. AI and AR (Augmented Reality) are indeed game-changers, reshaping how brands interact with consumers and creating exciting opportunities for personalized marketing. However, their integration requires substantial investments in both human capital and finances. Agencies must adapt and equip themselves with the necessary skills to harness the potential of these technologies responsibly.
Another major concern is talent acquisition and retention. Since the pandemic and the widespread adoption of remote work, the industry has experienced increased movement and competition for skilled professionals. Agencies like Cary’s and others need to actively nurture their workforce, offering incentives and a compelling work environment to retain top talent. As we embrace AI and other technological advancements, it is essential to address data privacy concerns. Advertisers must ensure they adhere to ethical practices and legal guidelines to protect their clients’ and customers’ information. By using AI responsibly, agencies can optimize campaigns, improve targeting, and deliver personalized experiences while maintaining data security.
Furthermore, Cary highlights the importance of staying informed about the rapidly evolving landscape and learning from other industries. Her experience as a board member of various organizations has provided valuable insights, shaping her leadership approach and contributions to advertising and marketing.
In the fast-changing world of advertising, AI is emerging as a major challenge and opportunity. Cary Hatch, a trailblazing woman in the industry, emphasizes the importance of staying on top of technological advancements. As the former CEO of MDB Communications, Cary believes that embracing AI is crucial for agencies to remain competitive. Cary’s commitment to education and knowledge sharing shines through her lectures at prestigious universities. She encourages women to explore agency ownership, despite the current low representation of women-owned advertising agencies.
Looking ahead, Cary is excited about her role as Managing Director and serving on corporate boards. Her journey serves as an inspiration for aspiring professionals, urging them to jump in, seek opportunities, and surround themselves with a strong support network. With passion and determination, women can shape the future of advertising into a more diverse and innovative landscape.
Episode Transcript
Kelly
Welcome to the Two Marketing Moms podcast. Today’s episode is called Advocating for Advertising with special guest Cary Hatch.
Welcome Cary.
Cary
Delighted to be here.
Kelly
Happy to chat with you. I wanted to introduce the episode with your extremely impressive bio. Cary is the former CEO of MDB Communications. She has been recognized on the Power 100, The Washington Business Journal’s list of the most influential business leaders for the last four consecutive years. She is currently serving as the chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Board of Governors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies, and was appointed to the National Government Relations Committee by the 4A’s. Cary serves on the National Advertising Review Board and is a board member for the University System of Maryland Foundation. She has also completed the Deloitte Board Ready Program to advance diverse candidates on corporate boards. Cary is also a member of the Economic Club of Washington DC and a trustee of the Federal City Council. She is a noted lecturer at several regional universities and is a regular on TV and radio outlets commenting on advertising, branding and marketing communications. Very impressive career Cary!
Cary
Thank you as you can tell, I’m a joiner.
Kelly
I love it. And I have so much, that I want to dig in. But I wanted to start with our personal connection to each other, which is kind of one of those stars aligning type situations. We both have a mutual friend in Ron Owens. Ron Owens is kind of an industry legend in Washington DC he is the O in LM&O Advertising in Washington DC. And for the last couple of years, he and I, we’ve known each other for 10 years or so. But for the last couple of years, he’s kind of become a mentor to me, and we’ve talked on the phone probably once a month, every couple months, and we emailed back and forth. And in March of this year, he told me “Kelly, you need to meet Cary Hatch…you must meet Cary Hatch, you have a lot in common. And I think you guys would be a great match to meet up with each other.” So pretty quickly after that I reached out to you on LinkedIn and said Ron told us we need to meet. And so, we connected and less than a month later, Ron passed. And we both met in real life at Ron’s funeral. And I’m going to share Ron’s picture which we both hold close to our hearts. And we have up on our bulletin boards every day to remind us of the inspiration that he provided to both of us and the personal guidance that he provided. But, there’s a reason why Ron wanted you and I to meet. And I just wanted to note that kind of the stars aligning for us to have this conversation today.
Cary
He’s just a very special guy. And he really was a connector. He loved putting people together. And he loved cheerleading for all of us. So, my great appreciation to him over the decades. Certainly, an inspiration for me. His passion for advertising is renowned for sure. And I’m delighted that he put us together.
Kelly
I am too. I really It means a lot to me. So, all right, I did some digging about you on social media and LinkedIn, you brand yourself as an “advertising advocate”, which I love, “passionate about the power of advertising to elevate the profile and the stature of brands and causes”. Can you elaborate on this?
Cary
Yeah, it’s funny that you focus on advocate because I considered evangelist, but I thought it was maybe a bridge too far. It’s an understatement that I’m passionate about the industry. And honestly, I’m hopelessly in love with what I do, which is a blessing when you think about a career that’s you know, over four decades, but I love the power of advertising as an instrument for good. And honestly a global economic driver. I love being part of making things happen in whatever small part I can play. And being part of that industry being part of, again, putting people together and advocating for brands and industry itself, whether it’s, you know, taxation on the industry, or just dealing with intellectual property law, all of that fascinates me and I just love being part of the team.
Kelly
You have had a career for 40 years. And, you’ve seen a lot in the industry. What inspired you initially to pursue a career in advertising?
Cary
You know, it’s interesting in college, and maybe you had a similar experience, I bounced around a bit, it wasn’t a straight line for me. You know, I started out as a psychology major, which was probably closer to what I really do today, when you think about consumer behavior, right, but then I thought, you know, not sure I want to go for a PhD, maybe I need to consider Phys ed, as a career, faculty position, maybe it’s secondary childhood education, and then into advertising, where I really connected my love for economics, and consumer behavior. So, from that I actually tapped into I think, really is part of my DNA. My mom was an artist, and my dad was in international sales and marketing, and went into advertising as an Assistant art director. Who knew, right, yeah, I just loved helping to create messages and advertising. Early on in my career, I had the good fortune to work for an agency in Baltimore, Steve Weinberger was my boss, and we worked on ads, potato chips, among other things. It was such a joy. Honestly, at that time, I was making probably something that was considered not a living wage. For me, it was never, and it still isn’t about the money. It’s about finding something that I adore, and something that I can contribute to. So, getting into advertising was not a straight line. For me, going into the creative side, realizing I was honestly, perfectly average, a very, in my estimation, a very mediocre art director, and thinking, you know, I’m in the right church, but the wrong pew, and I wanted to find where I fit, where can I contribute most. So, it was really into account service and strategy and new business development, that I really found my passion, and I hit my stride really, but, and that’s what led me ultimately to MDB, and the company that I acquired.
Kelly
Well, I want to talk about that next. But I think it’s funny, because, I think a lot of great account, start on the on the creative side and have this idea that maybe that’s their passion/interest, but realize that that’s not their area of expertise, but it’s still very important to them. And I think that’s important for good account person to realize that, geez, this is an area that’s the whole reason why advertising exists. And so, you appreciate that aspect of advertising. Because, that’s the guts of what we do.
Cary
And not to mention, you have street cred with the creative department. Right? And you understand production and production values. So that’s a beautiful thing when you can connect on that level. So, I’ve always appreciated that two and a half to three years that I was actually part of the creative department.
Kelly
So, you rose to CEO and owner of MDB Communications at a very, very young age, can you tell us that story and some of the milestones and achievements that you’re proud of?
Cary
Again, not a straight line, after recognizing I would probably be a better fit in a different area. I wanted to stay at the agency I was at and they said yeah, we love you as an art director, but no opportunity in account service. So, I interviewed for other opportunities. I did have I don’t think I told you this before I did have an interesting meeting with a firm that I was applying to who had me interviewed by a I believe it says, psychiatrists or psychologists, I should say, at Johns Hopkins University to see if I would be a good fit for account service. And they became back and said that I would never make it in advertising because I was too introverted. I had to share that. Well, and you know me.
Kelly
You’re not introverted.
Cary
Well, maybe I was at that time. I don’t know. It’s kind of hard to believe that because I was like prison in my sorority and I was on the pom pom squad at the University of Maryland and whatever. But it’s fascinating. And I think that was really my first. You talked about rejection, told that I really wasn’t going to make it and something that I loved was kind of, you know, my stake in the ground. I’ll show you kind of thing. Yeah. And so, I ended up joining this firm. At the time, Michael David Brown Incorporated, working with that owner on opening up the second company, which was MDB Communications, and then the third company which was Winterberry publishing. And we printed Limited Edition fine art prints and distributed out on the west coast. So anyways, I got to a point after being with the firm MDB communications for gosh, about six years. I said, Michael, you know, I’m not really doing a good job at any one of these organizations. He says, Why don’t you buy MDB communications? I’m thinking, wow, this is the age of 30. I’m young, I’m single. And if I fail, so what? I obviously know what I’ve been doing for six years. So, there’s value and understanding of the inner workings, at least I thought so. And I said, You know what, that’s a great idea. So, I borrowed money from my family bought the firm.
But you know what, Kelly, it’s totally different when they hand you the driver’s keys, and it’s all yours, right? And as a creative person with no business background, all of a sudden, you’re saying to yourself, OMG, what are payroll taxes, what is our HR policy, things like that, that you’ve never really had to deal with. So, it was a bit of a leap. But I will say, it’s the best thing I ever did. I can remember telling my father, gosh, maybe eight months into owning the company. By the way, I bought the company, broke up with my boyfriend, and moved downtown from Maryland, all in the same week. I wouldn’t advise it! But I did it. And I survived. And I said, Dad, you know, I’m working 18 hours a day. I mean, it’s because fear of failure was a strong notion as a driver for me. And I said, we’ve just got so much going on. And it’s just so hard. And I remember him saying to me, because I even told him, why didn’t you tell me it would be like this? And he said, Cary, if I told you, you probably wouldn’t have done it. So, he had faith before I had faith. And I’m forever grateful for that.
Kelly
I mean, that’s such an early age for that to kind of fall into your lap, and you embraced that. So, you own the agency for how many years?
Cary
That was 1987. So, 100 years, it feels like in dog years. But you know, I’m so grateful. Because for me, it was my passion. learning as you go probably isn’t as ideal. You know, learning from being in bigger agencies or learning from mentors, or having more of a business grounding would have been ideal. That isn’t the path that I took, that isn’t the foundation that I had, but I had so many other, you talk about mentors, friends, allies, mentors, the forays, you talked about at the top of this session, learning the business side of the business was critical to me, what are the ratios for payroll versus promotion? You know, what do legal documents and contracts look like? What do you need to be wary of, in terms of banking, relationships, and things like that.
And early on, I mean, if you’re talking to 80s, not a lot of women. This is and I would say even fewer, outside retail, no professional services. I can remember, I think I may have shared this with you. I’m going to deposit a check from one of our, at that time, largest client, which is the National Bank of Washington, and the teller mentioning to me that we wouldn’t be able to draw upon this for four days or something. I said, well, I need that to make payroll. And she looked at me, she said, Well, you’re going to need your boss to come in and talk to our manager. And I said, I am the boss. So those kinds of moments like women didn’t really have credit. I mean, there’s it’s a different world, thankfully. But it wasn’t that easy early on.
Kelly
And you’re talking about the 80s. It’s not like you’re talking about the 50s or the 60s. You’re talking about the 80’s!
Cary
I mean, it’s interesting, you’re being gracious. I will say, and not lashing back, and remaining calm — are things that come hard to me, but they’re necessary. I can remember working late one night because that by that time, I had relocated the agency down to 14th & K. I don’t know if I mentioned this to you, but in 1987 it was a dangerous area, it was the red-light district. And that’s, cleaning up what I was going to say. But me getting out late at 10 or 11 o’clock at night, there was a McDonald’s across the street. And it was me in the working girls in line to get something to eat. It was it was tough. It was tough, but I can remember passing a homeless gentleman on the corner on the way to McDonald’s. And, I didn’t give eye contact and I didn’t give him any money because it was it was a tough area at that point. And he said, well, you got where you are by sleeping with the boss. And I said, Honey, I am the boss. So, it was not a common notion that somebody my age, a woman could run just about anything.
Kelly
Well, let’s fast forward a little bit because you’ve been recognized as we mentioned earlier on the Washington Business Journal Power 100, the DC Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year just came in all over the media in Washington DC recently. And obviously, you’ve served on many boards and committees, can you share how those experiences have really shaped your leadership approach and influenced your contributions to advertising and marketing?
Cary
I’ve been so fortunate to have advocates and allies to say, you know, your opinion does matter. And we’d love to have you join us and give a point of view, not just on communications. But as you know, I’m a native Washingtonian. So, I’ve been around a bit I was born in Washington, I moved all over the country as a child, but each time coming back to the DC region. And, of course, we my company downtown when I bought it. But I think by offering help and assistance, and honestly not expecting a whole lot back, just doing what I love and lending a helping hand and making that offer opens up doors for you. Because you know what people like to work with people they know, trust and admire. And so how do they know you? They know you because you’ve served on, you know, a committee for the American Lung Association, or you’ve helped out with the Board of Trade or you’ve done some initiatives for Samaritans, or I consider those opportunities to meet other people understand other opportunities, and people are generous for the most part and will say we’d love to have you join us.
And as far as advertising goes, I think that because I have had some hard knocks or hard lessons, I bring that experience as a business owner. When there’s an issue and this happens episodically. Where there’s legislation that’s going through consideration for taxation.
Honestly, I love this for your, for your mom audience, my first time to testify in front of DC City Council. I was nine months pregnant. And but what a perfect optic right? There were to increase the taxation on advertising in the District of Columbia. And I testified as a woman business owner, nine months pregnant. So, but you know, and I said, lucky, I’d love to keep my business here. But why would I move to Roslyn? Why would I move to Bethesda? Why would any client want to pay a premium to do business with my firm headquartered in the District of Columbia? And thankfully, through the support of the 4A’s and my testimony, we were able to favorably persuade counsel, and it didn’t pass.
So though, at any stage of your life, if you have strong opinions and the data to back it up and can present a meaningful message, you have an opportunity to shape things, and serving on boards has been a great gift to me and lord knows I love giving my opinion and listening to others. And, you know, sometimes sparring, but being part of the National Advertising Review Board is I really cherished that that is the appellate board. It’s part of the Better Business Bureau nationally where advertisers can be challengers to competitors on truthfulness in their advertising. And like I said, I’m fortunate to be on the appellate level of that and I love listening to the attorneys present their case why their claims are truthful, reasonable. Go within the guidelines and what have you. So, it’s rewarding. It’s also a lot of fun.
Kelly
I want to take a little bit of a step back and talk about what’s happening in the industry right now. Because there’s so many things up here feel like they’re going so fast. Change is happening so fast. And you know, with your role in some of these organizations that we’ve talked about the 4As and the Mid-Atlantic Board of Governors, the media landscape is just changing. And what do you believe are the biggest challenges or trends that you think are going to significantly impact the industry in the future? AI…
Cary
That’s a great question. I will say, with the benefit of four decades, you can see kind of the peaks and valleys, and there’s always been challenges. And there’s always been change. But what I’ll add to that is the thing that concerns me most right now is the velocity of change.
Kelly
Because social media took 10 years, the internet took a while, all these things took a while to embrace. But now, we have a new AI product every month.
Cary
Yeah. And think about in since you’re in the same industry, think about why clients hire us. They hire us to be leaders in our industry, and with technology, pacing the way it is that cadence to stay ahead of what’s going on. And more importantly, how it impacts the brands that we represent. Yes, is kind of a big deal. So, you’re right, I think AR/AI and technology, the investment that needs to be made. So, it’s human capital, it’s also financial as well.
But I would also say, talent, acquisition and retention, it’s a challenge. It’s always been a challenge. But since the pandemic and since the distributed workforce, I don’t know what you’re seeing. But I know a lot of agencies are seeing a fair amount of movement in the industry. And it’s, you’re looking for credentials, you’re looking for passion, you’re looking for intellect, and hanging on to that talent. So, your agency and my agency can be competitive, is key. AI is a game changer. And back to the velocity notion. I was talking to an IP lawyer at a Board of Trade meeting the other day, and expressing my concerns. And he said, Oh, yeah, you’re concerned. And people are thinking, Oh, it’ll impact us in three years, five years. And I said, Oh, no, I’m hearing more like 18 to 24 months. And he’s like, Cary, it’s like 12 to 18 months. Get ready.
Actually, last night, I was a speaker over George Washington to talk to their master’s program on communications. And we talked about AI. And in the class were some military students as well. So, their take on AI from a national security perspective is one take how you and I look at it from a competitive standpoint, and making sure we’re keeping abreast of the changes. We’re utilizing it responsibly. We pay attention to data privacy issues, and, and legal exposure for ourselves and for our clients, making sure we’re using it to streamline our processes. That is key, but also looking at it as a way to improve our targeting our within guidelines, our personalization, to optimize campaign performance, but making sure we can use it also to scale our campaigns responsibly for our clients’ advantage. So, it’s complicated, right?
Kelly
It’s very complicated. And the impact of how it’s going to impact search engine optimization of websites is going to be a challenge. People spend so much time and money on SEO, but we don’t know how that’s going to change in the coming years. So, there’s a lot of things happening. And I think the biggest challenge for us is staying on top of it and making sure we’re using on a regular basis. We know how to use it. We have people who know how to use it, and are aware of the changes and all the implications.
Cary
Yeah, it’s an exciting time. It’s just the velocity thing. I mean, the internet, you thought the internet happened quickly. You ain’t seen nothing yet. And everybody has to lean into this.
Kelly
We certainly do. Well, in speaking about some of the colleges and universities that you’ve lectured at, including John Hopkins and Georgetown and University of Maryland, how do you balance all of these professional responsibilities with your commitment to education and sharing this knowledge with your students like you did last night?
Cary
Again, it’s a passion. So, it’s not a chore for me. So, you make room in your life for things you love. I love the interplay. And also, selfishly, I get as much back from them the questions were fascinating, right. And because for all of us, as professionals, we want to make sure we’re relevant. Let’s not be in our ivory towers and only look at stuff online or go to a couple, you know, conferences, or even collaborate with our colleagues. Now, let’s make sure that we’re having conversations with the next group of professionals that will be taking our workplaces. So, I love that many of these people I stay in touch with, I was so rewarded. I can’t tell you how wonderful this was.
A while back, we had an intern get in touch with us from 32 years ago. My God, you know, I’ll never forget picking up the phone and she says this number is the same number you had in Rockville, Maryland, when you bought the company. I’m like, Yeah, how about that continuity. So, but she went on, it’s funny, she’s gone on to have a fabulous career, which is super exciting. She went on to be a creative director at Blockbuster and a number of other large major national, we’ve had people go on, you know, they’re Razorfish, and Google and stuff like that. I love that. And I only wish I had done what they had done in terms of internships, I got an on-campus internship, that was not a super great choice. I wish I had gone to an agency or you know, organization or a company to learn more about the industry. But as you can tell, my route, however successful that’s been has not been a straight line.
Kelly
Well, it’s funny because we talked about it earlier. And in the past, on our podcast, we’ve talked about how we think it’s not a ladder, it’s a jungle gym, but you had a different analogy, what was it?
Cary
It’s more like a pinball machine. But here’s what I’ll say about that is, and I tell my son this as well, I think you have to be open to things that come your way, it’s that I don’t know if you ever played sports, or particularly the outfield and softball, whatever comes your way, you’re going to play it, you’re going to feel that ball, okay? And you’re going to make a decision. And the power of serendipity, the power of having, well, you and I connecting that serendipity? You know, and you can plan and plan and plan and plan and guess what, you could sit next to a CEO on a flight and Amtrak, you know, whatever, it could change your life. So, meeting Michael David Brown, you know, suggesting I buy the company. I was in an organization many years ago called Women and advertising and marketing, when women had to have their separate organization. I met a young lady because I’m trained well, anybody under 100… As young lady, including myself, and who ended up being our client at Sprint, and then sprint, international and then global one. So, serendipity is a beautiful thing.
Kelly
You talked a little bit about being nine months pregnant and testifying and your son, How has being a mom impacted you in business?
Cary
I think it’s one of the most wonderful decisions that my husband and I made. It gives me another dimension, as you can tell, I’m all in on my industry and my career and my job and the people I help in our team. Right? And but having a family and having a child changes that forevermore. It’s important to, for me, it was important to exercise a different muscle, caring about someone else, challenging and championing somebody else. And knowing that I had a responsibility to be there for him. And also modeling. I really value this modeling. What women in business look like. Yes, even to your son’s not just your job, actually. Yeah, I was a big advocate, you remember, Bring Your Daughter to Work. I was like, it’s bring your child to work. I feel a responsibility to all the women to model positive behavior so my son can appreciate women in business.
Kelly
I agree as a mom of three sons.
So, there’s a stat that’s been going around social media that has me rather disturbed and I’m going to quote that stat. And it’s according to Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, the (WBENC), 40% of all businesses today are owned by women. That makes sense, right? Unless we’re talking about advertising agencies. Of the 22,000 shops in North America, less than 1% are owned by women, according to the best calculation by the 4A’s. 1%! So, what do you see as the difficulties are for women and owning this is going to be a three-part question. Why is it so low? Let’s start there.
Cary
I think giving yourself permission to take on that role is a big one. People I think, generally are more aware and better educated than I was when I took over. Right. And they understand the complexity of it. And I think they don’t give their self permission to try, which I think is a miss for some people, not everybody. I will tell you; I’ll never forget at our I think it was our 25th anniversary of the agency. So, while back, I had contacted the 4As to find out how many women were owners not a partner. Particularly not a partner with their husband had 100% controlling interest. You ready? 13 women total! So, I was blown away.
But keep in mind, you and I live in an area where Washington DC has the highest per capita amount of executive women in the country, more than New York, more than Chicago more than LA. So that did seem odd to me. But some of it is barriers to capital. You know, I started off very modestly, so I wasn’t really a threat to anybody. It wasn’t like I was doing a leveraged buyout of J. Walter Thompson or something. But, you know, starting small is okay. There’s nothing wrong with that. And I think more women are considering now I think even more women since the pandemic, so I’m hoping that number will go up. But they don’t necessarily see themselves as the CEO, and aren’t willing to perhaps dedicate their life to that, and or they feel like they would lose too much in doing so.
Kelly
So, you assume some of is fear, some of it might be we don’t have role models that we see on a regular basis, like you have people that show how easy (it is not easy), but how it’s possible.
Cary
Yeah, I think that’s right. And you know, many times it depends also on you know, if it’s a middle market firm, or it’s a startup or what have you, but many times particularly and you know this very well, the departments usually have an incredible role in success. So many times, there’ll be a partnership, and you’ll bring in, you know, somebody who’s had a strategy and head of the media department or creative department and what have you. I chose a little bit different route, being the sole shareholder, but then having a senior management team that represented each of those and making sure I rewarded them handsomely to be part of the team.
Kelly
So, what advice would you give women like myself who might want to take the next step into agency ownership?
Cary
You know, do your homework, see what the real challenges are. Be honest with yourself, in terms of what it’s taking, and what your what your commitment can truly be to that. Surround yourself with subject matter experts. I certainly sought out a number of people to help me make critical decisions, hiring decisions, any kind of business decisions, really. I had a senior counsel that did that for me. So, making sure you’ve got as one of my favorite outside accounting counsels once said to me, the right scaffolding, making sure you’ve got the right scaffolding to ensure that you’re getting trusted advice.
And sage advice from people that I would say have been in the endzone. They’ve done it before, maybe not for an advertising agency, but for some similar professional services firm. Many agency owners also have and I’m sure you probably do too, and advisory board. So that’s where you can have the tough love conversations. And, you know, reach out to other people like me to get advice.
Kelly
Perfect. What’s next for you professionally?
Cary
I’m excited. As you know, I’m continuing on as the managing director now of a larger agency, and representing the portfolio in Washington DC. But I’m also have an opportunity to serve on corporate boards. I’m chairing an advisory board; you talk about innovation. I’m sharing an advisory board for a, I say startup, but they’ve been in the works for about four years now, for video product placement, so on the fly scalable product placement in existing content, so think movies, films, things like that, television programming, but also sporting live events. So, the ability through the technology, AI, and machine learning, we have identified how to handle product placement. And I’m fortunate enough to work with some pretty interesting and I would say supremely talented people in terms of AI in terms of marketing in terms of global contacts with media properties domestically and internationally. So, I’m very, very fortunate to be part of that and bring together a group of professionals that can help the organization grow.
Kelly
Love it. One last question, what advice would you give to young women entering the field?
Cary
Jump in. You know, it looks daunting right now, but you know, there’s never a safe time to try. Even for all the bruises and some of the scar tissue that I’ve gone through. It’s paid off handsomely. It builds muscle. It builds intellect for the future. There’s never going to be a perfect time. Identify your opportunity, get your scaffolding in place, and get into the industry because every time there’s a key inflection point, like the one we’re in right now. It presents a huge opportunity for everybody and particularly smart women.
Kelly
I love it. That’s the last final word. And it’s perfect. Thank you so much for your time, Cary. And I’ll put your contact information on the website and on TwoMarketingMoms.com.
Cary
Thanks so much. It’s been tremendous fun. Thank you.
Reach Cary Hatch on the following channels:
