Mindshare Unplugged spotlights and interview rising stars across Mindshare North America – people who exemplify our core values of Provocation, Speed, and Teamwork. Say hello to Brooke Altamirano, Senior Associate on the Digital Investment team in LA, and find out what makes her tick.
1) What inspired you to go into the media industry?
I didn’t fall into media in the most conventional way, by which I mean that media was not a thought that crossed my mind in college. I actually thought I wanted to go into event planning, and dived into that directly after school. I loved the feeling of planning every last detail of an event and then watching the fruits of my labor come to fruition.
But after some time, I realized that not only did I want to work in an industry that allowed me to be creative but that I also wanted to be somewhere where I was privy to the latest and greatest in technology. What I have found in media is exactly that. In this career, I get the best of both worlds: a focus on being creative when planning digital campaigns for clients and staying on the forefront of the newest emerging technologies.
2) What do you think is the most exciting thing happening in media right now?
There are so many terrific things happening in media, but for me the most exciting would be the growth and development of Artificial Intelligence and data-driven marketing. This has been a long time coming, and yet it is still in the infancy stages. With the advancements in machine learning and AI, media has become much more streamlined and targeted to different audiences; it helps marketers understand their consumers and their needs across different touch points. We are at an interesting turning point in the industry: marketers can automate data analysis and make informed decisions in real time to deliver hyper-targeted media, but it’s incredibly important to stay on top of the ongoing discussions and evolution around data privacy (e.g. the California Consumer Privacy Act and the EU General Data Protection Regulations to name a few). Our industry is never boring, and it will be particularly interesting to see how AI and data analysis may pivot over time.
3) If you could give one piece of advice to your college-senior self, what would it be?
It’s okay to be unsure of what you want to do: try it all, and eventually everything will fall into place. Oh, and internships are a requirement, not a recommendation – I learned this the hard way.
4) Last one: if you got a blank plane ticket today, where would you go – and why?
Thailand is at the top of my list! I love that one day you can be in the city enjoying the street food and the next you can be on a beautiful island relaxing. The culture is so enriched, and I am eager to see it firsthand.
