Thedrum

Mandana Mellano was born in Iran, a child in a world of turmoil. She has lived in four different continents and has traveled the world, speaking three languages fluently and bringing a global sensibility to her job as chief media officer at Fallon. Mellano has had an impressive career so far. Before Fallon, she was partner and director at Ogilvy & Mather / Neo@Ogilvy, and spent time at Rapp as VP and in director roles at Group M: Mindshare + MEC and Kastner & Partners. As a successful industry veteran, she doesn’t think women need to compromise their values, capabilities or dreams, and she loves people who have purpose and are able to project that purpose into the world and for others. If she hadn’t gone into media and marketing? Mellano would have been a cartographer, which isn’t difficult to imagine with her globe hopping. She believes that everyone should live in another country and learn another culture to get perspective and depth in how they see the world She believes that hitting lows in life and b

For Jamie Gutfreund, global CMO for Wunderman, the word “yes” comes up frequently. Yes to learning from and engaging youth. Yes to inspiring her team to achieve their goals. Yes to being an energetic force, exuding positivity every step of the way. But, crucially, the word “no” matters too. As life and work can get into overdrive quickly, the ability to say “no” is critical.” I've always been a, ‘Yes, I can do it. I'll get it done’ person. It's where my superpower comes out with energy, but you got to learn to say no.” Another aspect that belies Gutfreund’s manner is that of being uncomfortable. She is comfortable with being uncomfortable, because it helps her think of new routes to success. Her move to Wunderman seemed, on the surface, an interesting choice after time at places like Deep Focus, The Cassandra Report and Microsoft. But she saw something in Wunderman that made sense, crucially, for her. This isn’t cognitive dissonance, but rather a holistic way to keeping outside the bubble of the expecte

Leanne Smullen likes to be where convergence happens. As the vice president of marketing and training for Denver-based SpotX, a leading video advertising platform that sits in the middle of the convergence of traditional TV and digital video, she is uniquely positioned where she wants to be with a company that has grown rapidly on an international stage. Smullen also strives to be the best in her other role as a part-time lieutenant colonel in the Colorado Army National Guard, where she helps civilian agencies respond to wildfires, floods and other emergencies. Smullen is also a certified coach, helping people develop their strengths and become effective leaders. Considering the sometimes intense work she encounters as a soldier and in the professional workforce, Smullen is best when she is calm under pressure. She has experienced loss in her life, but used her tough experiences to learn and grow, and she expects those she coaches to use their experiences to get in touch with and live their values. Her v

Trina Phillips has always looked to the stars for inspiration. She was born four months before the moon landing and her childhood was shaped by interstellar science fiction like Star Trek, Star Wars, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov. It’s no surprise that she grew up to be a science fiction writer, looking at the world through a sci-fi telescope to help understand the human condition. What is more surprising is that her love for the fantastic found a job in the corporate world. Phillips uses her skills as a sci-fi writer and futurist to help Fortune 500 companies stay ahead of technology at SciFutures, a technology and innovation house based in Burbank, California. Phillips sees herself as an outsider in her company, one who doesn’t come from a business background. But that’s also a superpower for her, along with lots of hard work, which she uses to help clients with their storytelling. Phillips wants to see us work to use technology and science to improve humanity – to er

Dulari Amin, the president and co-founder of “Innovations Company” Phenomenon, based in LA with an office in Chicago, sees innovation happening faster than ever, and it’s her company’s job to help foster it for good. Phenomenon deals with brand, UX, digital and cultural innovation issues, and wants to use the latest innovations to benefit those who need it most. As the head of it, Amin thinks about women’s safety issues, healthcare and diversity – big ideas but ones that need innovative solutions. She believes that we, as a society, are inundated with social media and digital interference and that we don’t need to be tied to our devices. “It’s good to be quiet…to take some time off,” she said. That said, she is a driven individual, one who would encourage women not to give up, to keep on a career path and don’t plan so far in advance when to have children and when to drop out of the workforce. She believes men should support families too and that diversity means having a balance of men and women. Comi

Having a five-year plan isn’t always essential to your career. So says Amy Small, Global Head of VR at Framestore. Small has thrived in her career by being open to new opportunities as they have arisen, and those opportunities haven’t always been about advancement or promotions. Sometimes it has been the lateral moves that have proven most rewarding. Small is all about the journey, about having a satisfying and successful career. The Penn State graduate started as an intern at Disney before moving on to be a manager and director with companies such as THQ and Brash Entertainment. Small got into the interactive category with Victory Games, part of EA Games, then Skyrocket Toys before going into consulting and ultimately to her current position with Framestore, where she looks to expand past traditional gaming into the VR realm. Small has a love of new business models, and she sees VR as the wild west of technology, where she can help build from the ground up. Unlike some in the tech world, this only child i

Fjord’s managing director, design strategy, Nandini Nayak knows a lot about the human condition, especially as it relates to computers. The Bangalore native has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and her first job out of school was R&D Lab at Hewlett Packard as a Human Factors Engineer. Human-computer interaction is a strength for Nayak, and she even points out that she has two “digital native sons” and a “90 year-old digitally savvy mother.” She has used her vast knowledge to build and lead large UI tems and worked alongside design teams with multiple agencies during her time at HP. She moved to Accenture in 2010 because she loved their focus on analytical decision-making and business outcomes. Even though she is linked heavily to the digital world, she sees her role as a people person and a student of human behavior. As part of Fjord’s innovation leadership team, she drives a program called Data and Design, which is tasked to “try to bring analytical minds of mathematicians closer to designers or artists and

Erinn Farrell has a split geographic personality. The general manager of Minneapolis-based agency space150 divides her time between the Twin Cities and New York offices, meaning she sees both the “Minnesota nice” and the New York hustle often in the same week. Farrell has grown with space150 over the last decade, rising from project & creative services manager and SVP business management up to her current position, which she has held for a year. The cross-US lifestyle has been a big change for Farrell, but she revels in being uncomfortable, since it gives her more confidence in her abilities. It’s something she encourages every businessperson to do – be in a new setting, whether it’s a different position on the hockey team (yeah, she did that) to traveling to a foreign country or just getting out of your comfort zone. For her, that creates human connections, which help push your boundaries of acceptance. Farrell believes in mentorship and learning from those around you and those who have come before you.

In our first live taping of Exceptional Women Out West, at the WPI North America meeting in Portland, we were pleased to include three truly exceptional and interesting advertising professionals. Lori Bartle, president of MeringCarson in Sacramento, Mary Knight, ECD at Hydrogen in Seattle and Andeen Pitt, partner at Wasserman and Partners Advertising in Vancouver joined us on stage and shared a great deal of wisdom and perspective on their work, lives, the state of the industry — and there was plenty of candor to go around. Battle shared a story about how she was perceived as “arrogant” — when, in fact, it’s likely her Midwestern roots, steeped in pragmatism was misconstrued. Knight discussed the importance of relevance and how extra cheese flavor on a Doritos chip made her realize this was the case. Pitt weighed in on the vitality of inclusion and how we, as an industry, should be talking more about it and including more people in the abundance the marketing industry creates. The conversation also include

Kate Jeffers grew up in Oahu, Hawaii and went to the same school as President Obama. It must be a school that breeds success because Jeffers went from competitive outrigger canoe paddler to partner and managing director at Venables Bell & Partners in San Francisco, making stops along her path in Madrid and Paris to develop a positive world view. Jeffers has been with VB&P – working with Audi, Reebok, Intel and other top brands – since 2004 and before that was with Saatchi & Saatchi Paris and Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Part of her success has come from making sure everyone on her team has clarity regarding the end goal, but having flexibility in how to get to that goal. “I think it's super exciting to have to figure out a new way at something, a new way to solve something,” she said. Her positive-yet-pragmatic nature is built from diverse experiences, which gives her perspective. She believes in business and life you should do things that scare you while having empathy for those you deal with, and he

We all know great connectors in our home turfs. These are the people who, at the drop of a hat, know how to get the right people together, to talk about the right things for all the right reasons. Tsilli Pines, founder and director of (the excellent) Design Week Portland (DWP), is certainly one of Portland’s connection mavens. She possesses the uncanny skill and intuition to draw the lines between people in disparate disciplines to create magic. This gift is likely one of the reasons that DWP is a “must-attend” week, not just for design people, but for anyone who likes to be part of something bigger than themselves. A designer by trade as digital creative director at Fine in Portland, Pines doesn’t just spread the gospel of design but broader creativity as host and organizer of Creative Mornings, the global lecture series darling. Pines, like most who show honest leadership, is a renaissance person by nature and often has her fingers on the pulse of many things at any given time. Multitasking keeps it f

Rare are the moments when passions can turn to a career. Those side hustles — the things we believe in — cannot necessarily lead to the promised land of combining work and love. For Maria Scileppi, director of 72U, 72andSunny’s creative residency, when passion isn’t in play, it’s time to make change. Scileppi landed at 72andSunny, which she calls her legitimate dream job, ironically, after a work trip to Portland where she gave a presentation on finding ones dream job. Her path meandered a bit, but it ultimately landed her in Los Angeles where she and the agency curate a group of makers, from a wide range of disciplines, every three months. 72U is called “a platform for personal growth” and has engaged in a number of interesting and compelling projects that reflect the interests of each class. A master connector, Scileppi is incredibly collaborative and has designed her life to embrace change. Throughout her career, she has never shied away from playing it safe. She’s made big and small changes — and taken

Being a working mom is a big deal to Lisa Herdman, SVP of national TV buying and branded entertainment at RPA in Los Angeles. She embraces both with the same fervor, is legitimately a “happy working mom” — with two teenage daughters — and is excited about what’s around the corner for both her work and life. Her kids are, in her view, the greatest gift in her life. A voracious reader, Herdman studies up on the teenage brain, which helps her understand her daughters, but also helps her understand herself in a relatable way. “They have fulfilled me, as a person. Which sounds really selfish but I think, because of that, I've been able to give back to them in a really great, strong way of being this happy working mom,” she said. Though work and life runs at a fever clip, Herdman has found meditation to be critical key that engenders clarity, makes room for more intimate, intelligent thoughts and unlocks balance. It also can take away negativity, that ever-powerful, destructive force. Herdman, a master negotiat

For Pam Fujimoto, executive creative director at Wongdoody LA, the headline quote permeates her point of view — and there are myriad practical reasons why this is so obvious. You can’t fake your way to client success. You can’t fake something that resonates with consumers. To that end, Fujimoto self-professes that she “geeks out” on learning everything possible about a client. Just ask Coffee Bean and the other clients who rely on WongDoody’s talent, perspective and focus. Focus is a big part of Fujimoto’s back story. A devotee of Pacific Northwest creative legend Tracy Wong, she made it clear to him that this was going to be her first agency gig. His advice? Direct encouragement. You’ve got the skills, but get the book in order. Undaunted, Fujimoto, a University of Washington graduate, did just that — and after a stint at Art Center in LA, Wong hired her, saying that it was the best book he’s ever seen. Like Wong, Fujimoto is direct — but always fair — and it’s all meant as a way to not waste time and u

For Mary Nichols, account director at Murmur Creative in Portland, the past is filled with learning — especially in this industry. Growing up outside of Chicago, her father was general counsel for Leo Burnett and at any opportunity, she was at his side at the agency. “Our clients are putting you through college,” she mentioned her father saying. That was the first initiation into the importance of connection and loyalty to clients. But in her second job, working for Coors in Colorado, another, more important lesson emerged — to be herself — and it came from criticism. Playing into the “old boys” network way of thinking, Nichols veered from her own way of presenting, trying to be “cute” and fit the audience. Her boss said simply that there was never any reason for that. “You are smart. You're accomplished. You're strong. You just need to be you. Don't throw the woman card out there when you're presenting, just throw the Mary card out there,” he said. Sage advice and a great foundation from which to wo

Resiliency comes in many forms. For Rebecca Armstrong, principal and managing director at North, a Portland independent agency, both work and life are part of the narrative. Running a successful business. Overcoming stage two invasive, triple-negative breast cancer. Those are just two of the things that Armstrong, a highly-revered and respected leader in Portland’s advertising community, tackles with aplomb. Her confidence manifests itself through humor and an uncanny combination of candor, calm and restraint — possibly, in her words, due to being British. Her “game face” is far from dispassionate, it is filled with emotion but tempered with an innate ability to get to the point. That economy of words is testament to her truly being a great listener in every sense of the word. When Armstrong ‘drops the mic,’ which is often, there are substantial points to be made, all with care, empathy and understanding. Highly curious, Armstrong embraces hard work, paying ones dues and the unique culture that is a

Working in the entertainment industry does not define Kathryn Schotthoefer. Neither does her multi-cultural background. Neither does her former existence as a musician or her philanthropic efforts. All those aspects of her do combine, however, to making her the successful person she is today, which is the president of M&C Saatchi, Heavenspot – a socially-powered digital creative agency in Los Angeles. “I'm a mom, a board member, a startup advisor and an activist. I'm a musician, a writer and a pretty good cook,” said Schotthoefer, and all those things still just scratches the surface of who she is. As the president of Heavenspot, she has worked with some of the biggest clients in the entertainment business, including ABC, AMC, the Coachella festival, the movie industry, and a rising number of clients in the gaming and app world. Many may see her as fearless, but she notes that everybody has some sort of fear. It’s conquering that fear with confidence and assurance, like her 6-year-old daughter, who dance

The path Hilary Craven, CMO of Red Tettemer O’Connell and Partners (RTO+P), has taken has been filled with interesting and unique opportunities — and paved in industries that are notorious for being “boys clubs”: action sports, entertainment and music. However, Craven has always been well-grounded and is a fan of finding, working with and nurturing talent first. Both men and women have been part of her story — including 72andSunny’s John Boiler and legendary experimental filmmaker Stan Breakage — but mentoring talent, especially helping women find their most authentic selves, drives Craven. Craven places a great premium on a childlike, beginners mentality to get to the heart of not just what’s relevant, but what’s powerful. That notion follows her perspective on career — and how being a rookie, in the form of working as an admin or PA, mixed with hustle, can tee people up to be better leaders in the industry due to understanding, learning and empathizing with other people’s positions. Deeply into the exp

Sometimes, those blazing trails don’t necessarily seek the spotlight. The quest and passion of doing good work and the right things comes first. Ginny Golden, group creative director at AKQA in Portland, is in the midst of an undoubtedly stellar career — with scads of well-deserved recognition from the likes of Cannes, ANDY’s, The One Show and more — but the foundation laid at American University speaks volumes about treading paths first. At American, Golden created her own degree, Multimedia Design and Development,combining her love of all things artistic and digital. The framework built created the degree program at American that still exists to this day and produces outstanding talent. Golden places a great premium on humanity and community — in both her travels and work. Her leadership with New Avenues For Youth in Portland, in launching a fashion brand for homeless youth, underscores her commitment to the city, a place she has called home since 2011. She also empathizes with the vulnerability creativ

Independence and passion are two traits that can either get you far in life or make you self-destruct. For Zihla Salinas, managing director, Doner LA, success was the only option. The self-described half-Cuban, half-Dutch, six-foot-tall “aggressively blonde” EVP and managing director has helped the agency grow over the last year-and-a-half that she has been with the company, and she has done so through her love of creativity, her conviction and that independent streak which she attributes to her mother. “That even started from the age when I was seven years old and we would go to the dentist office. She would ask me to go check myself in at the dentist. She wouldn't do it for me. She wanted me to go up to the receptionist, sign my name in, and tell them that I was here for my appointment,” said Salinas. Even with her strong will, Salinas knows how to be warm, humble, work within a team while driving success, and know how to lose gracefully in a tough business in an even tougher town. She wants women in th