MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. May 24, 2024 –– Two Ovative Group experts were recently honored as winners of AdFed Minnesota’s annual ‘32 Under 32’ Award. The award recognizes young professionals going above and beyond in the marketing and advertising industries, with 21 Ovative employees being nominated and 221 total nominees. Of the 221 total nominees, two were named a ‘32 under 32’ winner: Esther Chan, Sr. Analyst of Measurement Solutions, and Julia Marks, Director of Media Strategy.
This year’s theme for the award was ‘Rising Stars.’ Shared by Adfed, “This stellar event commemorates the bold exploration that young professionals in advertising and marketing do in their everyday work. We’re celebrating the diverse ways they make a difference for their teams, their organizations, and the community that surrounds them.”
AdFed’s 221 nominees was a record number for this year’s award. Ovative’s 21 outstanding nominees spanned different areas of the business, including measurement, media strategy, affiliate marketing, and more. Esther and Julia were crowned winners through an anonymous scoring process by local marketing and advertising experts.
Esther Chan, Senior Analyst of Measurement Solutions, was nominated for her steadfast commitment to excellence. Shared by her manager Kaitlyn Huss, Esther has a “rare combination of kindness, attention to detail, and unwavering composure regardless of the circumstances.” She has consistently earned the trust of high-profile clients by delivering actionable insights and maintaining a steadfast presence as a reliable resource. Serving as a “power-user” for another team, her skillset around MMM and MTA marketing models and training sessions have driven innovative product improvements and enhanced team knowledge. Esther’s impact is felt within and beyond Ovative through her volunteerism, including participating in Ovative-wide panels, mentoring local students, and participating in her church’s mission trips.
Julia Marks, Director of Media Strategy, was nominated for her deep media strategy expertise and outstanding problem-solving skills. Peer Emily Gislason, a 2022 AdFed 32 Under 32 winner recognizes Julia’s intelligence and work ethic, “Julia is willing to dive into any problem and help build a plan to solve it.” She has applied this mindset to driving new capabilities that are making waves in the industry. Julia built Ovative’s Media Strategy team, creating a cutting-edge center of excellence that develops customer-centric media strategies for clients. She was also instrumental in developing a full-funnel measurement framework, filling a critical gap in the marketing industry. VP of Client Services, Shannon Kast, adds, Julia is “always one step ahead of everyone, putting together long-term plans and recommendations for clients and internal teams.” Beyond this, she is involved in many areas of Ovative outside of her direct role, including mentoring junior team members and volunteering with Women’s Initiative Network (WIN), Ovative’s Diversity Resource Group for women.
Ovative’s additional nominees include:
- Abby Burton, Manager of Affiliate Marketing
- Alex Wohl, Manager of Video and Programmatic Media
- Brie Zellmer, Technical Project Manager
- Courtney Peter, Sr. Analyst of Affiliate Marketing
- Edwin Reyes-Herrera, Data Scientist
- Eva Weigman, Sr. Manager of Client Services
- Jordan Ripp, Manager of Client Services
- Liv Schoessler, Sr. Analyst of SEO
- Luke Curran, Sr. Analyst of Feeds
- Maya Gorr, Director of Media Strategy
- Megan McDonald, Manager of Paid Social
- Morgan McLinden, Sr. Manager of Measurement Solutions
- Nick Frederickson, Manager of Retail Media
- Paige Reno, Manager of Digital Experience Optimization
- Prachika Agarwal, Solution Architect
- Sam Bloomfield, Sr. Manager of Video and Programmatic Media
- Shristi Bashista, Analyst of Tag Management
- Stefani Weimholt, Sr. Product Manager
- Zac Beck, Sr. Manager of Measurement Solutions
See the full list of winners here.
ABOUT OVATIVE GROUP
Ovative Group is an independent, full-funnel media, measurement, and creative firm. Leveraging our deep industry expertise, we help brands like Domino’s, Facebook, The Home Depot, General Mills, Disney, and UnitedHealth Group transform their media and measurement programs. The result? Profitable growth that speaks for itself.
At Ovative, we don’t just track data, we redefine success. How do we do it? Our proprietary MarTech platform, EMRge™ helps businesses transform marketing into a driver of sustainable growth. Powered by Enterprise Marketing Return (EMR), our differentiated approach to holistic media buying, planning, and measurement, EMRge™ is the first MarTech platform to measure businesses holistically. We’re all about raising the bar every day, and it shows. Our work has been recognized by organizations like Digiday, Google, Inc. 5000, USA Today, and Search Engine Land. For more information about Ovative, visit our website or follow Ovative on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
ABOUT ADFED
The Advertising Federation of Minnesota (AdFed) is a non-profit, professional trade association that has served the Minnesota advertising community including agencies, advertisers, suppliers, and students, since 1906. AdFed is a part of The American Advertising Federation (AAF), the nation’s oldest national advertising trade association. To learn more, visit https://adfed.org/.
