Congratulations on the promotion! How did you celebrate when you found out?
Honestly, I haven’t had the full celebration yet. The promotion came through right before I flew to DC for America Votes, so I got to celebrate with some co-workers and clients in person, which was really lovely — but I still owe myself a proper celebration with my family. That’s coming.
You started your career running political campaigns — what drew you from that world into political digital strategy?
I genuinely loved managing campaigns on the ground. Being a campaign manager, getting to develop a real relationship with someone who’s running for office, being their support system through that process — it’s a deeply meaningful experience. I studied campaign management in college, and I loved getting to put all of that into practice. But I always wanted to make the ads themselves.
In 2020, SBDigital was the digital consulting firm for my candidate in North Carolina. Through that, I got to have a hand in some of the digital strategy and ad-making, and even in some of the TV ads we produced. And I just thought — this is what I want to do when I’m ready to settle down from campaigns. That was it for me.
You’ve been with SBDigital for nearly three years. What made you want to stay and grow here specifically?
There are really two things. The first is the people. Everyone here is genuinely kind and funny, and I think both of those matter a lot when you’re on a team. These are people who look out for each other and are considerate of each other’s time and skills, and I really value that.
The second is that there was real opportunity for me to grow. When I was brought on, it was with the specific intention that I would develop here — that I’d be able to bring in my own clients, build new skill sets. As time went on, they also gave me the opportunity to learn how to produce video ads, which was a dream of mine for the past decade. There was a lot of intentionality behind it. That’s what keeps me here.
Do you have a political hot take?
Oh, yes. I think we’re not mean enough in attack ads. Attack ads work — full stop. And more importantly, voters have a right to know the full picture of who is asking for their vote.
Think about it this way: if your friend were about to marry someone who was doing awful things behind their back, would you let them go through with the wedding? We do that all the time by letting voters go to the polls without information they NEED to know.
Dare I say, attack ads aren’t dirty politics — they’re a responsibility we have to the voters.
We all know you’re a Swiftie — is there a Taylor Swift lyric or era that sums up where you are in your career right now?
WHAT a good question. I’d say I’m in my Life of a Showgirl era. But if I’m being more specific, I think I’m in my “Wi$h Li$t” era.
That song talks about the dualities of desire — wanting public success but also wanting a private, calmer life — and how those desires seem like either/or. But I want to reject that. I’m trying to believe that you can have it all. I want to work really hard and still have time with my family. I want to lead strategy and produce video ads. I want to find time to take the dogs to the park, hit the gym, go to Seattle Storm games, and cook new recipes. There are only so many hours in the day, but you have to manifest and try to have the life you want. We’ll see how it goes.
What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone just starting out in this industry?
Go work on a campaign. I mean it. Even if it’s just a state or local race — do it. I genuinely don’t think people should be giving campaigns strategic advice if they’ve never knocked on doors or phone-banked voters. And whatever you do, don’t become the kind of person who works in politics from inside the Beltway and never actually talks to normal people.
I don’t know how you can make ads that are supposed to move the hearts and minds of voters if you’ve never had a real conversation with one. You have to stay grounded in who you’re actually working for. That’s the whole point.