Daniel Gale-Rosen is the Director of Marketing at Alley Interactive and specializes in all things digital and social.
WHAT LED YOU TO START WORKING IN DIGITAL/MEDIA PUBLISHING?
I love being creative, and digital allows for quick creation of content. I also love the data side of things, and the wealth of analytics that are constantly available on digital content make it an always-changing, always-exciting space to test, measure and improve.
WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
The majority of my day is spent with research, thinking about our marketing efforts, and consolidating those thoughts into some kind of formalized document. As I mentioned above, I love measuring, and so I try to structure everything I do so that it can be analyzed after the fact and we can get some useful information out of it (as well as hopefully some awareness or business). This goes for digital things like website changes, ads, and so forth, but also in person — events, swag, and everything else.
WHAT’S YOUR WORK SETUP LOOK LIKE?
Since I work at a remote company, the tools I use most are those that allow us to collaborate, even across vast distances. The top three would be Slack, Zoom, and Google Docs. I’d say about 90% of my work takes place on those, and the rest is spread across many different apps, including a browser (of course), Keynote, and a couple others.
WHAT DO YOU TO GET INSPIRED?
When I’m looking for inspiration, I often take a bit of a break — working from home, I can turn off my work timer, and go read, or watch TV, or even take a walk. Consuming other media, and thinking about something else, often gives my brain the jumpstart it needs to surmount that next challenge.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF WRITING OR QUOTE?
Only conceptually related to digital and media, I’ve always loved the poem Ulysses by Tennyson. It’s about exploring, seeking knowledge, and taking risks, and that’s what I love about my work.
WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING/INNOVATIVE THING YOU HAVE SEEN ON ANOTHER OUTLET OTHER THAN YOUR OWN?
I am constantly excited by some of the new data visualizations that outlets like the Washington Post are putting out, particularly those related to politics (things like tax cuts, health care, and so forth). They take these complicated, challenging subjects and break them down in easy to understand ways — for example, https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/tax-breaks/
WHAT’S THE PASSIONATE PROBLEM YOU ARE TACKLING AT THE MOMENT?
Our agency is built to support media publishers and give them the tools and support they need to create the content they want. So, for us, if we do a great job, we’re not really talked about — the sites just work, the flow is easy, and so on. What I’m looking at solving now is getting our name out there in a way that fits with our mission, and in a way that allows us to find the right kind of business and help our clients that need it.
ANY ADVICE FOR AMBITIOUS DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND MEDIA PROFESSIONALS JUST STARTING OUT?
Don’t be afraid to try new things. This world is constantly changing, so even veterans are still figuring things out as they go along. There are always new ways to make things work and make things successful, so test it out — you might find one!
