Life at Nexxen with Stephanie Baghai

In this edition of Life at Nexxen, we sat down with Stephanie Baghai, Delivery Manager from our Los Angeles office. We started the conversation with a language skill we found on Stephanie’s LinkedIn profile, discussed how the team handled the general election season, and found out her next travel destination. 

You have Portuguese listed as a fluent language on your profile, is it your first or second language? 

I learned Portuguese at the same time as I learned English, but I consider Portuguese my first language. My mother is Brazilian, so I used to spend every summer in Brazil as a kid. Once, after returning from an extra-long visit home, I actually had to register as an ESL student to help re-learn English when I returned to the states.

Is there a Portuguese saying or proverb that you really like? 

“Cada macaco no seu galho” which literally means “each monkey in his own branch.” It’s a reminder to not concern yourself with what others are doing.

Did you grow up in Los Angeles? 

Yes, born and raised in a Brazilian community. I really enjoyed growing up immersed in the culture and the food. 

And you attended college in the Midwest? 

For college, I wanted to go somewhere far away and different. I visited Marquette University in Milwaukee and it checked a lot of the boxes I wanted for a university, not least of which was a great business program. 

Your past career experience utilizes your business and marketing education. Can you explain how you joined the Delivery Management team here at Nexxen? 

It was a role for the Amobee DSP. They had seen the advertising portion of my Google ad and campaign experience, and thought I’d be a great addition to the team. It was a sliver that I wanted to expand more on. It was nice having that client facing experience in my past role while also having that technical back-end experience.   

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what to expect with the role. As the interview process went on, I became very excited and thought it would be a great fit. Now, I’ve been here for 3 years and I really enjoy the work I do. 

Can you explain how Client Success, Account Management, and Delivery Management teams work together?  

At Nexxen, we customize our approach to each client. If they want a Delivery Manager or a team that’s more hands-on, we’re happy to provide the support they’re looking for.  

For some clients, we’ve done in-person training with their team, because they wanted that extra hands-on experience and insight into our DSP. Other clients let us manage their campaigns completely without any explanation. They trust that we’ll be able to outperform our competitors and exceed their needs, so adapting to each client and their campaign needs is one of our big driving factors. 

How do you decide the campaign delivery strategy – which vehicles you’ll be delivering in?   

Nearly all my clients are in the political space, so it’s extremely niche in terms of targeting and delivery. They know exactly what districts they want to serve with incredibly specific parameters. In that regard, we’re focused on optimizing each client’s campaign to stand out when everyone else is also competing in the same districts with the same people.  

This also means really tough competition in this niche market. Oftentimes we’re targeting only a few zip codes with a specific age group, demographic, income, and/or political party affiliation. During election season, particularly for swing states, it’s us and everyone else competing for the same six states. In this way, it’s different in terms of a strategy for a consumer good or even generic brand awareness campaign.  

Are you and your team members assigned to specific regions within the U.S.? 

No, we serve all regions. Many of our clients are based in Washington D.C., but we have team members on both coasts and in the central regions. This ensures that there is always someone available to our clients whenever they need us.  

The last few weeks before a general election, however, the whole team is essentially running 24/7.   

Leading up to the election, how did you and the team stay grounded during such an intense period?  

During such a busy time, it helps that each member of the team is as invested as you are. Knowing that you’re not alone and that what we’re doing is making a significant impact for our clients helps keep you motivated.  

It’s a true all-hands-on deck collaborative effort – the team can swap hats at any given time, jumping in and out of their regular roles and responsibilities. You know that we always have someone to step in and make things happen. 

What are hobbies that you enjoy? 

I love to travel. I love experiencing vastly different places, food, cultures, languages and people. I think it’s incredibly insightful, rewarding, and a privilege that’s helped me in my personal (and professional) growth.

Ok one more question since said you mentioned travel: What is your favorite place that you’ve traveled to so far? And what’s the place you’re looking forward to visiting in the future?  

For my favorite, I have two answers. My most unexpected favorite place was Egypt. I knew I would enjoy the trip, but I was blown away by how well preserved and intact the history and ruins were.    

My second answer is Peru, because it was just so beautiful. I went with five of my best friends, and we did a five-day hike to Machu Pichu. It was a once in a lifetime kind of experience – it was picturesque, and very challenging – in a good way.  

For future travels, I’m looking forward to going to Taiwan. Particularly for the night markets, because I love street food.