Sales Planner

An American Studies major and a History & Film Studies minor, Katie W. has been working in TV Ad Sales for Viacom Media Networks for over 2 years

Why did you choose this job? I have always wanted to work in the Entertainment industry and when given the opportunity to work at one of the top companies in this industry, I couldn’t turn it down!

What is an average day like in your role? I build media plans for national advertisers by working closely with sales, marketing and pricing teams to meet client needs by maximizing viewership efficiency based on demographics, ratings, ad/marketing strategy. Ad Sales is a way to monetize commercial air time. Using ratings, my team comes up with how to value time (typically :30 seconds per commercial unit) in a certain show or day across different networks in a way that maximizes company revenue and remains competitive with marketplace pricing of other networks so the client is happy.

What’s the most challenging part of your job? Time management and trying to change processes as the industry undergoes large scale changes (industry based on Nielsen ratings system which is no longer accurate – due to the increase of digital media platforms like Hulu, Netflix, YouTube, mobile apps, etc.)

What’s your favorite part of the job? I have amazing co-workers and I represent products (TV programming) that I believe in, identify with and watch.

What’s a common misconception about your job? First, that there is no cold calling involved, I talk to people a lot during the day. Second, it’s not what you see on Mad Men. Lastly, even though Viacom owns “fun” brands like MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central, the office environment is still incredibly corporate/bureaucratic. Think small fish, big pond. And minimal perks outside vacation days and 401K.

Any tips for current college students who aspire to have your job? Look into digital media/entertainment opportunities rather than traditional mediums (on-air, print) because these industries are currently/about to undergo a huge period of transition/conversion.

If you had a time machine and could travel back to visit yourself in college, what’s the #1 piece of advice you would have given yourself? Intern as much as possible and in different fields/industries!!! Knowing what you like and don’t like before graduation will save a lot of unnecessary stress when it comes to “what do I want to do with my life?” and will position you ahead of your peers.

What is a fun perk of your job? I get to take clients out and eat at restaurants I would otherwise not be able to afford :). I also get to see cool concerts when artists come to Viacom for press tours, which is great.