Meet the Team: Beth Wallace
Meet Beth Wallace, Founder and President of TorchLight Marketing (formerly Big Lens). Learn all there is to know about Beth – how she got into the digital marketing and media space, how she runs her business and her passion for safaris!
What did you study and how did you get into the digital marketing and media space?
I went to college in Atlanta where I pursued psychology. I then applied to grad schools but halfway through senior year, I decided against it. After that, I worked for two years and went to business school at Northwestern.
I was interested in publishing and had an internship with magazine publishers. Then I got into Meredith Publishing, where I learned all the parts of magazine publishing. I ended up in circulation marketing there which is math/direct response. I’d say these were my formative years. There were a lot of smart people there. Direct response modeling is now what optimization is in the digital world.
What is your background in marketing?
My roots are in traditional media like circulation marketing, direct marketing and response. I worked at Meredith before digital came on the scene. At AOL, I ran digital marketing on the buy side (not sell) for seven years and worked with some key partners to develop a technique that became DSPs (demand-side platform) to cherry-pick ad solutions. I also did non-profit work and as programmatic advertising started growing, I wanted to get into that but not for a huge company. I just wanted to do the work of running and optimizing campaigns. In February 2011, I started Big Lens as programmatic only. Then we moved into paid social, paid search and direct buys.
What is your approach to your business?
I like for everything to be measurable, even in brand advertising. We are VERY client-focused and responsive. I just want to help in any way I can. I think people appreciate my deep expertise and commitment to results. Over the years, I’ve expanded beyond our core media and advertising services and helped clients with paid media and testing strategy, identifying vendors to run media and other aspects of marketing and media.
Where are you happiest?
Safaris. I am happiest deep in the bush surrounded by a big sky, elephants and big cats. How did that start? By accident. I had just come back from Italy and read an article about a safari in Zambia. I went to Zimbabwe and just found my place. All I wanted to do was get back to Africa. No one else wanted to go so I just went and lived in there. I took 6 months off to live in Africa and eventually bought a house outside of Cape Town.
Finally, what do you like most about your job?
Getting good results for clients and making them successful. It’s fun – it may sound fake but it’s true for me.
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