In This Episode:
The Welcoming and Empowering Culture at Simantel
Despite embarking on a winding, non-traditional career path, Clay Deal knew early on that he wanted to work at Simantel. Having grown up in Peoria, he was aware of the good reputation the agency had and how well it fit with his marketing career aspirations. After spending years in the service industry, selling cars, working construction and performing other odd jobs, he landed his first role at Simantel – Associate Digital Strategist. At that point, he had a lot of real-world experience and a few years of agency experience outside our doors – but admittedly, he found he still had a lot to learn about the world of marketing.
Even so, Clay knew from the moment he walked through Simantel’s door that this was where he was meant to be. That’s why it was a surprise to all – himself included – when he decided to pursue a unique marketing opportunity somewhere else. And it wasn’t until a conversation during his exit interview that he began to realize the untapped potential (and authentic friendships) he was leaving behind.
In this interview, Clay opens up about the winding career path that took him from marketing novice to strategy powerhouse, and led him away from Simantel then back again. Listen in to conversation about the impact that good leadership and unwavering teamwork had on him, and the constant push to be better that gave him the confidence to be the leader he is today.
Clay’s path to self-discovery and career growth continued after he left Simantel, and ultimately, brought him back to us again. Clay’s telling of how he realized there was just something different and special about this place is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
We’re thrilled to continue telling these stories from inside of Simantel in this very special season celebrating our 40(ish) anniversary. We hope you enjoy an inside look into what makes our team (and our work) so great in this conversation with Clay.
“I tell everybody that Simantel…the power of the agency, what really makes us awesome, is when we’re all allowed to work together and collaborate on a project. That’s when the magic comes out and awesome, awesome, awesome things happen.”
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About Clay Deal
Clay is a two time Simantelite who brings more than 10 years of marketing experience to his role leading Simantel’s media team. He first joined Simantel in 2016 on the digital strategy team, then transitioned to the media team where he carved out a new position of Social Media Strategist. After going client-side for a couple of years, we were excited to welcome him back in 2021 as our sole Associate Media Director.
In his current role, Clay leads a team of digital media buyers and strategists helping them hone their skills, craft insightful campaigns and work cross-functionally with our other teams. He’s committed to driving further development of Simantel’s in-house media capabilities to meet the growing needs of our clients.
Outside of Simantel, you might find Clay on the beach or next to the grill. In fact, he’s quite the pitmaster, taking home the gold pig in our annual Smoke on the Water cookout showdown – both times he’s entered. Connect with Clay on LinkedIn.