Q&A with Jordan Mandel: Spaceback's Head of U.S. Sales

Jordan Mandel is Spaceback's Head of Sales in the U.S. He made some time recently to answer some questions for the blog. Read below to learn a bit more about Jordan, including his professional background, why he chose Spaceback, and what he's learned since joining the team last year.

Tell me a little about your background and experience before Spaceback.

I'm Chicagoland born and raised. I began my media career as a media strategist at Centro (now known as Basis). While there, I experienced the highlight of my career: Working full time as a digital buyer for the 2012 Obama Presidential Campaign.

My next 10 years were spent at Spotify and Reddit helping build out the ads partnership businesses in the Midwest. I fondly remember the early days in these offices and the bond that was formed with my coworkers as we took on the grind of building the business for a pair of cherished consumer platforms.

Why Spaceback?

There are so many things that excite me about Spaceback. The product, the people, the culture... the opportunity to be a part of something special. Spaceback's offering solves problems for brands and provides real utility to all stakeholders of the internet marketplace: Consumers, brands, and publishers.

How does your unique background help you in your role?

I love helping companies grow. Each chapter of my career has incorporated a focus on helping build brand partnerships for new and exciting platforms. The effort, collaboration, and strategic approach that it takes to lift a business off the ground is incredibly rewarding to me. Many colleagues from the early days at these companies remain my close friends today.

Tell us more about what you do at Spaceback. What strategies or approaches do you employ to build strong relationships with clients and ensure their success?

My role at Spaceback is to build out our brand and agency partnerships in the U.S., and ultimately lead our U.S. sales team. As a creative platform that simultaneously reduces costs and improves campaign performance, we're a true extension of our client's team. To strengthen relationships, we need to be reliable, responsive, and results-oriented. Unintentional alliteration for the win!

Can you share a memorable success story of achievement from your time at Spaceback or in your career that you're particularly proud of?

There have been proud moments at every stop of my career, from a winning Presidential election to a company IPO. At Spaceback, my proudest moments revolve around the incredible feedback we receive from our closest partners. Social Display works, and there is genuine appreciation and collaboration from our partners when they realize they can get better results with less work.

What motivates and drives you in your role? What about your job makes you want to get up in the morning and keep going?

I'm fired up each morning at the sheer size of our opportunity and the positive impact that Spaceback can make on the entire digital marketing ecosystem. With the ubiquity of social media, our universe of potential partners is practically limitless. Nearly every brand in the world would benefit in one way or another from leveraging the Spaceback platform. I want to help build a company that people love to work for and work with.

What have you learned since joining the ad tech industry? Is there anything specific that has shaped your approach to sales?

What I love most about ad tech is that it requires you to constantly be learning—understanding both industry trends and consumer behavior. Selling technology requires you to be thoughtful in your approach and focus on solutions to problems, not just products.

What role does social media play in your life?

Social media platforms connect the world and in many ways drive pop culture. While I don't actively share on social media, I consume nearly every platform and spent almost 5 years working for one (Reddit). Social media offers connection, entertainment, and education.

If you could go back in time, would you choose the same career path?

If I had a time machine, I would learn how to master guitar at a young age and tour the world in a rock and roll band. Pretty much the same thing that I'm doing now.

What piece of advice would you give to a younger Jordan?

Listen more than you speak. Take chances and trust your gut.

Are there any specific goals or aspirations you have for yourself as you continue to grow in your career?

Throughout my career, the role I would take next didn't exist when I began the prior one. That's incredibly exciting to me and allows me to focus on following both consumer behavior and industry trends. I always want to play a meaningful role in a company's growth and this pattern helps me stay ahead of the curve.

I want to make sure I'm always challenging myself by choosing roles and companies that offer opportunities to grow and learn. The rate of innovation within digital technology has allowed me to move away from traditional career goals to progress up the corporate ladder.

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We are incredibly lucky to have someone like Jordan leading the charge on our U.S. sales efforts. If you'd like to learn more about Spaceback's core offering, Social Display, reach out to us at hello@spaceback.com. We'll make sure to help your brand make the most of its social media content.

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