Our Young Gun profile takes a look at some of the young talent across the advertising, adtech, marketing and media sector in Australia. It aims to shed light on the varying roles, people and companies across the buzzing industry.
Today we speak to Amobee platform associate Sandra Cabrera.
Time in current role:
Just over two years.
How long have you been in the industry?
Four years.
How did you get here? Was this always the plan?
As an eager graduate student trying to get her foot in the door, my first job in the industry was at Unruly as an operational executive. After getting my hands dirty and having a basic understanding of advertising, I decided I wanted to know more about the technical/optimisation side so I moved to become an associate campaign manager.
When I felt I learned all I could at Unruly, I knew it was time to move forward and that’s when I joined Amobee. I decided Amobee was the right pathway for me to expand my programmatic knowledge and improve my technical skills.
Was this always the plan?
Definitely not, but there’s not a step I regret with all the people I had the pleasure of working with and all the fun experiences I’ve had so far.
Who is your right hand person?
I’m extremely fortunate to work with some of the industry’s best and brightest. While I work across multiple teams, I’d have to say Jay Kim, Janice Chan and Melanie Kim. They are not only the most proactive people I’ve ever met but also definitely some of the funnest to work with too.
Jay’s ability to teach and his passion for advertising, Janice’s ability to connect with people and have a positive attitude any time throughout the day, and Mel’s proactiveness and kindness – these are all traits I aspire to continue growing.
What’s the best thing about the industry you work in?
It definitely is an industry where hardwork and dedication are necessary, but the people you work with and encounter makes work life 10x more exciting. The ability to network with different individuals and groups and learn from each one of them really helps to progress both professional and personal growth. And sometimes they end up being your housemate too!
And the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge is keeping up to date with all the changes and especially in ad tech, being able to adapt to the changes too! In saying this too, I think that’s where opportunities lie – finding workarounds, thinking outside the box and really using your critical thinking.
Whose job have you set your sights on in the future?
Definitely a client service manager in publisher land! Although it’s different to what I am doing now, I think being on the publisher side would be a fun and interesting place to work at.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
Music, podcasts and books. I’m a very emotional person but listening to music that resonates with you by artists such as Mac Miller, Jorja Smith, and possibly all the Tiny Desk videos, inspire me to keep moving everyday.
My favourite advert is:
Working in this industry, it’s hard to narrow it down to just one! However, currently I really enjoy the KFC ads because they’re finger lickin’ good!
Tell us one thing people at work don’t know about you?
I managed to get myself in a boxing sparring competition last year having only been to the boxing gym once in my life. The opponent I had to face was nearly half my size, but I still gave up a good fight. (I’m only 149cm tall, but I am a pocket rocket!)
In five years' time I'll be:
Hopefully backpacking in Vietnam as part of my 6-month trip around Asia, eating all the food in the world and hiking up a mountain.
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