The Fierce Video editorial team is proud to present its third annual Emerging Leaders Awards, recognizing the brightest young professionals rising up the ranks of the streaming TV industry. Throughout the month of May we’ll be featuring these profiles with each of our finalists. We will announce the winners during our StreamTV Show with a live awards ceremony in Denver on June 6 at 7:30 p.m. MT. Not yet registered for the StreamTV Show, running June 6-8? Be sure to register now!
Nicole Martin/Discover Mediaworks:
Nicole Martin is the head of analytics and digital growth at Discover Mediaworks, leading all aspects of the company's initiatives in streaming and consumer interactions, including OTT strategy, digital marketing, social media, brand awareness, app experience, worldwide distribution, ad placement, product and commerce integration, along with corresponding analytics. She also directly oversees the company's original series and the nation's longest-running travel and tourism show, Discover Wisconsin.
Martin uses her background in data, production and operational assessment to steer and speak to multiple divisions in the company in terms that are tailored and actionable. Before returning to her home state to join Discover Mediaworks, Nicole was a key player in research for Pop TV, where amidst a major strategy rebrand, Pop was one of three networks across all of television to grow audience over six consecutive years, as well as the first network to take a streaming-original show into cable. Preceding experience includes post-production for TNT, TBS, Electric Entertainment and a variety of series and pilots, which followed her internship through the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
What her colleagues are saying:
"Nicole is an absolute pleasure to work with and is a gifted storyteller, finding the underlying meaning in any data set and presenting the insight in a vibrant, clear and interesting way. She literally is an idea factory, constantly adding to her idea book for new ways to analyze, organize or summarize information of all kinds. Nicole's creativity and enthusiasm spreads throughout every organization she touches, which makes her a natural leader by example." - Mitch Metcalf, head of audience analytics at ICM Partners
"What once were purely broadcast plays that Discover Mediaworks bought airtime for, are now vibrant revenue generating content pieces on social media, consumer CTV sets, mobile apps and more ... and all in just one year. Nicole was pivotal in the shift from our broadcast focus into digital, as her production and analytics background not only audited our brand performances, but also produced documents that outlined the most efficient steps for growth, and broke down the shift into understandable terms that could be immediately applied to every area of the company with confidence." - Mark Rose, CEO of Discover Mediaworks
Streaming Industry Q&A:
What streaming services do you subscribe to?
Discover Wisconsin+, Netflix, Hulu and Peacock. There's so much great content out there, I wish I had more time to enjoy it all.
Describe your biggest career highlight so far.
I'm fortunate to have had many opportunities throughout my career so far where I was exposed to innovative advancements that provide incredible streaming solutions and perspectives, like our most recent launch of FlixBuy. The most meaningful highlights of my career, however, are moments when I get to see how much my work impacts communities — from prioritizing the prominence of underrepresented voices through "Schitt's Creek" and "One Day At A Time," to the local economic effect on family businesses with Discover Wisconsin, to documentaries like "Neither Here Nor There" that I worked on as I first entered the industry. Being able to know that the work I do makes a difference for someone and matters on such a deeper level is the highlight of a lifetime, hands down, no matter where my career may lead.
What has been your biggest career learning experience?
One moment that sticks out to me is my first day on the TBS show "Wedding Band." I felt extremely OCD when I was packing up all my usual first-day accessories and information, and a little voice inside me kept telling me to put my scanner/printer/copier machine in my trunk. When I got to the office and connected with my supervisor Chad Beck, the associate producer on the show, he mentioned how unfortunately everyone's first paychecks were going to be delayed because they had no way to print the correct paperwork and make copies to send to the finance office in time. I revealed that I had actually brought a printer with me that day (along with a ream of paper), and that it was a scanner too if we wanted to email the paperwork to be more efficient on the tight deadline.
I can still see the happy and surprised look on his face, knowing that some of the other crew members were counting on those checks. Every time I think of that day, I'm reminded of the power behind listening to that little voice. Whether seemingly small like a printer, or something more impactful, such as instances where I've had to speak out against offensive marketing materials to ensure the representation of our brand maintained a respectful tone, choosing to listen to that little voice has always made a difference. In fact, checking in with my gut while being adaptable and prepared, is something I've held onto every day since, and a core value that's propelled my career at every stage.
What's next for you in terms of new challenges in streaming TV?
Streaming has already taken over the entertainment landscape, and with the increase in associated technology and infrastructure, the world is shifting to ensure streaming's stability. One of the next challenges of streaming TV will be its balance between personalization and privacy. We're increasingly moving toward an ever-integrated environment, where the technology for social and interactive systems through avenues like CTVs and AR/VR, will remain prevalent and readily available, providing enough convenience for solutions to a consumer's lifestyle. The quantity and type of data collection that will be deemed necessary for services to provide a certain standard of quality curation is already in question, and those focused on building consumer trust and accessibility will have an advantage. The beauty is that these core elements can be addressed and accomplished on any scale, big or small, mass or niche, globally or locally.