From Duluth and Saint Paul to Krakow and Munich, Philly then Vegas to New York and the Pacific Northwest, the AIMCLEAR team is logging tens of thousands of miles to share thought leadership this fall. We’re grateful for our interactions with so many extraordinary clients, colleagues, and dear friends.
I’m very proud of what we’ve built. AIMCLEAR is extraordinary, with internationally known experts conducting in-depth sessions at marquee events. From our inception, AIMCLEAR has invested significant time and energy to help our industry come to grips with integrated paid and organic performance marketing – and most recently, honing in on how AI extends human intelligence to fuel the beast.
So as not to bury the lead, today I’m letting folks know that I’m stepping back from the marketing industry speaking circuit to focus the time I spend supporting AIMCLEAR to mentoring our team and contributing thought leadership to key clients, above the fold, and behind the scenes.
CMO Amanda Farley is commanding on stages with her presentations, focused extensively on working with investor-backed marketing clients. Advertising Operations Director Tim Halloran has emerged as another must-book speaker on the conference circuit. Director of SEO Lea Scudamore has not-so-quietly helped change the world, leading conversations about revenue-based SEO and accessibility while Senior Account Manager Krystal Hoheisel has emerged as a bad-ass marketing speaker—as a few examples.
A humbling and joyous ride
As AIMCLEAR’s founder, I helped elevate our agency to national and international prominence aspiring to deep, deep, DEEP thought leadership over nearly 20 years. We learn together and share to help our agency strive for greatness—and to make our industry stronger. Personally, I’ve logged about 2 million miles, stayed in hundreds of hotels in scores of exotic locations, and developed mutual respect and love for so many incredible people.
Most recently, I had the opportunity to be an “expert” speaker at SEOktoberfest in Munich for the ninth year, joining some of the industry’s most brilliant thinkers. It’s always humbling to be among returning scored speakers at SEOktoberfest, as each year the roster is confirmed by the votes of experts and attendees. I’m overwhelmed with gratitude to have been an “expert speaker” at this iconic event for so many years.
A couple weeks back, I announced to our SEOktoberfest family that I plan to “retire” from speaking. The love our industry leaders shared back warmed me to the core. I’ll still attend this annual mind-blower of an event, now as a participant. There are so many exciting experts rising quickly in the community. I want to make room for them to grow while I explore more of my other passions-photography, piloting drones, playing piano, recording music, international travel, boating on my beloved Lake Saganaga at the cabin, fishing, time with my daughters, etc.
I also want to support making that same growth space available to our experts at AIMCLEAR. Amanda, Tim, Lea, and Krystal—not to mention Craig, Rob, Joe, and additional names you’ll hear about soon—are deep, strategic, tactical, integrated marketers. They have extraordinary expertise to share, and we’re expanding our thought leadership footprint without missing a beat.
Let’s be clear, I am not going away. Today I’m at Pubcon, a foundational conference and industry-defining event. I’ll present with my friend and colleague Kris Jones in a session titled, “AI-Assisted Thought Leadership: Unearthing AI Limitations and Potential.” Amanda, Tim, and I will do our storied Speed Marketing 1:1 sessions on the exhibition floor. Amanda and Tim are speaking as well. I know their content is fabulous. Then we’re off to Portland for Engage, where Amanda and I will present solo sessions. I’ll speak in Lithuania in March and the Zenith Digital Marketing Conference in April in Duluth, fulfilling all existing commitments.
As our team expands, I will be increasingly selective about the topics, locations, and events to attend, and yes, an occasional very special speaking cameo. I still have so much to share. After all, I see a lot. My founder’s role at AIMCLEAR is about mentoring teams and leaders, giving input and even applying some elbow grease to support key clients.
I especially thank Laura Weintraub, AIMCLEAR’s CEO. Laura, from before Day One, has always been our secret weapon. She is a gifted business attorney, change agent, operational talent, and leader. I got the credit. Laura has done and continues to do nearly all of the hard stuff.
I’m also speaking on more personal topics as well these days, including aurora borealis photography, artificial intelligence in other topical niches, dumb shit observed in life (you know me), and mental health. While the first 20 years of my career were spent as a recording artist and touring musician, integrated marketing topics are still at the core of my professional experiences. I’m a lucky company founder in that I can rely much more on my AIMCLEAR colleagues.
Presenting is energizing, joyous, and validating. I love helping others achieve. But presenting is also stressful and can be physically grueling.
Many industry friends know that the last few years have included some extraordinary health adventures for me. So I’ve become more mindful, pacing myself and, in the process, elevating others. I’ll still be at my favorite events. I love the raw brain power, fellowship, and love among the people associated with them.
Stop by our booth at Pubcon. Or let’s grab coffee. If you’re heading to Portland, hit me up. There’s so much to share—and so much to absorb from one another. <3
