Young Pro Corner: Caden Cox, Business Development Representative, CreatorIQ

Caden Cox, Business Development Representative, CreatorIQ

I’m a Business Development Representative at CreatorIQ, the leading influencer marketing platform for brands. I help get CreatorIQ in the market and help brands level up their influencer marketing programs.

What first drew you to the advertising/marketing industry?

I started my career in theater, moved to New York and served as a production manager for one of NYUs biggest studios, The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute, running all shows, events and marketing for the institute and NYU programs.

After a year and a half, I wanted to do something different that would apply my business savvy skills with my passion for creativity. I learned about an opportunity to assist the former Global CMO and CCO of Omnicom through a friend of a friend and jumped at the opportunity to learn more about advertising, storytelling and promoting positive change. I took another assistant role at Kargo where I operated as a strategic partner to the Chief Client Officer before I moved to Texas and took my current position at CreatorIQ.

What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned that’s helped you in your career?

Here are my three biggest lessons:

Never stop learning.

Say yes, to new challenges and new opportunities.

Stay curious about what’s new and what’s evolving.

How has community-building and networking helped you in your career? Any tips for new grads?

Gen Z and Gen Alpha have grown up on social media, we find connection online but habits built on the internet have trained us out of building deep relationships with people in person. The value of in person community can’t be underestimated; there’s nothing better. Life is all about showing up for the people in your community, at work and outside of work. I embody this more and more as I grow in my career. You have to put yourself out there and show up every day at work, to events and for your people. I wouldn’t have the opportunities I have today without networking.

You may not have success in all networking attempts and while it’s uncomfortable to hear ‘no’ or ‘not interested’, if you don’t put yourself out there at all, you’re encouraging declined opportunities before they can even happen.

It can take time to build your own community, especially if you are new to the industry. This is why communities like the Ad Club are so important. There are structured safe spaces that create ways for like minded people to connect. Make an effort to form meaningful relationships and take the time to get to know people.

What’s the best industry resource you live by (besides the Ad Club )?

One of my favorite ways to stay updated on industry news is by following all the writers at major ad trade publications across social media. Often, reporters will post about stories they write and their opinions on news and industry reports on their own social media channels, allowing you to see their perspectives online first.

I also find it valuable to review agency and company websites to read case studies, white papers and blog insights.

It’s so important to invest time in staying informed about the industry sectors you’re curious about and working in to elevate your work. Research on Google, YouTube and listen to podcasts. You have to put in the work to stay ahead.