Gina Race - JDM Impressions

Working remotely, like we do at JDM, doesn’t mean being disconnected from colleagues. As part of our culture-building initiative, and to introduce the digital marketing world to our awesome team members, we regularly peel back the curtain on the lives of JDMers. This week, we’ll get to know Head of Operations Gina Race!

Name: Gina Race
Position: Head of Operations
Location: San Diego, CA

When did you begin working at JDM?
August 2019.

How did you know JDM was the right fit for you?
When I joined, I was the 5th person on the team. To some extent, pursuing a new opportunity is always a bit of a leap of faith. You never really know how it will be until you start, and I was hoping it would live up to my expectations.

During the interview process, I liked everyone I talked to, I was excited about the clients, and I knew I was going to learn a lot quickly. I resonated with the company values and I could tell they were genuine. It’s always a great sign when a CEO practices what they preach.

Needless to say, no buyer’s remorse and I was very happy with my decision!

What’s your favorite part of the workday?
Tackling new challenges and anything that can help streamline processes.

What’s the most gratifying part of working with your teammates?
Seeing the team grow and celebrating their wins brings me so much joy. I love to see when someone completes exciting projects, becomes a new blog contributor for the first time, shares a big client win, or comes up with a great idea.

In a remote company, how do you stay connected with your team?
We recently started using any time leftover in our weekly All Hands meeting as an optional opportunity to chat with random small groups. I love being able to get some face time and catch up with people I don’t work with as frequently.

What three words would you use to describe the JDM culture?
Fun, open, evolving.

What's something you love about JDM?
The commitment to learning and continuous improvement. Feedback is always welcomed and encouraged across the board. There’s no facade of perfection. There’s a genuine focus on upleveling skills and supporting career growth, even if that means growing out of JDM.

Can you recall a time when JDM challenged you, and how we supported you through that time?
Last year I did a radio interview about JDM and remote work. As it was happening I thought it was live, but was happy to find out it was recorded and edited first. 😅 Regardless it’s something that’s naturally outside of my comfort zone and it ended up being a great experience, in large part due to the prep work support by our comms extraordinaire! 

What’s the best thing you’ve done with your unlimited PTO?
Right before Covid hit we took a small cruise (50 people) around the islands of Fiji. We visited 2 islands per day, with a lot of snorkeling, beautiful beaches, hiking, and other activities like this floating bar/pizzeria in the middle of a reef.

What's something you love about the marketing industry?
There’s always so many different unique ways to solve a problem. You could be doing the same type of work for years, but certain combinations of scenarios and goals could spark an idea for a new strategy you’ve never tested before. Even with proven processes and frameworks, there is always opportunity to get creative and test new ideas.

What are the names and ages of your kids (or furbabies)?
My son Nico (pictured below as a four-month-old pineapple) is a year and a half.

What's something you've implemented or tested, and what was the outcome?
A few years ago I implemented a Facebook strategy using carousel ads and product feeds in a non-traditional way to tackle some very specific challenges involving different geos, budgets, down-funnel conversions, and spreading the conversions out over as many different programs as possible. It was a complex system on the back end, but it was so much fun to work on with the client. Results of said strategy can be seen in this case study!