Rey Mena

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Rey Mena was an early online pioneer and thought-leader launching one of the first radio websites in the country in 1995 at Alternative Rocker - Q101/Chicago. His media career spans over three decades and includes key leadership roles in radio and television including LSM, NSM, GSM and Marketing Director at Emmis/Chicago and Co-President of Emmis Interactive, the award-winning digital media division of Emmis he co-founded in 2001. In 2012, Marketron purchased Emmis Interactive and Mena was named Co-President of Marketron Interactive.

Over the years, Mena has been an evangelist on the transformation required by radio companies to effectively compete in the digital space. Rey has been recognized with many industry awards for his achievements in marketing and branding.

In 2014, he left the radio industry to launch his successful branding and consulting firm, Menagery, Inc. There, he and his team have produced innovative marketing products for a broad cross section of brands. In 2018, Mena joined PromoSuite to lead the design and development of the new PromoSuitePlus platform.

Contact Rey at: email: rey@promosuite.com or 212-509-1200

You’ve had an extensive career in radio as an industry trailblazer. Tell us about your diverse background. How did your early career choices lead you to where you are now?

Well, unlike many folks who get into radio because it‘s a personal passion or a career path they choose in college, I stumbled into radio. My first broadcast job was actually in Spanish Television in Chicago. Back at a time when it was in its infancy, not what you see today. Looking back at the station we acted much like a startup. The team was scrappy, we played multiple roles and had no real playbook to follow. We had to think on our feet, make quick decisions when problems came up and we had to iterate along the way. Little did I know, in the future these skills would come into play when forming Emmis Interactive in the early days of the internet (circa 2001).

You were instrumental in the development and successful growth of Emmis Interactive. How did the opportunity come about and how did the experience shape your subsequent moves and choices?

While serving as Marketing Director of Q101/WKQX/Chicago, one of the country’s premiere Alternative stations at the time, we launched our first online presence on AOL. We really didn’t know what to expect. We just knew this internet thing was what everyone was talking about and spending time on. Our AOL site had multiple chat rooms and a handful of pages about the station, jocks, etc. I clearly remember right after promoting it on air, the chatrooms blowing up and being at capacity, almost immediately. We knew there was something happening with this online thing but we really didn’t grasp what it meant at the time. Later, we launched our first actual website outside of AOL’s “walled garden” and the traffic was huge. Then we began experimenting. Even though it was still a dial-up world and broadband was some years away, we streamed one of our first concerts, “Twisted Christmas 4 (1997)” through a partnership with RollingStone.com. The streaming experience was horrible by today’s standards; non-stop buffering, limited bandwidth so not everyone was able to get the stream, but it didn’t deter us from experimenting and trying new things on this new engagement platform. We knew it was a place where our listeners were congregating and we wanted to meet them where they were at. This is one of the best parts of working for Emmis Communications and in particular, Jeff Smulyan. You were encouraged to take risks and be creative and innovative. It was enshrined in the company’s 10 commandments; the sixth being, “Be creative and innovative – make our products better every day.” You never were afraid to fail. It was this attitude that would later propel me to push for the formation of Emmis Interactive as a vehicle to connect with our listeners online. As to the success we had in those early years of the internet, it could not have been possible without having a business partner like Deborah Esayian, and an incredible digital team we built around us. My key learning from that experience has been to never judge the success or failure of an idea solely on outcome. Timing plays a key role. You can have a great idea and it could fail despite the best execution because you were too early and people weren’t ready for it. So be patient. Sometimes you may have to wait a bit to pull the trigger.

How did your career path lead you to become the VP of Product Design & Development at PromoSuite? You knew Rocco from HOT 97, correct?

I’ve had a long relationship with both of the founders of PromoSuite, Rocco Macri and Chris Bungo. Rocco and I were colleagues and former Marketing Directors at Emmis. Chris and I worked closely since PromoSuite was a key strategic partner/vendor to Emmis Interactive. After leaving the broadcast industry I started Menagery, Inc, my own design and marketing company. Rocco and I stayed in touch and would exchange ideas from time to time. That led to PromoSuite reaching out to me when they decided it was time to reimagine their solutions. Rocco and I started brainstorming and I got excited about building a new product line to meet the changing needs of radio today. It quickly became a passion project and we decided to work together! I really respect those guys for running a successful company for almost 30 years and still being willing to innovate and change. I wasn’t looking to get back into the industry but when they offered me the opportunity to build and lead a new team, I couldn’t resist. Our goal was to address the same problems, yet solve them in a whole new way. We’ve built a software solution not just focused on radio’s needs today, but also where it’s headed.

When you joined PromoSuite, were you surprised at the changes that took place in the radio industry? What key observations would you share with stations?

I guess I wasn’t totally surprised at the changes. I was more surprised about how fast they occurred. Radio has had a history of moving slowly when it comes to embracing change or adapting to new ideas, at least in my career. So the speed in which operational change has taken place (operational structure, staffing, etc.) was a surprise. As to advice to stations or staff…embrace the change, it is inevitable. Yes, some of the changes will not bode well for certain roles and some people will be displaced. Finding ways to evolve, adapt and learn new skills will make you more valuable to your organization. Although you may not have ultimate control of things, try your best to be part of the change, rather than be impacted by it. Find ways to leverage your skills in a different manner. You may surprise yourself.

You spearheaded the development of PromoSuite’s new platform- PromoSuite Plus. Please describe the platform...Share the impetus behind why this project came about. Why now?

The impetus for evolving PromoSuite’s platform was pretty simple; the industry is changing rapidly and we need to be helping our clients execute those changes today and into the future. Having spent five years outside of the radio tech bubble gave me a perspective on technology solutions I would not have had if I had stayed inside the bubble. It gave me an entirely different perspective in terms of software design and how to look at the development of a holistic solution for an industry. As for the platform itself, PromoSuitePlus is unlike anything the industry has seen before. It was designed to be a complete “Productivity” platform. To achieve this goal, we have combined three basic principles—Task Management, Automated Workflow and Team Collaboration. We all know that radio staff today are being asked to do much more and wear several hats. Yet, the number of hours they have to achieve all of their work has stayed constant. Given this reality, every minute is precious. PromoSuitePlus combines these 3 principles to optimize an organization’s productivity. First, our approach to task management is to organize the work for everyone as if they had a personal assistant. Second, with our automated workflow, we are able to quickly move work from one individual to another, minimizing any downtime between steps. And third, all collaboration and approvals, be it internally or with a client, are done within the application itself. Not only does the platform increase speed and efficiency, but it ensures accountability and visibility across the organization. We’ve deployed some of the same technologies used by Facebook, Uber, Netflix, and other major players online in order to make PromoSuite the most advanced technology solution in the industry.

PromoSuite Digital, PromoSuite Production, and PromoSuite Promotions are components of the PromoSuitePlus Platform. Are they a la carte programs or are all of them integrated into the platform?

PromoSuite Digital, PromoSuite Production, and PromoSuite Promotions are all built on the all-new PromoSuitePlus platform. Each product functions independently but also works cohesively together, sharing the same attributes designed to drive radio’s productivity.

Essentially, PromoSuitePlus is the shared architecture and functionality of all three solutions: PromoSuite Production- the most advanced production workflow in the industry, PromoSuite Digital - the first-ever solution exclusively designed for radio’s digital workflow, and the soon the be released, PromoSuite Promotions - the evolution of our current PromoSuite Next product. They can be licensed a la carte or as a total solution. While I am biased, when you experience how each product works alone versus as a suite, there is no question that using the platform as a complete solution will net out the best outcome and user experience.

How does this workflow product compare to others on the market today, what makes it different and stand out?

The PromoSuitePlus Platform and all three products—PromoSuite Production, PromoSuite Digital, and PromoSuite Promotions— are unlike anything in the market. The word “workflow” is a term I see thrown around by many companies. PromoSuite is a truly automated workflow solution because users only have to focus on the task at hand. Once the user’s task is completed, the project moves on to the next person. This little difference is a huge timesaver. Our goal is to give our users back time at every step in the process. When you’re being asked to do more with less, time is a currency.

In 2021, how difficult was it to design a workflow system that demands customization as there are no one-size-fits-all options that make sense?

When it comes to software design, nothing is difficult and everything is possible. What it takes is a clear understanding of the problems you’re trying to solve and coming up with the most elegant solutions. This is where having a great UX/UI (user experience/ user interface) design approach makes all the difference. Great software design needs to address both power users as well as novice users. It needs to be adaptable to large enterprises as well as small organizations. This is the true “art” in great software design.

The benefit of being able to build a new platform like PromoSuitePlus is that we were not modifying an existing platform. Instead, we started ground-up from the very first line of code. It freed us up to think differently about how to solve the needs of both large and small companies.

Dealing with the uncertainties of the pandemic right now, how do you see the next 18 months in the industry unfolding and what advice would you give to radio operators and radio programmers?

Boy, if I could see 18 months into the future of the industry I think I would be the most sought-after person in radio! However, that is not possible. What I do see is that the pandemic has changed every industry- including radio, when it comes to how they operate their business. Things like having a complete virtual radio station where everyone (including on-air talent) is working from home were probably unthinkable, pre-pandemic. Yet, here we are. Every radio operator has had to adapt to these changing times and move quickly to find solutions that allow them to not miss a beat while dealing with the reality of a decentralized and remote workforce. Kudos to all of them for being able to adapt quickly. Providing employees with the proper technologies to do their job in the most efficient way possible— regardless of where they do it from —is the key to maximizing productivity.

What else is on the horizon for PromoSuite?

A lot. While we like to keep future product ideas under wraps, I can unequivocally say that we have just begun a new era of innovation at PromoSuite. Our focus is to provide the industry with the most advanced and intuitive suite of products to help manage radio’s continued evolution.

What is the best advice you have ever received?

I’ve received no shortage of advice over the years; some great and some not so great, but I’d say the one piece of advice that has shaped my thinking the most came from Futurist Alvin Toffler when he stated, “The illiterate of the 21st Century are not those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” In changing times, it’s crucial to look at a problem differently in order to find a new path to solve it. It’s not an easy thing to do, but when you master “unlearning and relearning,” it opens up a new world for you.