Abbie Spahn, Well Done’s brand-new traffic manager.
There comes a time in every AD agency’s life when it must take a deep breath, meet its own gaze in the mirror, and soberly ask itself: How are we going to get all of this work done?
The answer to that question (for us, anyway) was to bring on a traffic manager. As our clients have grown in size—and as individual projects have gotten more complicated—we realized a smart traffic manager could help us prioritize tasks, do consistently high-quality work, and optimize our time.
Finding a good traffic manager is easier said than done. So we were lucky to interview several strong candidates before hiring Abbie Spahn. Previously, Abbie helped manage traffic at a financial services firm. At Well Done, she’ll use her killer organizational and communication skills to keep our staff on task and our work on point. Learn more about Abbie in the Q&A below.
Let’s start with your origin story: Where are you from? Where did you go to college? What led you here?
I was born in Hastings, Minnesota, which is a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. I went to college near the north shores of Lake Superior at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. We are not afraid of the snow up there. My husband is a native Hoosier, so I moved to Indy after we got married in 2014.
Your husband actually works at another local agency. You’re not a spy, are you?
No one would want me to spy for them because I’m a painfully awkward liar. I don’t think anyone would be fooled by me.
In your last job you were an account manager at a financial services firm. How did that prepare you for the role of traffic manager?
I worked at a small firm with a number of clients, so I had a lot of practice trafficking projects and communicating with a variety of people in different disciplines.
As traffic manager, you’ll be responsible for (among other things) making sure everybody gets their work done. What’s your strategy for keeping people on task?
It’s obvious that everyone at Well Done cares about their work, so I think the best thing I can do is proactively and productively communicate project details. My main responsibility is to support the entire team, so I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to help them get the work done. I’m not above tempting people with treats.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
I’ve always been happiest when people and process are at the core of my work, so this role is right in my sweet spot. I’m coming from a position where I worked from home the majority of the time, so I’m really looking forward to retiring my yoga pants and wearing some mascara.
Why Well Done? What about the agency made you say, “Yeah, I could work there.”
Because I’m a traffic manager, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know I love lists. So here is my list of reasons why I was drawn to Well Done:
- Everyone I’ve talked to about Well Done Marketing says you are a great group of people.
- Your website convinced me that as a team you genuinely enjoy and care about each other and your clients.
- The client list includes a number of nonprofits and speaks to the agency’s commitment to bettering the city.
- When I was looking into the agency, I came across a post saying the team was looking for the best yeast donut in the city. Who doesn’t want to work at an agency that cares about the quality of their donuts?
If you could play Cards Against Humanity with any three people, living or dead, who would you choose? Why?
Trever Noah, because I think he would simultaneously make me laugh and teach me something new. My grandfather, because I’ve been told he was a witty jokester, loved to have a good time, and loved to play cards. Anyone who knows less about pop culture than I do (good luck finding that person).
Finally: What’s your secret superpower?
I can spot the smallest of spiders in the dimmest of light.