Right Side Up Talent Spotlight: Fred Hadra

The Right Side Up Talent Spotlight series profiles some of our full-time employees and growth marketing consultants. We chatted with them to learn about their incredible professional experiences, expert marketing insights, and how they’re balancing work and life.

Fred Hadra | Growth Marketing Consultant, Offline Practice

Fred Hadra is a growth marketing consultant who specializes in podcast advertising and offline media. He's been a member of our offline practice since August 2019.

Where is home these days?

I'm based in Los Angeles, CA. I have a desk in our guest room, but I’m also on the go a lot and take my laptop to get work done in between appointments, meetings, etc.

What do you do here at Right Side Up?

I’m an offline growth marketing consultant. I help brands scale their podcast and offline advertising campaigns in-house.

Tell us about your professional background and area(s) of expertise. Any achievements you’re proud of or notable brands you’ve worked with?

I’ve worked in higher education, startup environments, political advocacy, and various forms of marketing. I am most proud of my work with small companies; I enjoy helping make their first serious investments into podcast/offline media and showing them what's possible, and I love teaching them how to do it right from the beginning and giving them confidence that I treat the money they are investing as though it were my own.

What excites you about growth marketing? Has your work changed since you first started? What do you see for the future of growth marketing?

Podcast advertising in particular has changed a LOT. The industry has grown tremendously in terms of content and the number of advertisers in the space—particularly direct response advertisers. Dynamically inserted ad technology has entered the picture, and it hasn't been good for those direct response advertisers; bigger brands are pushing money into the space because of dynamic ad serving. There's also the rise of acquisitive content platforms like Spotify creating a sort of arms race, and now AI-fueled ad tech.

Sometimes I sound a bit "get off my lawn," but I'm not convinced that the industry is in a better place than it was 6-7 years ago when podcasters were more focused on making interesting shows and recording baked-in ad spots, and those ad spots were being sold at rates that allowed companies to grow and podcasters to make money. All that being said, I'm often wrong, about a lot of things!

What has the structure/flexibility of Right Side Up’s model allowed you to do outside of work?

My wife is a pastor, and the church community is the center of our life. We’re able to build that community, care for people in our city, and build relationships in no small part due to my flexible work schedule.

And now, let’s get to the fun stuff…

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A marine biologist! I loved sharks as a child, and I'm still fascinated by them as an adult.

What do you like to do for fun in your geographic area?

Visiting National and State Parks parks to go hiking, backpacking, and camping.

What’s a TV show, podcast, book, video game, recipe, etc. that you’re loving right now?

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

Do you have a favorite quote?

“You do your worst – and we will do our best.”—Winston S. Churchill

What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to? Why?

Bora Bora. Over-the-water bungalows. Need I say more?

Want to speak with one of the marketing experts from Right Side Up about your company’s growth strategy? Drop us a line at growth@rightsideup.co to get started. Or maybe you’re interested in joining the Right Side Up team? We’d love to chat—reach out to talent@rightsideup.co and we’ll be in touch.