We recently connected with Claudia Gharai and have shared our conversation below.

Claudia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Talk to us about building your team? What was it like? What were some of the key challenges and what was your process like?

DRMZ Agency was born by both myself and Co-Founder Kam Katouzian. I bring over 20 years of Marketing + Advertising experience to the table as Co-Founder and CMO while Kam’s background and skillsets are predominately in cloud security, engineering and IT.

Since we opened our doors in 2015 we have been working with the same team. Our Creative Director, also Emmy winner has lead the production portion of our business with great admiration for our ad partners (clients.) Recruiting is such a critical and fundamentally important process however it’s incredibly time consuming especially when you launch your own agency. That is why DRMZ Agency invests in technology to not only streamline solutions for ourselves, but also for our clients.

We have a proprietary Applicant Text Solution that seamlessly engages with high-qualifying candidates to determine if they are qualified for the job…without ever having to engage a person. It is all developed via Ai and seamlessly integrates into most HR solutions.

DRMZ Agency is much more than your typical Marketing + Advertising Agency. As we specialize in three verticals, Medical, Real Estate and Law Enforcement, we are pioneering the way these industries do business every day. Our Text Applicant Solution is causing a lot of positive disruption in the HR space, while keeping our client’s hiring departments more efficient without wasting time on low quality applicants.

DRMZ Agency is also the leading Law Enforcement Agency that Prioritizes Applicant Data Security. We take security very seriously at DRMZ.

I would say there’s nothing very conventional about what we do at DRMZ, from Audience Segmentation and Campaign Development, everything we do is incredibly data-driven and methodical.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am originally from the East Coast, born and raised in Northern Virginia (McLean/Tysons Corner area.) As a child I knew right away I was intentioned to be a part of the persuasive process – where my creative abilities paired with my fierce entrepreneurial spirit (like both my parents) would propel me into the world of Advertising.

I attended VCU my freshman year where I wanted to further my education in Advertising but I didn’t quite understand what that entailed. I found the opportunity after freshman year to transfer across country to attend The Walter Cronkite Journalism School at ASU. After graduation, I was picked up by ADP INC where I was one of five college hires that launch an automotive marketing department within the billion dollar payroll company. In one year and nominal efforts, the department’s recurring revenue skyrocketed past $6M. Later that department was sold to Cobalt, based in Washington State that later transitioned to becoming CDK Global.

Shortly after I was picked up by an Automotive Advertising Agency to be the Digital Marketing Director HQ’ed in Scottsdale, Arizona where I worked directly for both Honda and Acura manufacturers. My job was highly demanding and required a lot of travel.

During my 20 year career in Marketing + Advertising I have worked for both national and boutique sized agencies.

As a Digital Marketing & Advertising leader with over 20 years of B2B/B2C agency experience, I excel in developing strategic campaigns designed to drive both new & recurring revenue. My sole focus has always remained on establishing key brand positioning, marketing strategy, solid marketing & sales pipelines, while developing an unignorable brand presence through both traditional and digital channels. Having worked for Tony Bennett, Shakira, The Bryan Brothers, BlackBerry, Porsche, Audi, Subaru and other various household names, I’ve been able to develop a well-rounded understanding of the complexities of each opportunity.

The combination of strategy, art and science coupled with my knowledge of the multi-channel digital advertising landscape allowed me to create purpose-driven business solutions, while being a positive force for change with highest quality & quantitative outputs, which became recognizable in the industry.

By identifying many of the modern pain points both agencies and brands face, I’ve been effective at developing actionable solutions for my clients that are transparent, and capable of truly making a difference.

In 2019, I was accepted to Harvard Business School yet postponed my post-graduate educational ambitions till after I established a family of her own. I continue to serve my community and is actively involved in a significant number of community roles in Arizona as well.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Managing a team is no easy undertaking. It requires true leadership skills. I also strongly suggest taking leadership classes and lessons to learn more about how to be an effective leader. Listening is number one. You must be able to listen to your team and implement strategies based on what will provide the largest ROI for your client.

Scheduling weekly and routine one-on-ones with members of your team is important to remain high-touch. In the world of remote working from home, we must be able to meet more frequently and have access to teammates at a very conversational level.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely! Reading is the best thing you can do as a leader. I recommend Marketing Agency Blueprint by Paul Roetzer as well as:

Ogilvy on Advertising

BIG MAGIC

Brand Against the Machine

I also recommend listing to podcasts on your daily community, substituting music for content that will contribute to the betterment of your agency.

Also…Find a mentor.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.drmz.work
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmz.work/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drmz.work
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drmz-work/

Image Credits
Claudia Gharai