Tessa Horehled, Senior Creative Digital Strategist, specializes in educating companies on how to integrate social and mobile into existing marketing strategies and advises on how to measure, optimize and build current digital efforts to increase value and develop strong relationships. Managing digital marketing and online communities since 2001, Tessa has worked with both large and small entertainment, retail, technology and non-profit clients and corporations.
Her first four professional years were spent in the music industry during the advent of online street teams. Tessa led the online and offline street team marketing efforts for major label and independent artists such as Sister Hazel, Third Eye Blind, Natalie Merchant, LeAnn Rimes and Gavin DeGraw. Following this, she co-founded and was the Director of New Media/Artist Development and A&R for Brash Music — the independent record label formed by Earthlink’s ex-President Mike McQuary and distributed by Warner Music Group’s ADA. Tessa promoted and worked eleven album releases while at Brash, including artists such as Coldplay, Jump Little Children, Rubyhorse and Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses & Velvet Revolver).
Tessa then moved to 360i — an award winning digital marketing and search agency — where she widened her breadth of experience by working in Account Coordination and Search Engine Optimization as well as the agency’s Emerging Media division. With clients such as NBC, Borders, MTV, AARP, Universal, Scripps, H&R Block, JC Penney and Discovery, she actively engaged in both strategy and hands-on blog publicity, viral marketing, community management and social networking. She also helped develop and recommend new processes by utilizing new technologies to streamline clients’ current engagement processes.
From 360i Tessa moved to Super Deluxe — a division of Turner Broadcasting System — where she worked with both their Marketing and Community divisions, digitally enabling comprehensive online marketing campaigns, serving as the lead video strategist, establishing customized key metrics leveraging all data, and by validating and dissecting community interaction. Once Super Deluxe merged with Adult Swim, Tessa began offering social media and community management consulting and education for entertainment agencies, tech startups, print media and publicity companies throughout the United States.
She then moved back into the agency world at THINK Interactive, Tessa served as a Senior Strategist focusing on Social Media for clients such as Sears, Orkin, Intercontinental Hotel Group and MARS Petcare (Nutro). Her role encompassed activities such as social research and strategy, management of social research tools and thought leadership in the interactive and social community. Along with client initiatives, she also led internal education at THINK – broadening the agency’s overall understanding of the evolving social media landscape, trends and best practices, as well as sharpening up THINK’s social presence.
In her most recent role at Engauge, Tessa worked within the Digital Innovation Group providing creative social, mobile and web strategy and tactical assistance, as needed, to the agency’s team of Social Strategists and Community Managers across the group’s roster of clients (including My Coke Rewards, Chick-fil-A, Cisco, Woodford Reserve, Nestlé). She identified opportunities with emerging platforms and technology partnerships and actively generated new prospect discussions and worked directly with the Vice President of Business Development and Marketing through the acquisition process.
Tessa is involved with a number of Atlanta tech meetups and communities including her role as Co-Founder of Social Media Club Atlanta, IgniteAtlanta and WordCamp Atlanta, Founder of ATL Tweeters, and frequent host of Jelly casual co-working events. She is a Founding Organizer, Communications Director and Web Evangelist for Atlantans Together Against Crime (ATAC) and a Contributor to Blog For Food. Tessa is also a Brand Enthusiast for Nintendo, and previously for Palm, has written an Atlanta-based culture and entertainment blog, Drive A Faster Car, since 2001, and is a Contributing Photographer for Vice Magazine’s DOs & DON’Ts and Metromix Atlanta.
