Hello everyone 👋!
Welcome back to Inside Freestar, where we introduce you to all of the people that make Freestar such a great place to work. Â
So far you’ve met Amber, Tim, and Christina.
Today, I have the honour of introducing to you Wariana Contreras, Yield Manager at Freestar. Warianna has spent the last few years in ad tech growing her career in yield management. She’s a born and bred New Yorker that can be found whipping up a new recipe or catching flights around the globe.Â
Ready to meet Wariana? Let’s go! ⚡
Editor’s note: The following has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Trish: Hi Wariana! Let’s dive right in — can you tell me a bit about what you do at Freestar?
Wariana: I’m a Yield Manager which involves working closely with Customer Success Managers to optimize yield for our publishers. This involves reviewing ad placement, monitoring reporting, ensuring all tech is working on a publisher’s website, and suggesting optimizations such demand partners and new products to increase revenue.
Trish: What does your day-to-day typically look like?
Wariana: I usually spend my mornings checking reports to ensure that nothing is broken on a publisher’s website and if something has, I address the issue right away. Throughout the day, I’m on publisher calls and those are scheduled on a regular cadence as monthly or weekly meetings. I do have one-off meetings occasionally if there’s a question that arises or something that needs to be discussed right away. I also meet with Customer Success Managers to make sure we’re on the same page, reviewing reports together and discussing more granular details about an account. For example, enabling or disabling a specific demand partner or seeing what optimizations would make the most sense.
Trish: What do enjoy about your role?
Wariana: I really enjoy that I’m able to be client-facing. It’s great to be able to talk with so many different people and the benefit of doing so is that nothing is lost in translation. It’s much easier to hop on a call and explain things in lamens terms and visually demonstrate something when it’s technical.
I also enjoy that this role requires me to be detail-oriented. I’m going admit that it can get tedious at times but I enjoy being in the data and numbers.
Trish: Next question is what is a fun fact that people might not know about you?
Wariana: A fun fact that people might not know is that I love to travel and enjoy the perks of working remotely. Last summer, I was in Barcelona and then in Dominican Republic for a few months to spend time with family. I’ve also worked out of Egypt and I’m headed to Mexico City next.
I often get asked how do I work remotely and it’s very similar to how I do it at home. My days are spent working but I like to take advantage of my location. I work out of co-working spaces or coffee shops which lets me be immersed in the culture while I’m working. The evenings are spent exploring the city and really being a tourist.
Trish: When you aren’t working, what can we find you doing?
Wariana: You can find me in the kitchen cooking. I’m trying to connect more with my roots specifically food with Caribbean and Latino fusion and flair. Whenever I’m watching a cooking show, I’m interested in the different techniques whether that’s chopping a vegetable or even how to properly use a knife. I’d love to overall be better in the kitchen.
Trish: Tell us a little bit about why you chose Freestar.
Wariana: I’ve been with Freestar for over a year now. I was in a similar role previously and what attracted me to Freestar was the culture. At my previous place of employment, I think my biggest concern was that the people weren’t invested in me as an employee and in my growth. It’s the complete opposite here at Freestar. Everyone is invested in watching me progress and grow in my role. If I have any ideas, everyone is supportive of getting me to that point. The people at Freestar are invested in you as an individual and not just as an employee.
Trish: Finally, what advice do you have for prospective Freestar candidates?
Wariana: I think the best step for a prospective candidate would be to connect with a Freestar employee via LinkedIn. It’s good to ask questions about the organization and get to know the team and culture before you start the job application process. If you’re able to build rapport with an existing employee, there’s the possibility that they can refer you.
WANT TO JOIN WARIANA ON FREESTAR’S YIELD TEAM? WE’RE HIRING! CHECK OUT OUR OPEN ROLES HERE.
