Brafton Lead Strategist Jeff Baker shares what its like to work in our San Francisco office.

Jeff Baker likes to joke that working at Brafton is like being a player on the field in the middle of a football game.

“Sure, you might have only been on the field for 60 minutes, but 180 minutes worth of things have happened,” he explained. “We’re talking about the most learning packed into the shortest amount of time.”

And if we’re continuing with the football analogy, it’s safe to say that Jeff has “played the field.” He started out as a content marketing strategist in our San Francisco office at the start of 2012 and was later promoted to the senior strategist level, where he successfully managed some of the company’s largest accounts. Now he holds down the role of lead strategist, which means he has a smaller portfolio, but provides an in-depth focus on conversion analysis, qualitative testing, and ecommerce optimization.

“After three months at Brafton, you’ve learned as much as you will learn in a year anywhere else,” he said. “The job hits you fast, but if you rise to the challenge, you can build a skillset that’s hard to find anywhere else.”

Alongside that fast-paced environment, though, is a welcoming team that Jeff said supports one another in their endeavors both inside and outside the office.

“We’re like a family!” he said. “And not that 40-person-Thanksgiving with your twice removed aunt serving burnt turkey – these are the kinds of folks that I WANT to spend time with outside of work. Having a support system that includes a whole office of people that will drop everything to help you is something you don’t find everywhere.”

Learn more about Jeff in our Brafton Q&A:

Q: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted (and still a part of me wants) to be a movie director. I’m a huge movie nerd. I see just about everything that comes out. It’s bad, I even have over 100 movie scores downloaded.

Q: What do you think is the most important quality needed for success?

Passion. That’s it. You are either passionate about something or you aren’t. If you aren’t passionate, but are a hard worker, you can still do good work. But if you are passionate about your work, you will always push to master your trade. You get better because curiosity pushes you to try new things.

Q: What do you value most in a job?

Growth. If you can master a job in six months, that’s how long it will take before I’m bored. That’s what I love about digital marketing; I could study it every day, 16 hours a day for the next 10 years and still not know everything. That’s what I look for in a job.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

A collection of journals from different high and low points in my life.

“That’s what I love about digital marketing; I could study it every day, 16 hours a day for the next 10 years and still not know everything. That’s what I look for in a job.”

Q: Which day of the work week are you the most productive?

Wednesday. I load up my weeks from Tuesday to Thursday.

Q: What’s your favorite aspect of your job?

When you can’t figure out what’s happening on a site and you’ve combed through mountains of analytics and segmented the data six ways to Sunday. Then finally… finally you find the gem you are looking for. The key report that opens the hood and shows you what’s really happening. All your data and analytics come together in a storyline. Everything lays out in a perfect narrative, and all you have to do is tell the story.

Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

After taking one marketing class in college, I decided that was what I wanted to do. I worked days and took night classes to put myself through school (we never had much money). A million years later I ended up with a Bachelor’s Degree, the first in my family. Then I got a job in the field of my degree. I don’t know many people that did that.

Q: Have any “hidden talents”?

I can always guess within 15 minutes what time it is wherever I am.

Q: If Brafton were a TV show, which character – from any sitcom, drama or reality show (of any time period) – would represent you?

If Brafton were Silicon Valley, I would be Erlich.

Have you heard? We’re hiring across offices! Check out our career opportunities. 

Molly Buccini is Brafton's community manager. She joined the team with a background in digital journalism and social media. She's a theatre nerd, pop culture junkie and lover of summertime.