WEBINAR: Ask Me Anything...Marketing Without a Filter

What’s on your mind? Bring it.

This is not a panel. There’s no slide deck. No rehearsed talking points. No safe answers.

Join NextNW for a live, no-script Ask Me Anything session with Executive Director Kent Lewis, Event Chair Danny Decker, and Marketing Co-Chair Lauren Ridgley. For one hour, you get direct access to three distinct perspectives on the same messy, fast-changing industry.

Want to talk about AI and whether it’s actually changing anything meaningful?
Frustrated with how hard it is to prove what’s actually working?
Trying to figure out how to grow, adapt, or just keep up right now?

Ask it.

This session is for anyone working in marketing who wants more than surface-level takes. No matter your role, channel, or experience level, this is your chance to ask real questions and get honest, thoughtful answers. No topic is off limits.

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Who you’ll hear from:

Kent Lewis – The Industry Operator
Kent has been building and shaping the digital marketing industry since the early days of search. From founding and scaling multiple agencies to serving as a fractional CMO and now leading NextNW, he brings a rare mix of operator experience and big-picture perspective. He’s worked across integrated marketing, search, analytics, and business strategy, and has spent decades advising companies, mentoring entrepreneurs, and building communities that connect the industry. If you’re trying to understand where marketing is headed, how to grow a business, or how to navigate your career in a constantly shifting landscape, Kent brings the long view and the pattern recognition that comes with it.

Ask Kent about:

• Where marketing is actually headed (AI, search, digital trends)
• Agency growth, positioning, and business models
• Career paths, hiring, and leadership in marketing
• Building partnerships, networks, and community
• Big-picture strategy across channels and organizations

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Danny Decker – The Brand & Experience Builder
Danny is a creative leader who has spent more than two decades designing how brands show up in the digital world. As Founder and Creative Director of Harlo Interactive, he has led the strategy and execution behind 300+ digital products, including websites, e-commerce platforms, mobile apps, and custom software for global brands and growing companies alike. His work sits at the intersection of brand, user experience, and technology, helping organizations translate who they are into digital experiences that actually connect and perform. Danny brings a deep understanding of both the creative and technical sides of marketing, along with real-world experience leading teams and delivering work that has to function in competitive markets.

Ask Danny about:

• Website, UX, and digital product strategy
• How brand translates into digital experiences
• Creative direction and building standout work
• Bridging design, development, and marketing teams
• What makes a digital experience actually perform

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Lauren Ridgley – The Growth Reality Check
Lauren is a media strategist and growth expert focused on one thing: what actually drives long-term business results. As CEO and Founder of Left Hand Agency, she works with brands to build media strategies that balance short-term performance with sustained demand growth. With more than 20 years of experience across traditional and digital channels, she brings a holistic view of how advertising works, from creative production to media buying to measurement. She’s known for challenging the industry’s overreliance on short-term metrics and helping teams rethink how they evaluate success, allocate budgets, and connect brand building with performance outcomes. If you’ve ever questioned whether your marketing is actually working the way your dashboard says it is, this is her lane.

Ask Lauren about:

• Media strategy and budget allocation (brand vs. performance)
• What metrics actually matter and what’s misleading
• Retail media and omnichannel growth strategy
• How to scale demand, not just conversions
• Fixing measurement and attribution challenges

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Come with questions. Leave with clarity, better instincts, and a more honest view of what’s going on in marketing right now.

‍Alena Campagna – The Moderator
Alena Campagna is a creative producer who turns ambitious ideas into experiences that connect with audiences, shape perception, and leave a lasting impression. She works across experiential events and marketing, branded content, docu-series storytelling, and reality TV, with a track record that includes Fortune 500 brands and organizations such as Coldwell Banker, Nissan, and the NIH, alongside major global entertainment networks and platforms including Paramount+, Nickelodeon, WWE, E!, MTV, Lifetime, Oxygen, CMT, and NASCAR. Her experience also extends into emerging technology, where she co-created and launched an AI-powered video marketing platform designed to customize content at scale. She brings a rare combination of creative range, logistical expertise, and a constant drive to find fresh ways to connect with audiences.