Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Heiser.
Hi Andrew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My career in advertising technology began as a Product Manager with local Baltimore startups Advertising.com and Millennial Media. These two companies were pioneers of large scale, data driven ad networks in web and mobile respectively. Both have an extensive alumni network with dozens of successful leaders now guiding the biggest players in New York and Silicon Valley. Both were also ultimately absorbed by Verizon (by way of AOL), which then acquired Yahoo and merged the assets of AOL and Yahoo together – so I can claim all of those names on my resume :). During this journey I worked on large scale programmatic systems processing billions of transactions per day for the some of the largest brands in advertising. Later at Verizon/Yahoo I pivoted into digital out of home (i.e. digital signs) advertising. I then joined Amazon and spent 4 years working on efforts to deploy digital sign advertising in Whole Foods Markets. While Amazon’s Product Management discipline was a terrific learning experience, it was also a personal grind with a difficult commute and an aggressive culture. I decided to reinvent myself in 2025, launching my own business (Patapsco Digital Marketing) where I had three goals: 1. Take back control of my time 2. Connect with and help my local community vs big brands in California and New York. 3. Leverage my experience in digital advertising to help local businesses. Patapsco Digital Marketing was born and has checked all of those boxes. First and foremost I’ve been able to better support my wife’s career (a busy attorney) and the activities of my 3 kids, including an aspiring college actor, a high school track and cross country athlete, and a busy 4th grader, for whom I am currently coaching softball. I work with dozens of local businesses, primarily in and around Howard County on various aspects of their digital strategy. And I am most proud of the indoor digital screen network I have built, with over 40 screens in Howard County businesses and an extended network of 115+ screens throughout the Baltimore area. The screen network is designed for businesses to promote one another, while also promoting local events and content (a win, win, win in my view). Another fulfilling aspect of the screen network has been charitably helping non-profits and local high schools – advertising high school theater shows for example. And while, I appreciate and believe in the effectiveness of web, search and social media advertising – I truly believe there’s something more engaging and less invasive about sign advertising that has withstood the test of time. Signs are as old as the cave man and are everywhere around us. Presented correctly they can be relevant and impactful connective tissue in the community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
While I am confident in my digital marketing experience, there’s definitely been a learning curve to starting a business. The most challenging aspect for me is moving from Product Management, primarily focused on building solutions to a more sales and networking oriented role. I knew that being an unknown would require patience, self-promotion, and networking and it’s been just as challenging as I expected. Those skills take time and patience is probably the hardest part, but I am enjoying the journey. You also have to work to self-motivate and keep showing up – no one is there to hold you accountable except for you!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Patapsco Digital Marketing?
I chose to incorporate the name Patapsco into my company name for two reasons: 1. Patapsco State Park is literally in my backyard and a tremendous recreational resource for my family 2. My primary goal in starting my own business was to become more invested in the local community. I couldn’t think of anything that represents our community more than the Patapsco valley, as it meanders through over 16k acres of our area providing scenery, recreation and an identify for all of us. In the spirit of community, the mission of Patapsco Digital Marketing is to help local businesses with their digital marketing needs. This includes balancing the needs of the business with their own budget and circumstances. I offer the opportunity to meet in person and build a relationship over time vs a larger or remote shop that doesn’t live in and know our area well. I want to know your business and be invested in your success. To that end, I offer a full suite of digital marketing solutions that can be tailored to individual needs, including website design and AI optimization, web advertising, search advertising, streaming TV and audio advertising, social media management, social media advertising, Google Business Profile optimization, and a unique indoor digital billboard network. By mixing and matching these services to best fit your needs as a business, we can create a marketing strategy that matches your level of marketing maturity without breaking the bank.
How do you think about happiness?
I am happiest when I am able to help others succeed. When a client tells me that someone mentioned seeing their brand on our indoor digital billboard network, or that they received a successful new customer lead from our efforts, it brings a smile to my face. It makes me similarly happy when someone mentions seeing something relevant on our signs, like our promotion for the Howard County Fair last year. On a more personal side, I enjoy helping the local high schools. I am a big sports fan and like to bring awareness to our local athletes by publishing high school sports standings and congratulating notable accomplishments like state championships. I also help promote theater shows for all of the Howard County High Schools. Last but not least, helping non-profits, such as a March promotion I did for the Red Cross creating awareness of a national blood shortage, is also very rewarding.
- Digital screens can be as low as $20 per screen per month
- We have an amazing new bundle that includes digital signs, google business profile optimization, and AI optimization for your website for $1600/mo
- Website:https://www.patapscodigitalmarketing.com
- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/patapsco_tv/
- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/PatapscoDigitalMarketing
- LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/patapsco-digital-marketing/
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