At this point, it's safe to say that Pandora is a household name. If you're not using the service at home, it's likely you're hearing a Pandora station somewhere—your gym, your neighborhood bar, even your grocery store. The beloved music empire has successfully overtaken our culture, one station at a time. But what may not have occurred to you is that behind those beautiful interfaces, there's an entire company of specialists dedicated to making Pandora bigger and better. And they're not all audiophiles (although it's pretty hard not to love music when you're working in it)—some of them came to Pandora because of other passions. Take Casey Forbes, Pandora's VP of Central Sales. Her passions include working in media—her grandfather started a newspaper and her dad later worked in the business, too—and also a passion for sales. Suffice to say, she's in her dream career. Here's Casey on what that means and why it keeps her on her toes:

I come from a sales family. My grandfather started a newspaper and [later] my father and my uncles ran it together. Years after my family sold it, my father stayed in the business. I remember being a kid watching my dad work on the layout of the paper. Back then they used a glue to do the mock of the paper. I can still smell it if I think about it hard enough.

Years later I had the opportunity to [work in sales] for a radio station in my hometown. I decided to give it a shot, and I haven’t looked back since. I remember being a little kid listening to AM radio in my bedroom. I loved the sound of it. It was soothing and mysterious. Between that and my love of music, it just made sense.

On All Signs Pointing to Pandora

That all lead Pandora. I made the move because I knew it was the future. Not only was it an incredibly cool place to work, but to be honest, I knew I was getting older and that at a certain point I might not be hirable if I didn't push myself into new territory. Traditional radio was changing. Listenership was shifting, and I realized that if I didn’t learn this new world, my career could be cut short. It’s been the best decision I’ve made. I can’t begin to explain all the things I’ve learned. 

On What Work at Pandora Looks Like (Hint: It's Both Big- and Small-Scale)

I oversee sales for Pandora’s Central Region, so I’m tasked with helping marketers solve their biggest challenges. On a monthly basis, Pandora has almost 80 million users. Music is a passion point for people. So, between our massive scale and the personalized experience we can provide to each user individually, we can reach consumers in exactly the right moments. We find that when a listener is in an environment they’ve created for themselves, they are way more receptive to messaging. 

Pandora is playing a huge role in the current media landscape. Not only did we prove that on a monthly basis millions of people want to consume music differently than they had in the past, but there is also this current shift to a screenless world. When you think about the rapid growth of [the concept of] "connected home"—specifically smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and Google Home—connecting with people through audio messaging is more important than ever. This is our sweet spot. Voice is the new touch, and we have the platform to support this shift.  

On Being a Woman Leader in a Male-Dominated Industry

I’ll be honest, for the most part, I’ve been incredibly lucky throughout my career. As a female in a leadership role at Pandora, I’ve felt incredibly supported by the company, my male peers, and my boss. He hired me five years ago and has given me so many opportunities to grow internally. I owe him a lot. Our company truly supports the best person for the job regardless of gender.

Having said that, much earlier in my career, there were times when I’ve felt tossed aside by my male counterparts. My comments were ignored or I was treated like I didn’t deserve a seat at the table. That’s the opposite extreme, but I can relate to women who have been made to feel that way.

My advice to any woman who wants to serve as a leader at her own company is to stay true to her beliefs and ignore any negative noise. Don’t get caught up in it. The most important way you can prove yourself is to do your job well. I do think that women face a challenge—it's a real problem and I'm not discounting it—but I also feel strongly that we can’t rest on that or ever let it be an excuse. You can only control what you can control, and you get revenge by doing the best job possible. Challenge yourself to grow. The most growth I’ve seen in myself came from situations that were the most difficult. Gravitate toward the challenging roles. Show 'em all what you're made of and things will fall into place.

On What Comes Next

I’m only one year into my new role as VP, so it’s hard to think ahead given how ingrained I am in what I’m currently doing. That’s where my head is right now—[focusing on] doing the best job I can possibly do in the moment. I have a fantastic team in an amazing region of the company. It’s hard to think about what’s next when I am so happy living in the moment that I’m in. There is so much to be excited about right now at Pandora. Our product roadmap is robust. We’re really focused on maintaining our user base and always thinking of new ways to grow it. That’s what excites me. We have some amazing things coming over the course of the next 12 to 18 months.