20 Questions for… Nina Feiner

My ideal work environment 

My house. It’s quiet and there are no distractions.

Deadlines make me…

Work. After 15 years of weekly deadlines, they are part of my life.

I learned the most from

My father a”h, a real doer who helped anyone in need, who worked in nonprofits his whole life and started many programs to help the poor and needy.  His goal in life was to do what needed to be done — I hope I live up to his expectations.

The best piece of advice I got

“The customer is always right” — a business mantra that emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction and company service, and something we always try to live by. But I do have to remember that while client feedback is valuable, there are times when the demands are unreasonable, and my job is to balance customer satisfaction and manage expectations, all with fairness and sensitivity.

1 What does your week look like?

On Sunday and Monday, I’m up at 7 a.m. working on the page layouts of the magazine. This is the actual process of designating the placements for the reserved ads in that week’s issue, and it can be done only at the later stages of production. We close Family First for print on Sunday, and the main magazine is closed on Monday. Over the next three days, I work on ad sales for the next issue, as well as billing and collections for prior issues. Friday is for finalizing sales and sending in placement requests and design specs to our production team. The fun continues on Motzaei Shabbos with last-minute ads and changes, and then it’s our Sunday print day… and the week starts again.

2 What do you seek when hiring staff for your department?

People who are very organized and detail-oriented, and are self-starters. They need to know how to sell and have good communication skills.

3 What has changed in the marketing industry over the years?

The quality of advertisements. Ads today are far more sophisticated and enjoyable for readers to consume, which we see from the incredible feedback we get. The latest is that AI has totally changed the game for ads, and professional marketing firms are churning out top-notch graphics.