WINNER: PREPRESS/CREATIVE

Christine “Chris” Wilt

Chris Wilt is an ad hub manager with CNHI, overseeing a hub in North Andover, Massachusetts.

The site produces print and digital advertisements for 28 newspaper locations in seven states.

“Chris has enjoyed a long career in ad production, starting as an artist at a local weekly and leading up to the large operation she leads today,” said Jim Falzone in Wilt’s nomination.

Her team produces more than 8,000 ads per month, including traditional print ads and geo-targeted animated digital ads.

Besides regularly looking for ways to improve customer service and efficiency, Chris overcame a major obstacle last year. A large-scale systems crash forced Chris to resort to manual ad production and ad tracking for all of her sites. With the help of the local IT team and her own staff, Chris created a workflow with e-mail, spreadsheets, and simple cloud storage to keep her operation going. “She rallied her team, most of which were working remotely due to the pandemic, and worked very long hours herself to ensure all newspapers published,” said Falzone.

“Chris is a true professional and is a highly respected leader at the North of Boston Media Group,” Falzone continued.

On her general approach to operations, Wilt, who is retiring in March 2023, said: “Attention to detail is one of my strong suits, which helps tremendously in a deadline-oriented environment. There are many facets to our department, which include tracking and finalizing all publications to ensure ads are final for press time, addressing any issues prepress may have before press and during press time, and minimizing waste.”

“I would never be where I am without my team behind me. They are the ones that make me shine. I have a great staff that makes my job easier. They all work independently and get their jobs done, so it leaves me time to do my job.”