If you’ve ever wondered what happens when you combine cheerleader energy, coffee-shop grit, and marketing intuition so sharp it could slice through a stale brand pitch—you get Joanna Newbold. Our new VP of Client Services brings a little sparkle, a lot of smarts, and an impressive ability to make everyone around her feel like the most important person in the room. Spoiler alert: it’s not just a superpower—it’s strategy.
Joanna’s story starts with a high school coach named Mr. Girard, a cheer squad, and a love for selling yearbook ads to local businesses. “I found it interesting learning about their businesses and creating ad strategies,” she recalls. That early spark became a flame, leading her to decades of experience in marketing, sales, and running an agency.
Joanna’s cheer days. Can you guess which one is Joanna?
But let’s rewind for a second—this isn’t your typical marketing origin story. Joanna didn’t take the corporate ladder; she built her own. Starting from the ground up, she’s invested in a restaurant for her mom to attracting the hit show Man vs. Food to their restaurant, owning a coffee shop, and resurrecting a Depression-era tagline for a client—”You don’t need teeth to eat our meat” (with the help of her husband Drew… who is also a marketer!) —Joanna has always had a knack for finding the heart (and humor) in every story.
Check out the video below: “You Don’t Need Teeth To Eat Our Meat at Jim-Denny’s”
It’s that rare blend of insight, grit, and good old-fashioned hustle that makes her such a powerful force at Ace Studios. “I’m excited to focus purely on client needs and growth,” she says, with a kind of quiet confidence that makes you trust her immediately. “It’s about clarity, empathy, and following through. Making our clients’ jobs easier and helping them meet their goals.”
Joanna’s leadership style? Three words: Insightful. Adaptive. Empowering. She listens deeply, sees the full picture, and most importantly makes people feel seen. That applies whether she’s helping a client shape their brand strategy or wrangling five (yes, five!) grandchildren. Her kids call her the baby whisperer, and her dog Pete (a Shih-Poo who thinks he’s a Pit Bull) agrees.
Joanna with her cute shih-poo, Pete.
Fun fact: Joanna doesn’t drink coffee (we know, we were shocked too), but if Ace Studios were a coffee blend, she says she is still figuring out the perfect blend which is very on-brand for someone who believes the best work is always evolving which reflects her favorite marketing mantra: “Perception is reality.” To her, great marketing lives in how people feel, connect, and engage with your brand—and that truth drives everything she does.
When asked what her younger self needed to hear, Joanna didn’t hesitate: “Trust your gut. Invest more in your 401k. And take more vacations.” Wise words, especially from someone who’s spent her career helping others build businesses without losing her humanity along the way.
Whether she’s mapping a campaign, troubleshooting with grace under pressure, or bringing human-first storytelling to the forefront, Joanna isn’t just adding value—she’s raising the bar.
So if you’re a client wondering what it’s like to work with her? Expect heart. Expect strategy. And expect a woman who genuinely cares about getting it right—every time.
Christopher Thigpen
Ace Studios
May 2025