Upland Second Street Session

Monetizing the Moment: How Gannett and Federated Media Built Million-Dollar Promotions Businesses

In today’s fast-moving media landscape, growth belongs to those who can monetize the moment. Every organization is chasing sustainable revenue, but few have mastered how to replicate success year after year.

Join two powerhouse media leaders, Rebecca Capparelli, Vice President of Promotions at Gannett / USA TODAY Network, and Deb Williams, General Manager of Digital Sales at Federated Media, for an inside look at how they’ve each turned promotions into proven, scalable revenue machines.

At Gannett, Rebecca’s team has engineered a $30M+ annual promotions business through a finely tuned mix of people, process, and technology on a national scale. And at Federated Media, Deb led a local-first initiative that trained sellers to make promotions a true client solution—driving seven-figure revenue growth and 80% team adoption.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Empower your people: Build and train teams that drive creativity, accountability, and consistent results.
• Operationalize your process: Create repeatable playbooks that scale from local to enterprise.
• Maximize your technology: Use the right platforms to transform bold ideas into measurable client wins.

Whether you’re leading a national media group or a local team, you’ll walk away from this session with a practical framework to build your own revenue machine—turning short-term wins into sustainable growth.

Moderated by Julie Foley, Senior Customer Success Manager at Upland Second Street along with Rebecca Capparelli, Vice President of Promotions at Gannett / USA Today Network and Deb Williams, General Manager of Digital Sales at Federated Media.