Business Innovators Radio - From Political Messaging to Online Marketing: Madeleine’s Unexpected Business Innovation

Episode Date: July 13, 2023

In this episode of the Business Innovators Podcast, host Marco Salinas sits down with Madeleine Nerio, the founder of Mad Media LLC, a marketing agency based in San Antonio, Texas. Madeleine shares her inspiring journey of how she transitioned from political grassroots work to becoming a successful entrepreneur in the world of digital marketing.Madeleine’s story is one of resilience and determination as she overcame personal challenges to build her own thriving marketing agency. With a focus on helping small business owners in the home and real estate industry, Madeleine and her team have become experts in creating viral TikTok videos that captivate audiences and generate results.Throughout the interview, listeners will discover Madeleine’s unique approach to marketing, where she combines professionalism with a touch of silliness to create engaging and memorable content. She emphasizes the importance of consistency in building a digital presence and shares her insights on the TikTok algorithm, trends, and the power of storytelling.For anyone looking to unlock the potential of digital marketing and learn how to leverage the growing popularity of TikTok, this episode is a must-listen. Madeleine’s expertise and passion for helping others shine through as she provides valuable advice on following your gut instincts, choosing the right clients, and building a successful business in the ever-evolving digital landscape.Join Marco Salinas and Madeleine Nerio as they explore the world of digital marketing, TikTok, and the art of creating effective and engaging content in this enlightening and inspiring episode of Business Innovators Podcast.https://www.madmediatx.com/@madmediallcSource: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/from-political-messaging-to-online-marketing-madeleines-unexpected-business-innovation

Welcome to Business Innovators Radio, featuring industry influencers and trendsetters, sharing proven strategies to help you build a better life right now. And welcome back to another episode of Business Innovators Radio. I am your host, Marco Salinas, and I have a very special guest joining me today. Her name is Ms. Madeline Nettio, and Madeline is with Mad Media LLC. based here in San Antonio, Texas. And Madeline helps small business owners and medium-sized business owners and big-sized business owners

to improve their advertising, improve their marketing through different media and different channels, digital channels and things that are out there. And we're going to have a conversation with her today. We're going to learn a little bit more about her, how she got into this business, what her journey looks like,

and then we're going to give her the chance to tell us a little bit more about what she's doing today for other business owners. Madeline, welcome to the program. Thank you so much for having me on. I really appreciate it. Absolutely. So I'm going to dive right into this. I've got, like I said, I've got some questions lined up. I'm excited because I love to learn about other business owners. You and I, we had a great meeting recently and we were able to kind of learn a little bit more about each other and about each other's businesses. and I, for one, personally, I was super impressed with everything that you've accomplished thus far. You're very young.

You've accomplished a lot of this in a very short period of time at a very young age. And I think we could both agree you still, I mean, there's still so much more for you to just, you know, take on. I mean, you're just barely getting started here. So based on that, though, with that in mind, tell me a little bit about your kind of early beginnings with all of this stuff. Did you feel like you had sort of, for lack of a better term, a entrepreneurial gene in your DNA? Was this something that was presented to you by someone?

Like, what really sparked your desire to be a small business owner and to be an entrepreneur? Let's start with that. So I always had a hardworking mindset. But entrepreneurial one, no. I thought I was honestly going to get a government job somewhere in the capital, either the Texas capital or the Washington State Capitol. And how I got started with marketing, honestly, was I was doing the political grassroots services that I enjoyed

and I had a degree in and then COVID hit. And our politicians who got the message out with blockwalking and petitions and working the polls and door knocking and all of that stuff, all that in person, like all of the volunteer coordinating that I specialized in, it all completely shut down. So it's like a matter of like how can we get the message out if everybody's at home? And the solution to that was getting on their mobile phone and their feed and creating YouTube channels and websites and video.

And so everything kind of segues, politically wise with getting the message out there for our political candidates and getting it online. And so then that segway into doing that same thing for small businesses. So it really was a birth out of COVID and just happened naturally like that. But it certainly wasn't planned and it wasn't one of those like I read a handbook and decided to do it. It was one of those necessities like, okay, what's the solution right now? Yeah. So it was kind of a back against the wall almost scenario that just said, you know what, I've got to do something. And these are my options.

And I kind of like this pathway here. I think I'm going to try to kind of build something on my own. Is that kind of how that went down? So, yeah, I worked at another marketing company. It was, and this is all going to be edited so that it will look good, right? I mean, reporters. Of course. So.

Well, we share what you're doing. Sure. I was engaged. I was engaged to an ex-fiancee of mine and he had a marketing company. Okay. And so when I graduated college, it was we're working in tandem. Sure. And then he introduced me to a lot of the entrepreneurial mindset.

And it was something I found really, really attractive. It was, this is way more my mindset. It's not being an entrepreneur to him and his circle was freedom. And that was the freedom that I'd always been searching for but was never introduced to. So that ex-fiancee of mine introduced me to the entrepreneurial lifestyle. And it was one of those things. It's like once you adopt it, you can't go back. Right. Right. 100%.

So you got something good out of that, out of that relationship. That's great. At least you're able to take that and run with it. And I would say you've done a lot with that information. So that's huge. It was, it was one of those. He was a big follower of Grant Cardone. Okay. And then when we started dating, he handed me the, which book was it? It was the be obsessed or be average. Okay, yeah. And that book literally changed my life. Yeah, yeah.

I don't want. And so I owe a lot of how I think and what I do to Grant Cardone in that book. Sure. Along my mindset of what I think if I get discouraged or, you know, it's hard to get out of bed sometimes being an entrepreneur. It's, I remember those lessons that were in that book. So once, you know, you learn about about those things, then you realize, oh, this is what I've been searching for. Yeah. Yeah.

You make a great point, though. This is, this world that we are in is definitely not for the, for the, for the week of heart, right? It is, it can be very demanding. It can be very grueling at times. It has, like, tremendous upside potential, right? I mean, there's the reward potential is. colossal, but you've got to be able to, you know, live through all those setbacks and all the difficulties and all the, I mean, it's every, it seems like every day.

Say it again. Very unforgiving. It's very unforgiving. Correct. I agree. I agree. It was, it was something that I experienced as a political advisor as well. A lot of politicians who thought that.

were, you know, were their friends or people who pledged a certain amount to donate when it actually came down to running and fundraising and voting, their friends weren't there. Sure. I had one planted who was friends with everybody on her block, was friends with everybody in her church, was a volunteer at her kid's schools, was friends with all of the parents there. And then when it came to Volunteer Day, she had two people show up to volunteer for her. and she thought it was going to be like 100, 200 people showing up just to show up and support her. And when it came down to it, so we had a venue for 200 people, two people showed up.

So that's what it is with small businesses. It's like you think you're going to get support. And then when it actually comes down to it, you have to rely on you. And that's it. That's right. Very true, Madeline. Really appreciate you sharing that. Now, did you ever, so you worked for this other marketing agency.

Mm-hmm. But did you, prior to that, did you have any other jobs? Like, did you work a 9-to-5 job? I actually never worked a 9-to-5. I was homeschooled growing up, and I worked a lot of internships and a lot of, I did a lot of volunteer work. So I worked in offices, but it wasn't something I had to clock in and clock out. And then I, excuse me.

And then I went to college, and during college worked intern. again, but it wasn't like a job job. Yeah. And as soon as I got out of college graduated, it was straight into politics and then from politics to marketing. So I actually never had an actual job. It was, like I said, I did work, but it wasn't something I ever clocked into. And again, like, since I've been doing this, I can't imagine having a regular 9 to 5. Yeah, I was going to say, lucky you that you didn't have to step into that world.

I think the only benefit that I got from being in that world was that I use that sometimes to remind me of how much I don't want to go back. If I have, you know what I mean? If I have those difficult dates, you know what I mean? And I'm like, oh, you know what? I'm done with this self-employed stuff. I'm going to throw on the towel. Then I start thinking about the nine to five world. I'm like, ah, this ain't so bad.

I'll stick it out. Actually, not that bad. Crazy, right? Yeah. Absolutely crazy. I was like, you don't work a nine to five, nine. you work 24-7. Correct. That's right. That's exactly right. Now on that note, Madeline, can you share with me what? It sounds like you did transition into being, you know,

being your own boss with your mad media LLC company. It sounds like maybe that was kind of a quick transition. Was it? Did that kind of just come about relatively fast? And can you talk to me a little bit about what the early, maybe just tell me like what was your first year like. I'm sure it was very, very challenging. Is there anything from that first year that you can, that you can share that really kind of stands out to you, even if it's just like, man, the first year was just absolutely brutal. Like, I mean, you know, entrepreneurs really resonate with that. What can you share about the first year? Oh, so we, we can, uh, got to collect myself here. No problem. No problem.

Because the ex that I had was very inspiring, but it was also pretty abusive. I see. So it became one of those, if you don't make enough sales, you can't. Ori and more to emerge. You don't have to include that in the podcast. Oh, we see. What do we don't know what we should? Maybe things need to work.

I was really thin. I had to learn how to make sales. Gotcha. Wow. So it was a... Not the healthiest, not the healthiest work environment, to say the least, yeah. So it was a pretty isolated situation, pretty isolating situation. It was basically perform a certain way to,

to, you know, because I had a, you know, partnership with who I thought I was going to marry. Sure. Which can't really good or it can be really bad. I mean, it can, those type of setups can be one extreme or the other. Yeah. So it was. But it sounded like it was something that you had to realize, like, I'm going to have to get out of this. Yes.

Yeah. So eventually, I called the police. Eventually, it got so physical. It got some physical where I finally called the police and they took pictures and I left. Yeah. And so, but that whole time, I was running the company. So that first year, the year that, the year that, like, oh, started. the business

I was very much I learned a lot but it was very much based on I will support you and like with my ex it was I'll get us to where we need to go but you need to do your part

and I just had to figure out how that would work sure and I wanted to accomplish things too because like I said Grand Cardone introduced the idea that you create your own limits. You're right. So it made sense. We went really deep, really fast.

It's really hard to talk about sometimes. I appreciate my. I really honestly appreciate you. And that's when we're doing the backstory, sometimes some really deep stuff comes out. You know, and again, this is part of our journeys. It's not all roses, right? No.

No, so, yeah, I, it was, it was an abusive situation, but it was also very an inspiring situation because I was able to see what good I could do for other business owners. Yeah. So are you telling me that once you parted ways with this individual that you took over, you basically said, I'm keeping it. I'm keeping this business and I'm going to go ahead and proceed forward. forward with it? Or did you actually start? What happened was when I left, I thought everything was over. So the main incident happened, the one where I was like, I'm going to call the police, I'm going to stand up for myself today. I moved in with a friend and I told her, I was like, I'm going to get a job and I'm going to, you know, figure out how things will work. And then I got a call from a former employee of mine, what the old company saying,

hey, you know, we all quit today. We heard about what happened. And we were only there because you were there. And then a couple hours after that, the former clients that I had also called, said, hey, the camera guys, graphic designers, everybody, kind of let us know what happened. We're just letting you know that we're not working with him anymore. And so if you're, sorry, are you going to start your own thing because I still need your services? There you go.

And so in my head, this was all within a span of 24 hours. God. I was like, okay, I have the employees and I have the clientele. So I guess I'm going to go ahead and do this. Yes. And with my first sale for myself, I bought the LLC, I bought the business insurance. I did everything right. And then we've just been growing from there.

Wow. That is really amazing. Really, really, really, really. Not many people know about that. And it's, it's, you know, not the best rosy story, but. But it's the true story, though, Madeline, it's what really went down. And it still says a lot about you because you had to endure a lot. You had to put up with a whole lot of crap behind the scenes.

In reality, you were the one that was really running the thing. You just weren't getting credit for it. but once that tide kind of turned, once those sands kind of turned the opposite direction, everybody knew what was going on. And then all the truth came to light. And they were like, this is our girl right here. You know, she's really, she's really the one running this thing.

And so, I mean, that's, I think that's, I think the response from your fellow employees as well as your clients is, pretty much speaks volumes, right? That's really what that's all about. These people, they stuck with you. They saw the real, you know, where the real value was in that equation. And I think that that was, that, that says it all. That really, really, really says it all.

So we've established that first year was like, wow. Now what does, what, what did that, let's say that year after you were fully on your own? What did that year look like? Because obviously you've, you've been taking on new clients. You've been growing tremendously. You know, maybe you can tell me about that. let's just segue that into, tell me exactly what Mad Media LLC does. What are you guys about?

Who are you helping? Yeah, for sure. So when I was with the old company, a lot of it was, you know, professional video, digital marketing in that sense. It was, it was contents, things people needed. But what my team and I realized that's that these influencers started popping up, especially during COVID, doing really dumb things, getting way more attention and sponsorships from people that our clients wanted to get sponsorships from.

And it was these TikTok videos done shot on the phone, super simple. And here, you know, our team is able to produce really high quality video. and it gets like 10 views, 20 views. We put 20 hours into one video, hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars worth of, you know, marketing dollars into one video and it gets 20 views. And then this girl makes like a 5, 10 second, you know, kind of dumb video. Right. Gets way more return for that. So as soon as I started my company, I was like, we're going to do those.

We will. Well, we're just doing purely dumb videos here. We're just going to do dumb videos. We'll make it a little bit better, but they're still going to be. So one of the things I tell everybody with Mad Media is we make silly videos, but not stupid videos. There you go. So one of the things that we do is we're really good about getting attention for clients while making it still classy, but at the same time making it silly enough that people want to watch it.

Yeah. Because you'll see a whole bunch of videos, like especially attorneys. like to this day, even some realtors every now and then, they'll just stare at the camera, look straight at it, and then talk for 20, 30 minutes. Yeah. And just very monotone, nothing else going on. Yep. We have four second videos that have had 12 million hits in a week.

So that first year when I started, it was figuring out how TikTok works and how to make videos for professionals that were silly but not stupid. Sure. So kind of back into what we offer is some clients are really not comfortable on camera. And that's one of the things that we can't edit. You know, we can't, there is no filter for making somebody less awkward or if you hate doing it, it's going to show up on your face. There's no filter to fix that. Right.

If you look uncomfortable, there's no like, oh, make him look comfortable filter. They're going to look uncomfortable. So we provide training on how to be comfortable on camera. If you want. And then if you really don't even want that, we have models also that will represent your company, give you full rights to use the video, and that way our clients don't have to be on video and worry about that. So we'll make viral videos for the company, whether you're in it or not.

So that's what we provide solutions for because everybody sees those, you know, quote unquote stupid videos that do really well. And so we help bring that to the entrepreneur. So back into how we started that first year, it was really trial and error. It was like, okay, this is what everybody wants. And it's also what's working. So we're actually going to ditch all of our really expensive equipment. And we're going to buy a bunch of phones.

So I just bought a whole bunch of like the best cell phones. Yeah. And we, you know, experimented with different things. And so I wouldn't say we have it down, but we have it pretty close. to what scripts work, what works for different industries, what hashtags to use, what times of data post. So that's what we provide. And then we're here to be a solution for small business owners

because not everybody wants to hire marketing agency. A lot of companies take advantage of desperate businesses. Yeah. Because there aren't too many to choose from that are local and will come and film you. So, you know, there's just, there's just a lot of scammy businesses out there. So some people are like, no, I don't want you to run any of my social media. I just want you to show me how. So we developed training packages also.

Okay. And that's totally, okay, we'll show you how to do it. And you can just do it yourself. So either we can do it or show you how to do it. Yeah. So you're telling me that even with the videos that are kind of wacky and silly, there really is, Behind the scenes, there's still a formula to it. There is.

Right? And what I always tell everybody, and this is one of the things that I told also my political candidates, whenever you have a message, there has to be. It's as simple as having a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yeah. If you ground those three components, sound super simple. But so long as you have those three components, there's a clear beginning, a clear middle, and a clear end, you're going to be good. Sure.

Now. But, yeah, with those silly TikToks that are, you know, know, three or four seconds long, we can have hours of work go into those three seconds still. Sure. Absolutely. There's a whole lot of things going on behind the scenes that you don't see or realize that just to produce a short little clip, right? And that's, that knowledge comes in and experience. Yes. So there's probably 30 different components that go into one simple, simple video. We have to, especially with our attorney and professionals clients.

Yeah. You have to make sure they have the right outfit or uniform for the video. You have to make sure everybody's ready with their makeup. Yep. That they know what to expect. Yeah. You have the minds, the lights. So they're TikToks and they're silly and a lot of people think they're simpler

because it's on a cell phone. but we still have the whole light set up, the microphone set up. We still have to put in the color editing, put in the captions, put in the text. So there's a lot more components to it than just it being a simpler like, oh, it's on the phone. Right, right. And that's one of the things that we teach. But yeah, there's a lot of different things that we have to take into account to make sure that we're hitting the mark as close as possible. Well, and there's also a lot, there's almost a certain sense of like, hey, we're going to follow.

It may not be a full-blown script, but, you know, there's certainly some organization as far as like, this is what we're trying to accomplish here, this type of a video. Because I see a lot of videos on TikTok and I notice that there's reoccurring almost for lack of a better term templates. It's like, okay, this person's doing the such and such template on this. And this one's doing the such and such template. And it could be a template based on a certain song, right, in the background or a certain type of dance or a certain voiceover, right? And so there's so many of those that are out there. And I'm sure that same thing, you know, if two people are talking to each other,

you're going to want some guidance on here's what you're going to say and here's what you're going to say. So it's, it may not just be, it's not probably always as simple as what it seems like. It's not just as just grab the phone and start, you know, saying something, although those can go viral and those can have big potential. But for businesses, it's probably a little bit more complicated. It's a little bit more complex. And I would imagine you guys are able to lend a whole lot of wisdom in that regard.

Yeah. And again, everybody's different. So we actually specialize in professional TikToks where it's like a professional talking about the process. Like, for example, a lawyer or realtor mortgage loan office. And then there's also the contractors where it's showing things or a small business owner like a restaurant. Again, it's showing a product. So we'll do the videos where we'll show a whole roof getting put on. And that's a TikTok.

And it goes viral. We didn't have to have anybody talking it. And with restaurants, food is the thing that sells. It's not so much the people. So getting the right shots for things like if it's a product, there's a certain way to make a video go viral for those two. And again, it's, I wish it was just as simple as filming, you know, something random. And sometimes it is filming something random.

But when you're a small business, one of the biggest keys is consistency also. So it's not just, oh, I posted one video. It did really well. And now I'm done for my entire career. Right. Like, that's all my business needed. No, there needs to be a consistency with it. So, yeah, back in regards to the professionals,

I am thoroughly in many ways against dancing TikToks. I don't like them. I think they're stupid. They're just not, they're pointless. It's like if you're trying to hire a realtor, you want a knowledgeable realtor. Yes. You want, if you're trying to,

if you're looking for an attorney, you don't want the attorney who has the best dance on TikTok. You want the one that can, win your cage. Right. Settle. How do we make something like that go viral because it can do more damage than good if you don't do it right.

Yes. I agree. So what we do with the scripting is with how we compose the videos, it's really tailored to the client, but it's never going to make them look bad. It's not ever going to do damage. And if somebody insists, oh, hey, I want to dance. TikTok. We're not the company. We're not the company to do that. We don't promote any sort of profession that wants to just be rival for the sake of being viral.

So you're conscious and you're aware that, hey, we still need to try to convert this thing. Silly as it may be, we need to still be able to convert it to dollars, right? A dollar at the end of the day. So I think that obviously that's huge. And, and Madeline, I mean, like, that says so much about you. You're like, you have your boundaries. you have your standards. There's people you can help and there's people that you can't help because so many of these little small marketing agencies are like, I'll take anything. Let's go.

And you're already pretty much like, no, that's not what we do. We're not about that. And I'm sorry, I'd love to help you as long as you're willing to follow our parameters that we know work, then we're here for you. But otherwise, best of luck, you know. Best of luck. There's probably a few people we can refer you to, but it's not going to. We can't take you.

You're right, right. The last question business-wise that I had for you was what, you've already covered a little bit of this, but just give us a breakdown. Who are you primarily helping? What industries? Right. So anybody having to do with the home and the real estate industry number one.

So mortgage loan officers and realtors, things like that. Okay. But things having to do with the home. So like a lot of contractors, people who have to do with plum, H-back roofing, things that have to do with the home. Yeah. And then anything having to do with the profession where they're not used to so many Tick-Tops out there,

we like to be trailblazers. So with some of our clients, there are no TikToks we can refer to as an example to show our client. we're the first kind of industry to be on TikTok. I see. Either that or we're the first industry in Texas to be in that TikTok. It's like, okay, well, that company has TikTok accounts, but they're all the way out in California. There are in Texas and the way we do things in Texas is very different than we do there.

So any sort of company that is trying to get some sort of digital presence that isn't out there, that's what we thrive on. Gotcha. Because we will be trendsetters in that area. And it's way more beneficial for a client also because there's no competition. Sure. They're the first ones of that industry. So any leads that come in through that platform are all theirs. Got it.

Yeah, I love that. That is really cool stuff. Thank you, Madeline, for sharing so much awesome, amazing information. We're getting close to wrapping up. I just have a couple of final questions. And these are definitely a little bit more laid back, a little bit lighter-hearted stuff. the next question that I had was what do you do when you're not working? What does your recharge from business time look like?

Do you have any hobbies and who might you spend your non-business time with? Or are you just 24-7 on the clock? I try not to be 24-7 on. I really have to pull myself away from work. I do like exploring new places. I'm kind of like a food-holic. I love new restaurants. So if I'm not working, I'll look up some sort of restaurant I haven't been to before and go there.

And, you know, I like going for walks downtown. I like to see. I'm a downtown kind of person. Any city I visit, I always like being in the downtown area and exploring. and yeah, just and then to unwind, I'm honestly on TikTok all the time.

TikTok's so good about knowing what you like. Boy, Arby. Crazy. So I'm like watching those kinds of videos just to just to see what's out there I get way more. I learn way more about

the world watching TikTok than I do. You know. Sometimes I'm like, Oh, wow, I'll put it got to TikTok University. I'm so with you with crazy. That little algorithm is crazy, right? It's just like I've been blown away at the, you know,

the depth of how far it can go into sub niches and subcategories of my interests, you know? And as a business owner, like I'm certainly on self-employment talk. No, no question, you know what I mean? So I went to the fabric that coupled up as tailored to being, you know, self-employed and I think you probably see the same thing. I myself, like you, I'm a foodie, so it'll be like a business video and then it's like some cooking video right after that, right?

Right. So it's like, travel videos because it's like, it takes so much time to travel and, you know, but there's these travel influences and they're like, did you know the inside of what this hotel looked like? No, show me. So I'm all about. Stop that. Exactly.

That is so awesome. All right. Now, here, this one might rack your brain just a little bit, but this is our final question. This one can go a little bit deep, but let's just say you could go back to the beginning of the process of entering into the marketing world. Okay. And Madeline today could go and whisper something in the ear of Madeline then.

Besides, I'm going to say, I'm going to go ahead and say this, besides the obvious, which is don't involve yourself with a certain person. Right from maybe that. But then again, again, you did, there was still good. There's good in the hair situation. There you go. Yeah. Aside from that, though, maybe what would you,

what kind of advice would you have given that, that former Madeline that was just entering into this world with the experience and knowledge that you have so far? It's a trust your gut when it comes to employees and clients. and clients and how certain things should proceed, it's always a matter of just trust your gut. If it doesn't feel right, don't do it. So if you don't know whether you should hire somebody, don't hire them.

If you don't feel like you should work with that client, don't work with that client. If somebody's giving you advice and you still don't want to follow that advice, don't follow that advice. So that would have saved me a lot of, of time figuring out that, you know, I do know that I have a gut feeling for a reason. Sure. Because in the end, that it was, that, that voice is telling you some sort of truth that you need to listen to.

Love that. Totally love that. Great wisdom, great advice. If we want to learn more about you, if we want to continue to follow your journey, what's the best way to stay in touch with you? Yeah, finding me on Facebook. Always there. I'm finding, like, reach, reach out to my personal or my business one on Facebook. We could also find out more info on us through our website, madmedia tx.com. And we're pretty much on all the social media platforms also.

So we're pretty accessible. Yeah, definitely. Online. We will be sure to include some of those links in the show notes. so that anyone that listens to this is able to, you know, keep in touch with you. And especially if a business is interested in your high quality services, they'll be able to reach you through there. So thank you again, Madeline. So much, this has been such a joy talking with you.

Your story is amazing. Like I said at the beginning, I'm personally super impressed with your progress and all that you've accomplished. And I think your future is super bright. So keep on getting up out of that bed every morning because, The world needs you and needs your services, and you're doing great. So thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate you having me on. Absolutely.

And that does it, guys, for another episode of Business Innovators Radio. We will catch you here next time. Thanks for listening to Business Innovators Radio. To hear all episodes featuring leading industry influencers and trendsetters, visit us online at businessinnovators.com today.