Toni was a Smarty Pants client before becoming one of our most valuable assets. We aren’t sure if the mutual attraction began in the backroom of a focus group facility, while co-analyzing data tables, or during an onsite presentation. All we know is that it was meant to be.
Toni is a gifted insights professional who now serves as an Insights Illuminator. She is responsible for designing, fielding, managing and analyzing research for several of Smarty Pants’ key clients, including Google, BET, Warner Bros Discovery, TikTok and Ulta Beauty. When she is not immersed in data, moderating or leading ethnographies, Toni can be found designing eye-catching videos and presentations that creatively bring learnings to life.
With more than 10 years of experience in media and kid-focused categories, and as a founding member of Smarty Pants IDEA committee, Toni has a deep understanding of what motivates consumer behavior and drives engagement with branded content. Her knowledge of all things youth, combined with her robust research skills and interest in social patterns, results in impactful stories driven by data and human insight.
Toni began her career at MTV as a marketing research analyst, then spent her time at Millward Brown Digital collecting and analyzing quantitative data to assist in clients’ digital ad campaigns.
She returned to Viacom at Nickelodeon as a consumer insights analyst creating online surveys, managing primary research and producing syndicated reports. Her stakeholders ranged from senior executives to content developers to live events teams and consumer product teams.
Toni received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Syracuse University, where she was on the Dean’s List and an active member of the National Honor Society.
She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Media Studies from NYC-based The New School. In true Smarty Pants fashion, she was both a magna cum laude graduate and an officer in the National Association of Multi-Ethnicity in Communications.
Toni currently resides in Los Angeles but still represents her birthplace, the greater New York City area. She loves Pilates, following social media trends, attending pop-up events and bringing real-world experiences on both coasts into her work.
