How Ashlee Clarke Built America’s Largest Woman-Owned Media Agency—and Isn’t Slowing Down

While most agency leaders are playing it safe right now, Ashlee Clarke just made her boldest move yet. As CEO of Empower Media and now Co-Chairwoman of the newly formed Empower Ocean Media Group, she has just closed a $1.5 billion merger that makes her company the largest woman-owned media agency in America (and the largest independent media agency in the country).

Ashlee didn’t follow a traditional path to the corner office. She began her career in front of the camera as a TV anchor for the Style Network and CNN, where she learned to think on her feet and distill complex stories into concise narratives. She’s also a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer and has testified on Capitol Hill. That unconventional background shows up in how she leads. She values clarity over jargon, results over process, and she’s built her reputation on being the kind of leader who tells it straight and follows through.

We had the honor of interviewing Ashlee, and she spoke with us about what it actually takes to run a “signal vs. noise” organization, why she works until midnight and considers it part of the job, and how a Maya Angelou quote shapes the way she makes hard decisions.

Check out our interview with Ashlee below!

Ashlee Clarke, CEO of Empower Media

You started in front of the camera before moving into the boardroom. What did anchoring at Style Network/CNN teach you about leading under pressure and communicating complex decisions, especially in high-stakes moments?

Ashlee Clarke: Anchoring taught me poise under pressure. On live TV, you have seconds to absorb a story, understand the context, and speak clearly to millions. That same skill guides me in the boardroom when I’m making high-stakes decisions or leading through change.

Anchoring also sharpened my ability to translate complexity into clarity. Breaking down intricate stories for a live audience trained me to do the same with clients, teams, and executives, turning data and strategy into actionable narratives. Credibility and trust were non-negotiable on camera, and they remain the foundation of how I lead today.

How will you preserve entrepreneurial speed and autonomy during the Empower–Ocean integration? Which governance choices keep you free of holding company red tape?

Ashlee Clarke: We designed this merger to retain the agility and independence that define both organizations.

• Independent P&Ls: Empower and Ocean retain their P&Ls, ensuring each agency can make rapid, locally accountable decisions.
• Centralized Technology & Procurement Only: Shared platforms and procurement create scale advantages without slowing down client-facing strategy.

This approach gives us speed where it matters and centralized leverage where it adds value, avoiding the bureaucracy that frustrates many holding-company agencies.

Culture integration is where many mergers falter. What are your non-negotiables for culture, and how are you operationalizing them to protect a woman-led leadership ethos?

Ashlee Clarke: Culture is the backbone of every decision we make, and in a merger, it’s what separates success from stagnation. For me, the non-negotiable is Living Empowered—ensuring every team member feels confident to take ownership, lead boldly, and contribute at their highest level.

We operationalize this in practical ways:

• Onboarding: New team members are immersed in mentorship and cross-agency collaboration, reinforcing an empowered, inclusive mindset from day one.
• Incentives & Performance Reviews: We reward bold thinking, measurable impact, and collaborative leadership, not just individual output.

By embedding empowerment into every touchpoint—how we hire, recognize, and promote talent—we protect a woman-led, high-performing culture that thrives even amid change.

Can you share a recent example where your teams blended data science and storytelling to shift a client outcome?

Ashlee Clarke: We worked with a national retailer whose media spend was driving foot traffic but not conversions in-store.

Our data team identified the gap: regional pricing inconsistencies were diluting ROI. Our strategy and media teams translated this into a clear narrative for the CMO using an interactive dashboard that connected data to actionable insights.

The outcome: The client adjusted regional pricing strategies, and campaign ROI increased by 17% quarter-over-quarter. Data revealed the problem, narrative unlocked the solution.

Where is AI already delivering measurable lift (planning, creative versioning, MMM/attribution, ops)? What guardrails are non-negotiable?

Ashlee Clarke: AI is helping us in media mix modeling (MMM) and creative versioning, allowing faster “what-if” scenario testing and personalized creative at scale.

Guardrails include:

• Regular bias audits to monitor for algorithmic bias
• IP protection so client assets are never used in external model training
• Full GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliance—consent is a philosophy, not a checkbox

AI is an accelerator. It enhances human insight but never replaces it.

You’ve unveiled Empower Ocean Media Group’s new brand identity. What does the name and logo signal about your strategy, culture, and client promise?

Ashlee Clarke: The name signals our combined DNA:

• Empower: Fearless, woman-led innovation
• Ocean: Depth, precision, and performance at scale

The logo reflects East-West roots, full-funnel capability, and a rejection of legacy holding company constraints.

Frontline teams will operationalize the brand over the next 90 days via:

• Unified client dashboards that combine data-driven insight with storytelling
• Cross-coast collaboration sprints between New York, LA, and Chicago teams
• Standardized brand toolkits for every client touchpoint to ensure consistency

It’s how we deliver on our promise every day.

Walk me through your weekly operating cadence: which meetings do you protect, which decisions do you batch, and when are your “golden hours” for deep work?

Ashlee Clarke: Evenings are golden hours for deep, mindful work, strategic planning, or prepping for client meetings.

Morning blocks are reserved for major decisions and executive alignment. I run a signal vs. noise organization, meaning:

• Signal = the patterns, insights, and data that move the business forward
• Noise = distractions, vanity metrics, unnecessary meetings, and reactive work

We apply this lens across everything:

• Decision-Making: Signal = aligned with core strategy and long-term goals; Noise = short-term distractions
• Culture: Teams are taught to question low-value tasks and focus on real impact
• Operations:
• Meetings = decisions, alignment, accountability
• Metrics = retention, growth, ROI, culture strength
• Communication = direct, clear, courageous

As CEO, my role is to keep the organization tuned to signal, strip away noise, and channel energy into fearless growth.

I often work late (sometimes past midnight) to review updates, align with teams across time zones, or handle follow-ups. I’m known as a “night owl.” I don’t have work-life balance—my work is a lifestyle. I have big goals, and I’m willing to make the sacrifices required to achieve them.

In summary: My day is structured around intense focus periods, not a traditional 9–5.

What is your personal energy-management playbook—rituals, boundaries, and recovery practices?

Ashlee Clarke: My energy playbook is built around intentional intensity and sustaining performance over time.

Even on packed days, I start with 5 minutes of deep breathwork to regulate my nervous system, followed by music in my closet as I get ready. That’s my moment to step into the zone—it’s game time. Let’s go. Time to bring the heat (one of our Empower values).

What’s on your “always delegate” versus “never delegate” list?

Ashlee Clarke:

• Always delegate: Noise. I don’t spend time on it—leading a signal vs. noise organization means I walk that talk.
• Never delegate: Business strategy, all-agency communication, talent decisions, major client inflection points, and culture-critical moments.
• Trigger to delegate: I haven’t reached that point yet.

Is there a mantra, quote, or affirmation you hold close—and can you share a recent decision where it guided your choice?

Ashlee Clarke: Maya Angelou’s words guide me:

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

In business, this shapes how I lead. When making tough calls, presenting strategy, or giving feedback, I always ask: How will this make people feel? Respected? Empowered? Valued?

Recently, I had to redirect a major client initiative that wasn’t performing. Rather than issue a top-down correction, I reframed the conversation around shared goals, acknowledged the team’s effort, and laid out clear next steps. The result? Stronger alignment, renewed motivation, and a team that felt seen—not sidelined.

For me, leadership is about how you make people feel. That becomes your legacy.