FiT Feature:Anthony Basilio
Name: Anthony Basilio
Title: Senior Digital Marketing Manager
Age Range: 30s
Company: Doximity
How long have you been in tech?: Nearly 11 years!
How did you know you wanted to get into tech?:
I graduated in the early 2010s — I didn’t go to a UC or an Ivy League school, so networking opportunities in Silicon Valley were limited, and the economy was rebounding from the 2008-2009 recession. I wouldn’t say I knew I wanted to get into the tech industry right away. I was pretty much open to any job that would let me get my foot in the door for a marketing career. Tech was an area I was interested in and would follow in business news publications (shout out to one of my professors who gave us a discounted Fortune subscription), but it wasn’t the behemoth it is now — mobile apps were just starting to take off. I initially wanted to work at an ad agency (might’ve been influenced by that binge of Mad Men season one my senior year), but ended up at a retargeting company that had been acquired by eBay. It ended up being a nice intersection between advertising and tech, and opened me up more to the possibilities in the tech side of things. I’ve stayed in tech ever since, so something must’ve stuck!
Did your family support you in getting into tech?:
Yes, although they were probably just supportive of me finding any good job at a name-brand company after I graduated! My dad’s side, like many Filipinos, is predominantly in health care (both my grandparents on that side were physicians), and my mom’s side are mostly engineers. So there was pressure to pursue a more “traditional” career, and little understanding of what I’d be doing as a marketer or why I would pursue it. Once I got my start in tech, and they saw me being able to travel for work and pursue larger projects (I had a few cousins ask me for copies of a STAR WARS video game I worked on), their skepticism evaporated.
Can you share your career journey from being an account manager to a senior digital marketing manager?:
Being in a client service role like account management gave me the chance to cut my teeth on a wide variety of different projects — large and small budget clients, e-commerce, education and tech campaigns, etc. — but eventually I wanted to be in a role where I was marketing on behalf of the company I worked for.
I started applying to in-house roles at tech companies in San Francisco and New York (I was in Arizona at the time), that would allow me to use my skill sets as a data-driven marketer. I faced plenty of rejections before coming across a role at Electronic Arts, which was bringing more of its marketing in-house from its agency. I ended up staying there for just shy of 5 years, working on global campaigns for STAR WARS, Plants vs. Zombies, and indie games. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention some of the great managers and mentors I had there (Julie Kim, Alex Scriabine, Charles Kha); without their advice, I wouldn’t be half as successful as I’ve been in my career today.
After Electronic Arts, I transitioned from consumer tech to SaaS at Dropbox, and eventually found myself leading performance marketing at Doximity, where I’ve been supported by a great group of colleagues and leaders who are truly passionate about building out impactful workflow and communication tools for doctors and other healthcare professionals.
What do you like most about being in digital marketing?:
Digital marketing (whether you’re in media, creative, growth, or organic) is a function that sits at the perfect intersection of data analysis and creativity. Every day, you’re presented with new data (from campaigns, industry publications, user research, product engagement) that might uncover something you haven’t thought of, which challenges you to think differently and more creatively about how you’re communicating with your audience — i.e., what’s the right copy, visuals, call to action, and overall messaging to convey? The fun part is then being able to take those concepts and test them against real people — via ads, your website, emails — and then look at the data, rinse, and refine for your next iteration.
What skills do you think are most important to have or learn to excel in digital marketing?:
Data analysis, communication, and curiosity.
More and more, marketers face the pressure to show that their work had an impact, and often this requires being able to take data from different sources, stitch it together, and decipher what the data is telling you.
Equally as important as running the numbers is being able to pick out the right data points that your client, partners, manager, or even, CEO will care about — your internal audience only has so much time to offer you, and you don’t want an alphabet/number soup of different data points to confuse them from the bottom line business value you’re creating.
Curiosity is a must-have for any creative exercise — it’s curiosity that will spur you to try to get inspiration from your competitors or even other industries, to try new things, and to keep digging into the data until the story becomes apparent.
Do you have any tips for anyone trying to move to a different role within their company?:
Don’t feel awkward about proactively seeking out mentors and advocates at the company who are in the function you’re interested in. Many people are happy to chat about their experience and career path over coffee or a half-hour virtual chat, and most have been in your shoes wanting to try out different roles in the past! It also does require some patience — you’ll probably need to prove you’ve got what it takes for them to see you in the role. Ask your advocate if they’re open to you shadowing them or one of their team members in your desired role, and stay on top of relevant trends/articles that might impact the area they work in to show your interest.
Do you feel represented in tech?:
This is a bit of a layered question, haha. I feel pretty well-represented as an Asian American in tech overall; however, Southeast Asian/Filipino employment in tech is lower relative to East Asians. There’s a definite dropoff between overall employment and Asian American leadership representation at most tech companies (definitely more so for Southeast Asians and Filipinos specifically), but it’s something I hope changes within the next several years.
Do you feel supported by the Filipinos in tech community?:
Definitely! Until now, I haven’t had much exposure to a dedicated networking group for Filipinos in tech. Most of my interaction with other Filipinos in the industry has been when we happen to work on the same projects. Perhaps because there are still so few of us relative to other groups, there’s usually a degree of mutual respect. In addition, having shared experiences from growing up Filipino also provides something for us to bond over socially as well.
What advice do you have for other Filipinos in tech who are having issues growing and obtaining promotions at their company?:
Know the value you bring. Put together a list (you can update this periodically) of projects you’ve undertaken, people you’ve managed, out-of-scope work you might have taken on, and most importantly, the key results (in metrics) of your work. This will not only help you articulate your impact in regular conversations with other teams as part of your role, but also help position you for career development conversations with your manager.
Don’t be afraid of being open and candid in these conversations in terms of what you’ve done, where you’d like to be, and, most importantly, how you believe your manager can best advocate for you to get there — ideally, your manager can provide a concrete list of goals for you to achieve within a specified timeline for you to get to where you want. Of course, things aren’t always ideal, but your list of achievements and impact positions will hopefully position you for career progression conversations both within and outside your team (or company).
What personal accomplishment are you most proud of?:
I moved to New York in July 2022, after spending 7+ years in the Bay Area. It felt like a huge risk moving across the country to a new place where I had few friends and family (not even a company office where I could interact with colleagues). At first, it wasn’t easy adjusting to a new environment, whether it be socially, cost-of-living wise, or having to downsize my living amenities (lack of in-unit washer/dryer might’ve been the biggest loss here), but fast-forward to now and I couldn’t be more glad to be here. Moving to New York has allowed me to explore new hobbies, meet plenty of new and interesting people, and have a newfound appreciation for the little things (like subway air conditioning in the middle of July).
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Professionally, I’d love to be in a role managing a small team, and having more direct input on product roadmaps and go-to-market strategy.
Personally, 5 years is a long time, but right now I see myself staying in New York! Ask me in 2026 haha.
What would you like to see more of from Filipinx in Tech?
Like I mentioned, Filipinos are still an underrepresented demographic in tech — it would be great to have opportunities to network with other Filipinos, virtually or even in-person.
Do you have any tips for standing out or landing a job hunting in the current job market?:
Use your network — a good referral can make all the difference in getting your application seen.
On your resume, articulate the impact of your work to date with clear metrics (e.g., number of users engaged or acquired, size of budgets you were responsible for, number of people you managed directly or indirectly), and your relevant hard skills align with the job description (software, coding languages, etc.) That might seem obvious, but unfortunately, the job market is pretty saturated with candidates right now, and recruiters and hiring managers will be skimming very quickly for the metrics and skills that best fit the role.
Lastly, don’t get discouraged! Networking doesn’t begin and end with getting a referral, and your peers probably have some good advice. I’m happy to connect with fellow Filipinos in tech — you can reach me at https://linkedin.com/in/anthony-basilio.