Patricia Nelson: From Building Brands to Building Democracy

Patricia Nelson’s career has always been about connecting people to brands, to stories, and now to candidates. With more than a decade of experience in social marketing, she has worked across industries, from consumer goods to entertainment to politics. Today, she is the co-founder of Hey Victor, a mission-driven technology company providing websites to Democratic campaigns, with a focus on down-ballot races.

Her path has led her from the whirlwind of advertising agencies, the glare of national entertainment brands, and the battleground of a presidential race. Every step developed skills that would finally merge in her business venture.

Early days at VaynerMedia

Nelson started out at VaynerMedia, an agency that was itself a startup when she arrived. She was part of the first thirty employees who were working for a company that was trying to figure out what social media advertising had the potential to be. At Vayner, she worked on big clients like Campbell’s, V8, and Pepperidge Farm Milano, creating social plans that integrated creative narrative with quantifiable outcomes.

She also managed sports and entertainment accounts, such as New York Jets and Fox Entertainment. For Fox, Nelson spearheaded digital efforts for Glee, The Mindy Project, and American Idol. Agility was needed for the work. TV shows live on fan passion, and social media was an important avenue for creating buzz and keeping conversation going. Nelson assisted networks in harnessing that intensity online.

Those years showed her the value of being able to pivot. Digital platforms change rapidly, and what worked in one season may not work in the next. Nelson learned how to pivot, test, and iterate skills that would benefit her in each position that came next.

Entertainment marketing at Bravo

Following VaynerMedia, Nelson made a direct transition into entertainment marketing. Working with the Bravo network, she oversaw a team that led social strategies for several of the network’s most beloved reality franchises: Real Housewives, Top Chef, Vanderpump Rules, and Below Deck.

These programs were accompanied by very active viewers. Fans didn’t watch episodes; they engaged, commented, and produced their own content. Nelson’s dilemma was how to leverage that passion and drive it into long-term interaction. Through the application of analytics to learn about audience behavior and segmenting campaigns in response, she assisted Bravo in making deeper connections with viewers.

It was a high-stress atmosphere. Social media is real-time and public. Flubs are seen. But Nelson excelled, developing strategies that met creativity with risk-control. The lessons in the cultivation of loyalty and storytelling would one day pay huge dividends in politics.

Pivot to politics: the Andrew Yang campaign

Nelson’s next chapter was in politics. She served on Andrew Yang’s presidential campaign as Creative and Social Media Director and later as Digital Director, as per Hey Victor. The campaign was non-traditional, grassroots-focused and internet-friendly.

For Nelson, it was a chance to leverage her skills in a new arena. Campaigns are similar to brands but with greater consequences. They need to establish communities rapidly, communicate effectively, and translate attention into donations and votes.

Her role gave her a front-row seat to the challenges candidates face in the digital era. While national campaigns can attract resources and talent, local candidates often struggle to build even a basic website. Nelson recognized the inequity and began to think about solutions.

Teaching and mentoring

Alongside her professional life, Nelson was also an adjunct professor who taught graduate students social media strategy for more than four years. Teaching compelled her to simplify complex ideas into actionable steps. The students were from various backgrounds, with some pursuing marketing careers, others politics or media. Nelson armed them with frameworks that could be transferred across industries.

This teacher’s perspective continues to influence her work. On the platform at Hey Victor, ease of use is prioritized, so anyone from the first-time candidate who has had little technical experience can host professional websites. The product embodies her philosophy of teaching: make complexity simple, empower through knowledge, and offer tools that facilitate success.

Founding Hey Victor

Nelson co-founded Hey Victor in 2023 with Giovanna Salucci, another digital strategist with Democratic campaign experience. Theirs was a lofty goal: to democratize digital tool access for candidates normally neglected by the political technology sector.

Hey Victor describes itself as female-founded and queer-led. Its mission statement is explicit: “We’re on a mission to elect more Democrats to office at every level.” The company offers campaign websites that “practically build themselves,” allowing candidates to launch in minutes.

Convenience is only part of the equation. The site combines fundraising, event promotion, and communication tools with a digital base on which campaigns might otherwise flounder. For down-ballot candidates, school board members, city council candidates, state legislators, the impact can be considerable.

In an open letter, Salucci and Nelson vowed discounted rates for women contemplating bids for office. The action was practical as well as symbolic, highlighting their devotion to equity and representation.

A career of connections

In retrospect, Nelson’s career is marked by a recurring theme: bridging people. At VaynerMedia, she bridged brands with consumers. Working with Bravo, she helped bridge television networks with viewers. In politics, she bridged candidates with voters. And as a professor, she bridged students with the skills to succeed.

Each position stood on the shoulders of the previous one. The quick thinking that she gained at VaynerMedia equipped her for the quickly changing entertainment world. Bravo’s fan engagement techniques translated to political community organizing. The urgency of campaigns brought attention to the technology gaps that Hey Victor fills today.

Her career also demonstrates the merit of cross-industry experience. Skills too often get siloed. Nelson’s capacity to bridge lessons from one context to the next, from CPG brands to reality TV to presidential politics has been her strength. It enables her to notice patterns others might not see and create tools that serve multiple purposes.

The road ahead

As Hey Victor expands, Nelson’s vision is becoming more defined. The company is not pursuing the top of the ballot, where budgets are biggest. Rather, it is tackling the back bone of democracy, local candidates who build communities but sometimes don’t have a budget. By reducing barriers, Hey Victor aims to expand participation and representation.

For Patricia Nelson, it’s not just business. It’s the culmination of a career built on strategy, storytelling, and empowerment. From the startup agency days to the classrooms where she instructed future marketers, to the campaign trail of a presidential election, every step has been leading to this moment.

And now, co-founding Hey Victor, she is not merely creating a company, she is assisting in the construction of democracy, candidate by candidate.