Jessica Hawthorne-Castro

Jessica Hawthorne-Castro is the CEO of Hawthorne Advertising, a data-driven performance marketing agency with deep roots in direct response television (DRTV) and a growing footprint in digital and connected TV advertising. She is widely recognized for modernizing the agency her family founded, transforming it into a full-funnel, analytics-led organization that serves major brands across industries. Her leadership has positioned Hawthorne as a go-to resource for brands seeking measurable, accountable advertising in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Hawthorne-Castro has been a consistent public voice on the challenges and opportunities facing performance marketers, particularly around attribution modeling, cross-channel measurement, and the industry's response to privacy regulations such as the deprecation of third-party cookies and Apple's ATT framework. She frequently contributes thought leadership on how brands can maintain performance accountability while adapting to a privacy-first ecosystem, making her a respected commentator at the intersection of data, creative, and media strategy. Beyond her agency leadership, she is an active contributor to industry conversations through Forbes Council columns, speaking engagements, and media appearances. Her career reflects a blend of entrepreneurial ownership and operational expertise, having grown up in the business and taken the helm to guide it through the digital transformation era. She is known for championing women in leadership within the advertising industry and for her emphasis on combining creative excellence with rigorous data analytics.

Last updated Jun 6, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team