Meet Forest
Forest Taylor
Forest Taylor
Digital + Social Strategy Lead
As Big Valley’s Digital & Social Lead, Forest oversees a small but very mighty team of individuals working with Big Valley’s most prominent clients to deliver integrated planning and communications. Before joining the team, Forest was a North American communications planning practice member at Weber Shandwick. He led engagements in industries ranging from kitchen appliances to green energy.
High water marks include the launch of Schick’s first direct-to-consumer efforts and the relaunch of 23andMe. Forest’s B2B and technology experience includes work for Envestnet, Honeywell, 1E, Memsource, and Stratasys. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated with a double major in journalism and philosophy.
He lives in Minneapolis with his partner and two very ungrateful cats.
What do you do?
I lead Big Valley’s Digital + Social team. I am also a senior leader of our Strategy + Positioning Practice. What that means for me is that I often run the gamut between category-level planning and channel-level activation.
It’s a balance that we’re looking to build on as we continue to grow the team, ensuring philosophy and creativity are in place as filters for tactical deployment and vice versa. The companies we work with often need hands on deck, people to block and tackle the needs of growing businesses. At the same time, these companies are continually creating new businesses at the borders of what’s possible. It’s a compelling tension.
The clients I support range from med-tech startups to established cybersecurity brands. It’s a pretty diverse mix, and every other week I hear about a company doing work in a field I’d never considered before. The combination of newness, complexity, and consequence is one of the primary reasons I joined the firm.
Why Big Valley Marketing?
I knew that I wanted to try an environment that lived and breathed the complexities of technical, often b2b, businesses. I also knew I wanted to work with a more senior team of communicators. Big Valley was a bit of perfect porridge, plus the added benefit of seeing a small company, led by experienced people, grow and evolve a business.
What’s one thing fun or surprising/unexpected about you?
I don’t know if it’s unexpected, but my partner and I dote entirely on our cats. The other night, Delisa (my partner) was trying to bring a (for humans) bean bag in from the balcony without disturbing Pizza (our cat), who was sleeping on it. We made eye contact for a second, and then I helped her relocate the chair and the cat. I don’t know where that is on the spectrum between cat-curious and Louis Wain, but it must be halfway.
