Breanna McCollum didn’t set out to work in market research. She set out to make films. Then she became a teacher—teaching gifted students across six Florida counties, in South Korea, in Turkey. Her mom was the first gifted teacher in her county. Her whole family was immersed in it. And Breanna, having grown up watching how hard that work was, wanted nothing to do with it.
Then COVID hit, and she needed to find a way to work remotely for health reasons. She joined aytm doing database cleanup. And something clicked.
Today, Breanna is the Senior Manager for PaidViewpoint, aytm’s proprietary panel. She keeps the member experience at the center of every research decision—making sure the people who take your surveys have a great experience, and that the data you get back is better for it.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do here at aytm?
I’m the Senior Manager for PaidViewpoint, aytm’s proprietary panel. My job is making sure our panel members have a smooth experience using the platform—troubleshooting issues, answering questions, ensuring surveys run properly. I also connect with our sales and development teams when something needs attention, and I help manage PaidViewpoint’s social media presence.
My role is a little unique at aytm. While most of the team works directly with clients, my work is entirely member-facing. I’m the person thinking about the experience of the people on the other end of every survey, every day.
I think of it as serving two clients. There are the clients running research, and there are the members taking the surveys. Great research depends on both. Someone has to keep the member experience at the center of every decision—that’s my job.
That means I’m often the one asking: what does this look like from the member’s perspective? How does survey design affect completion and data quality? The researchers I work with care about getting that right. Having someone who can speak to the member side helps everyone get better results.
How did you decide to get into your field?
I didn’t plan to be a teacher. Both my parents were teachers, and growing up I watched them stress, struggle with money, burn out. I thought: I love kids and I love learning, but I don’t want what they have.
So I went to school for film studies. I wanted to be a film editor. I was in TV production in high school. Then, for a 101 class, I had to interview teachers at my mom’s school. Something clicked. I switched to elementary education.
From there, my career took me everywhere. I taught in six different counties in Florida—public schools, private schools, charter schools, international schools. I taught in South Korea. I taught in Turkey. Gifted education was my specialty. My mom was the first gifted teacher in her county, the first person in her county to be certified gifted with a master’s degree in gifted studies. I grew up surrounded by it.
Then COVID hit. I needed to transition to remote work for health reasons. I joined aytm doing database cleanup and quickly discovered that I genuinely love detailed work—finding patterns, improving systems, figuring out what’s broken and why. Because of my customer service background, I eventually moved into working directly with PaidViewpoint. I’ve been learning it inside and out ever since.
What’s something you’re passionate about?
Solving little problems.
There’s something deeply satisfying about exploring all the possibilities until you find the pattern—or that single piece of data that confirms you’ve found the answer. Our panel members are incredibly diverse. Sometimes it’s one detail in someone’s profile that explains everything. I love piecing that together.
Small solutions have big impacts. When you’re working with real people on the other end of every question, getting it right actually matters.
How do you balance your career and personal life at aytm?
Our CEO recently talked in a company-wide meeting about the difference between work-life balance and work-life harmony. Balance implies two things fighting for equal time. Harmony is about how they support each other. That distinction resonated with me immediately.
Teaching taught me what burnout feels like. You can love your students completely and still be running on empty. When I joined aytm, I deliberately didn’t over-commit. I knew my responsibilities would grow, so I started at a pace that had room to expand. It worked. As the scope increased, the hours filled in gradually. I never hit that wall.
Part of what makes that possible is the remote setup. I can keep my lights off, take a walk when I need to reset, take care of an appointment without rearranging my whole week. After years of being legally unable to step away from a classroom even when I was overwhelmed, that kind of autonomy is significant.
But the bigger thing is the culture. The expectation here is that employees are people, not commodities. A funeral, a health appointment, an unexpected snow day—the response isn’t where are your sub plans? It’s we’ve got you, go do what you need to do. That shouldn’t be remarkable. But it is. And it makes a real difference.
How has aytm helped you in your career development?
aytm gave me the chance to grow alongside PaidViewpoint itself. What started as database cleanup expanded into member support, which expanded into shaping policies, processes, and how we communicate with the panel. The company encourages ownership. You see a problem, you work on it.
My position means I’m constantly asking: what about the people taking the surveys? What do they need? It’s a lot like the year I taught visually impaired gifted students and had to constantly remind my principal to think about their needs when planning anything. Someone had to hold that. Here, that someone is me—and I take that seriously.
Which aytm core value is your favorite and why?
Curiosity.
Market research is fundamentally about asking better questions and being open to unexpected answers. In my role, curiosity is what guides how we improve the member experience. If I stopped asking why something is happening and just accepted the surface answer, I’d miss the pattern underneath. Staying curious is how we keep getting better—for our members and for the researchers who rely on the data they generate.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out at aytm?
Take time to learn how the different teams work and how the platform operates. aytm is genuinely collaborative—understanding how others approach problems makes it easier to contribute meaningfully.
Ask questions. Pay attention to details. Be curious. Small insights can have a big impact.
And don’t be afraid to speak up when you see an opportunity to improve something. The team here actually listens. That input won’t be lost.
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