As a native Texan and Dallas-ite who has barely seen Downtown in all its splendor, I believe introductions are in order.
I graduated from University of North Texas in 2010 with a degree in English Creative Writing. One of my final courses dealt with semiotics and the reasons behind people’s purchasing choices. This fascinated me and fueled my desire to help people make better buying decisions, whether they’re purchasing for themselves or for a global corporation.
A few weeks before graduation, I landed my first gig with an obscure company in Addison, Texas. I managed 15 weekly blogs, wrote catalog metadata, managed an Amazon store and pumped two sites full of engaging and relevant articles and buyers guides. Then I pulled double-duty as an Apple salesperson, convincing people to purchase accessories and additional services with their new products.
A couple of freelance and contract gigs and a Collective Clicks internship later, I landed in Plano, Texas working with a subsidiary of Hertz. I spent six months writing 300-character blurbs for the company’s proprietary GPS unit to regurgitate whenever a driving customer nears a rest stop or point of interest along their trip.
One last contract with Hilton Worldwide and I had had enough. I put all my eggs in one basket and gave a two-week notice one week before landing a pair of interviews. In a cardigan on a warm Texas day, I interviewed before two of the stone–coldest poker faces I’d ever encountered.
Beads of condensation streamed down my brow as I answered questions about my experience and potential and posed my own about company culture and days in the life.
Fast forward a week and I’m gearing up for Training Day, making plans to explore this fine city I’ve called home for nearly 30 years, and picking out a kitchen island for my new downtown dwelling. I’m delighted to work with such a vigorous collection of insightful, intelligent, fun-loving people and I look forward to sharing knowledge with everyone here. Maybe we can take Ben’s poker face to Vegas…mama needs a new pair o’ shoes!
