Expert in Brand Storytelling + Strategy + Analytics
Hello
Originally from Texas, I moved to LA for school in 2013 and fell in love with life on the West Coast. Contrary to what you may have heard, you actually can take (at least part of) the Texan out of the girl.
I graduated with a B.A. in Cinematic Arts, Critical Studies while also studying Applied Mathematics (incomplete degree) from USC in 2018 and an M.A. in Cinema and Media Studies from UCLA in 2020.
A bit more about me...
After completing a long academic career starting at USC followed by UCLA for grad school, I did what all film students secretly dream of...
I became a marketer.
The journey to my current occupation is much weirder than the opening sentence even suggests. Starting my undergraduate education as an Electrical Engineering major with a dream of designing film cameras and researching niche optics fields like holography, I quickly realized that I would rather study media—the creative side of things—than scheme technological innovations. However, I did retain a flair for the scientific, taking additional coursework in Applied Mathematics and completing a STEM research fellowship after transferring into USC's School of Cinematic Arts (a.k.a. film school).
My intellectual curiosity then carried me to the other side of the city for the Cinema and Media Studies, Research Professions Track M.A. program at cross-town rival institution UCLA (I know, I know, so controversial). There, my research centered on the intersection of music videos, identity politics, and genre-based subcultures in the age of the internet + YouTube. For my graduate capstone project, I analyzed Slipknot's visual/lyrical identity and fandom as a microcosmic cultural snapshot of the rise of heavy/nu metal and white, male "ultra violence" in the early 2000s. Overintellectualized much? Probably... which is exactly why I decided to "go corporate" instead of pursuing a Ph.D.
While I have no formal marketing education, my passion for media and academic pursuits thereof gave me a foundation in both creating and analyzing content that has been crucial to guiding my professional journey. My first foray into marketing as a freelance copywriter producing tech blog articles sparked my passion for content marketing and inspired my career aspirations.
I may not have intended to become a marketer, but the field continues to surprise me with its versatility. As I continue to develop my skillset, I love exploring how I can combine my creative passion with my analytical nature.