Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive: My 2009 Highlights

I’ve been reflecting upon the positive things that happened to me this year, despite being in the job market twice this year due to the economic times and nature of the advertising industry. I’ve managed to be pretty productive, even between jobs. I am thankful for the successes I’ve had and the friendships I’ve made through networking in 2009. Here’s a recap of my year:

- Received American Advertising Federation (AAF) Nashville’s President’s award for my contribution in rebranding the ad club’s website, email newsletter, and creating social networking sites for the organization. I’ve had my eye on that trophy for a couple of years…so it was a personal victory to have my name etched on it!

- Co-Founded Social Media Club Nashville with Jessica Murray, who I met at Dave Delaney’s Geek Breakfast. We had several successful, well attended meetings of SMC Nashville, including topics on Social Media’s use for non-profits, healthcare, and Nashville Predators. I’ve met so many people with the same interest in social media and marketing!


- Participated in BarCamp Nashville’s event planning, where I got to know a lot of talented tech and digital marketing experts and experience all the behind the scenes efforts. The event attracted over 500 people and was a great learning experience for me.

- Attended an AAF District leadership conference for Districts 7 & 4 in Destin, FL. Not only did I get to spend some quality time with leaders in the Nashville advertising community, but I made friends with AAF leaders in other cities, like Knoxville, Birmingham, Gulf Port, Pensacola, and Tampa. The programs for the conference were geared towards online marketing and social media, so I got to soak up some sun and knowledge on the beach. I’ve kept in touch with my new friends via social networking.

- Had dinner with Chris Brogan, as he signed my copy of his best-selling social media book, Trust Agents- (Thanks to my friends Christine and John Taylor of JTMarCom and Lynn Bennett of StagePost Studios!) Christine was a great help with Social Media Club Nashville meetings, so we wanted to help her promote the event that JTMarCom was bringing to Nashville. Chris Brogan became one of the first authors to broadcast an international Author’s Way webcast from StagePost’s Nashville Studios. The night before the big event, Christine asked me to join a small group for dinner with Chris. It was great to just hang out and get to know him. He’s a genuinely nice guy that wants to help everyone reach their marketing potential. It was very inspiring.

- Started my blog. Not only do I want to learn about social media and online marketing as I network in Nashville, I want to share my experiences. I’ve discovered that I enjoy blogging and hope that you enjoy reading my blog.

So, what’s in site for the future? I’m very excited about some of the events on my radar for first quarter of 2010:

- Volunteering to help out with Social Fresh, a social media conference that is coming to Nashville January 11th. I recently met the conference organizer, Jason Keath when he visited Nashville to promote the conference. It looks like there will be a huge opportunity to mingle with some smart social media professionals.

- Judging the AAF Pensacola ADDY Awards. Through my connections at the AAF District Conference earlier this year, I was asked to be a judge for the ADDY Awards in the Pensacola market (and get a trip to FL in January- couldn’t turn that down!) I’m looking forward to seeing what creative talent is coming out of their ad agencies and making some more new friends.

- Planning programs and events for Social Media Club Nashville. Who knows what we will learn from social media case studies in 2010?! I enjoy seeing how social media is impacting and growing in different industries.

- Participating in PodCamp Nashville (scheduled for March). I’m hoping to grow my friendships in the digital/ tech communities in Nashville. It’s always great to know people who specialize in different areas of technology and marketing.

I’m not sure where my career path will take me in 2010, but I trust my intuition that it will follow my passion for all things advertising and marketing related. Bring it!