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Tag: jobs

New Influencers Put a Spring in our Step

Recently, we were lucky enough to welcome a few new faces to the team here at Search Influence. Say hello to our three newest Influencers!

Kiersten Kampschroeder – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Kiersten has been enjoying the laid-back New Orleans lifestyle for almost two years, having previously worked in IT and social media from home. Originally from Northern Virginia, she went to school in New York for anthropology and has since put her degree to great use observing cafe culture around the city. She’s a serial dabbler and uses her free time to try every hobby known to man (the current obsession is gardening/landscaping).

Mallory Richardson – Account Associate

Originally from Mandeville, La., Mallory graduated from Louisiana State University in May 2014, earning a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a concentration in public relations. She served as the Publications Editor in Chief on the 2013-2014 Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) National Committee during her senior year, leading more than 11,500 pre-professional public relations students nationwide. After graduating, she moved to her birthplace of Chicago to begin her career in social media marketing, serving as an account manager at Blueye. While Mallory loved her time in the Windy City, she knew that Louisiana was too special of a place to leave for long (plus she really hated the Chicago winter). In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing soccer and planning trips to faraway places.

Brennan Schexnaydre – Junior Account Assistant

Brennan is a sophomore at the University of New Orleans working toward a bachelor’s in marketing and a minor in hotel, restaurant, tourism. She is a member of Sigma Kappa Epsilon Beta sorority and worked at Pier One Imports for three years before coming to Search Influence. She is originally from Destrehan, but moved to the Westbank in fifth grade. She cries over television shows and sometimes can’t finish watching a show if there is too much conflict (reality shows on Bravo that overwhelm her). She loves watching random documentaries on Netflix.

We’re always excited to welcome new energy and talent to our growing team. Will you be next to jump on board? Visit our careers page and apply! We look forward to hearing from you.

April 29, 2015
The Spring Influence: Our Team Continues To Blossom!

Search Influence continues to grow! We are very excited to announce that three new Influencers have joined our Content Team.

Jesse Laier – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Jesse defines himself as a bit of an eccentric. Originally from Miami, he spent most of the past decade going to school in Tallahassee and Chicago. In his free time, he conceives new story ideas, even if he never actually writes them. The most important things to know about him are that he’s a staff writer for a music blog and an avid NBA fan, and his secret talent is that he’s a trained mime!

Josh Shelton – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Freshly returned from two years in Cameroon with the Peace Corps, Josh grew up in Shreveport and went to school at Louisiana College in Pineville, once known (locally) as “Harvard on the Red.” He put his English degree to good use by working for private ambulance companies in Shreveport and New Orleans. Josh is thrilled to finally have a job focused on writing and editing. His free time is spent folding origami frogs and making fruity wine.

Raymond Whitlow – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Ray Whitlow grew up in California, but he bounced around Iowa and Upstate New York before eventually settling in New Orleans. He studied anthropology in college and graduate school, all while conducting research in Romania, where he visited many of Dracula’s castles (all fake). Ray started editing in college and has since worked with a number of corporate, academic, and governmental clients from around the world. Now he lives in the Upper Ninth Ward, where he’s slowly rebuilding a shotgun double into a little paradise for him, his partner Claire, and their rescue dogs.

Welcome to Search Influence, Jesse, Josh, and Raymond! We’re glad to have you on the team.

March 26, 2015
Started From The Bottom Now You’re Hired: Tips For The Tech Job Interview

In the ever-growing tech industry, more and more jobs are becoming available. Sadly, this also means a lot of positions aren’t being filled due to bad interviews. Having interviewed hundreds of prospective employees in the past few months, I’ve learned that many people seem to struggle when considering what employers are looking for in candidates. You practice and prepare for interviews in advance thinking, “How can I show them how great I am?” when you really should be practicing to fulfill the question, “How can I show them I’m what they want?”

So here are some tips for acing the interview! A lot of these can apply to more than the tech world, so read on and take mental notes for your future!

Do: Talk About What You Have To Offer A Company
If you’re applying for a position that requires any sort of client-facing or largely communicative capacities, talk about ways in which you’ve exhibited those abilities in the past. If you’re applying to work in a fast-paced, growing industry, talk about how you’ve been adaptive and proactive with change in your past experiences. Also, make it clear that the industry they’re in is the industry you want to work for. You should ALWAYS research what a company does before you attend an interview with them. Being completely clueless about the work they do shows a lack of sincere interest in the job.

Basically, find any way to show your interviewer that you have what they need and want to be there.

Don’t: Talk About What A Company Has To Offer You
One of the biggest mistakes you can make in an interview is saying something like, “I want to work here because I don’t know about insert industry here and want to learn everything I can from working here.” You’d be surprised how often we hear that people want to start their own online marketing companies and just want to work for us to learn how to do what we do. That kind of response is a huge red flag for companies.

Talking about your capacity and willingness to learn is a GREAT idea, but it needs to be done tastefully. A better way to express that would be something like, “I’d enjoy working in an environment where I’m constantly learning something new and improving.”

Do: Talk About Any Relevant Online / Tech Experience
If you’re applying for a job in the tech industry, talk about any and all tech experience you have. Even if the job you’re applying for doesn’t require HTML experience, letting your interviewer know that you’ve got that experience shows that you’re well rounded and will be able to communicate effectively in that subject area if you need to (which can be helpful for interdepartmental work within a company). If you’ve got a professional website or blog for yourself, don’t be afraid to share it!

Don’t: Talk About Your Tumblr
Unless you’ve got a blog or website suitable for the eyes of an employer, refrain from specifics when talking about any blogging, HTML experience, or other relevant experience. Most people who know what Tumblr is know that it is rarely used in a professional capacity, and the last thing you want to do in an interview is to get your employer imagining your possibly-emotional, probably-personal presence. You can still talk about how having a Tumblr or any other non-professional online experience plays into your abilities, but approach it carefully. Instead of “I use Tumblr a lot, so I get HTML,” say something like “Through a few blogging platforms, I’ve had some experience with basic HTML.”

Do: Talk About Your Interests Outside Of Work
Usually, mentioning that you’ve balanced side projects in life while still working or going to school full time is an indication to future employers that you’re capable of balancing multiple tasks and prioritizing what needs to be done. It also helps to show you’re well-rounded and provides something unique that could make you stand out in the interviewer’s memory. If an employer is trying to weed out top candidates from a recent round of interviews, the good interviewee who played guitar in some band might stand out more than just the good interviewee.

Don’t: Talk About Starting Your Own Business, Going Back To School, Or Trying To Become An Actor
Unless you’re applying for a temporary position, most companies are looking for someone who’s in it for the long haul and wants to grow with the company. If you’re indicating to your interviewer that your main interests don’t align with being dedicated to your job, they might not consider you to be an ideal candidate for the position.

Do: Elaborate And Give Examples
Even when given a general question, never give a general answer. Often, employers ask something about discussing a time when you exhibited a certain characteristic. For example, an employer might ask, “Can you tell us about a time when you had to deliver great customer service?” If you’ve had any service industry experience (which so many of us have), your initial thought is probably, “ALL. THE. TIME.” While it’s great that you’ve got a lot of experience with this, you want to give clear examples that exhibit it. So saying something more explicit gives the employer a clearer picture of what you define as “good customer service.”

Don’t: EVER Give A Yes Or No Answer
Along the lines of the suggestion above, even when you’re asked a “yes or no” or “either/or” question, make sure to explain the reasoning behind your answer and never ride the fence. The most common example of this that I see is when candidates are asked if they prefer working individually or on a team, as people often respond that they’re comfortable doing both. While this is seemingly an admirable trait, realistically everyone has a preference, and neither answer is wrong. If an employer chooses to hire you, they’ll want to know if you’re predisposed to work in the type of environment that their company has and be ready to work with you on it if you aren’t.

Do: Prepare Your Online Presence Accordingly
According to a June 2014 study by CareerBuilder, 43 percent of employers use social networking sites to research job candidates, and 51 percent of employers researching candidates online found content that caused them to not hire the candidate. Even at a laid-back, young office like ours, a profile picture of you doing a shirtless keg stand is probably not going to get you invited to an interview. One safe move you should probably make is to switch your Facebook profile features to private when applying for jobs.

You should also have a well-built-out LinkedIn profile with references. Though most employers will do reference checks as you move along in the later stages of the hiring process, having good, easy-to-access references from the get-go could improve your chances of moving forward.

Don’t: Delete Your Entire Online Presence
Having profiles online, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or your own site, puts you in control of what future employers see when they look for you. Also, if you’re trying to remove incriminating photos of yourself, deleting your profiles will only delete pictures you posted (not ones your friends posted of you). So you’re better off changing your privacy settings and managing your online presence. There are also sites like SimpleWash that connect to your Facebook and Twitter accounts in order to help you identify possibly inappropriate statuses, likes, and pictures.

Another reason why you should be keeping your social profiles around is that, in the tech industry in particular, employers are typically looking for people with a proclivity for all things techy, and having an online presence is another opportunity to exhibit that inclination.

Use these tips, and good luck in your job searching! Feel free to share your interview experiences below. We’re often looking to fill positions here at Search Influence, so if you’re interested in working with a hard-working, fun bunch, check out our various tech industry job postings.

March 24, 2015
From Search With Love, 007 New Influencers Are On The Case!

Search Influence looks forward to continued growth in 2015! As February comes to an end, we’re excited to welcome our newest Influencers.

Adrienne Myers – Junior Account Associate

Adrienne recently graduated from Mississippi State University, where she studied marketing and French. She is originally from Covington, but she spent some time working as a District Sales Leader Intern for Frito-Lay in Jackson, MS. Adrienne enjoys traveling, baking, and spending time with family and friends.

Anthony Armstrong – Junior Account Associate

Anthony is from New Orleans and has lived here all his life. He loves music and spends most of his free time writing acoustic songs. He sings and plays guitar for a post-hardcore/metal band called Eye for an Eye. He also thoroughly enjoys reading and creative writing.

Chris Roberts – Software Developer

Chris was born and raised in San Jose, California. Years later, he graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of New Orleans. Chris arrived in Louisiana nearly a decade ago, and he has been an avid programmer ever since. Chris enjoys playing guitar and attending various festivals in his free time.

Cory Agular – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Cory was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from Tulane University with a B.A. in English. Prior to accepting the position at Search Influence, he did freelance writing, and his articles have been published by Tulane’s athletic department and the NCAA’s official website. In his spare time, he loves to catch live music and sporting events. He looks forward to working at SI.

Jason Vermaelen – Junior Account Associate

Jason is a fun-loving, quick-witted karaoke superstar. He is also a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has been training for almost nine years. He is from Baton Rouge, and he graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in marketing with a concentration in advertising this past December. Jason is looking forward to starting his career at Search Influence and meeting everyone!

Mikel Pak – PR & Marketing Manager

As the daughter of an Air Force pilot, Mikel Pak has lived everywhere from Oklahoma to Kentucky and Idaho to Texas and beyond. She brings more than eight years of experience as a public relations professional and journalist to her post at Search Influence. Her expertise spans media relations, marketing, social media, crisis, and political communications. As a journalist, she got her start in the newspaper business covering health care, technology, higher education, and real estate, among other industries. You can follow her on Twitter @MikelPak.

Serena Hirasawa – Account Associate

Spending almost all of her life in Richmond, VA—from preschool to college at Virginia Commonwealth University—Serena needed a change of scenery, but with a river still close by. Prior to Search Influence, Serena’s professional life included appearances in higher education and the transportation industry, but she’s finally ready to put her Communications degree to good use. Serena recently arrived in New Orleans and is looking forward to warm winter months, crawfish season, and playing roller derby with the Big Easy Rollergirls.

Join us in welcoming Serena, Chris, Mikel, Adrienne, Cory, Jason, and Anthony. We’re very lucky to have all of you on board!

February 25, 2015
Three New Influencers to Start Off the New Year!

Sarah Felton – Account Coordinator

Sarah is a native to New Orleans and an enthusiastic pet lover (Three cats and one dog that she frequently plays dress up with). She received her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University, where she still attends football games in the student section every fall. Her work experience is mainly in the hospitality field, as Sarah worked for Caesar’s Entertainment from 2007–2013 here in New Orleans and also in Las Vegas and Biloxi.

Kim Koelling – Junior Graphic Designer

Kim was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She received her degree in Graphic Design from the University of Kansas. Shortly after, she was accepted into the U.S. Peace Corps and hopped on a plane to Cameroon in West Africa, where she lived for 27 months. She taught computer science and English at her village high school, and she worked closely with a local women’s cooperative on marketing. She now lives in New Orleans and is very excited to be joining the Search Influence team!

Brenna Benson – Operations MBA Intern

Born in Tampa but raised in Gainesville, Brenna is a native Floridian who managed to eventually find her way to New Orleans. Brenna graduated with a degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and is currently pursuing an MBA at the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. She welcomed her first son in December 2014 and (like any New Orleans mom) is excited to introduce her son to king cake (although we may need to wait until next year). She’s also very excited to kick off the new year with the Search Influence team as an Operations Intern!

Join us in welcoming Sarah, Kim, and Brenna to the Search Influence team. We’re glad to have you on board!

January 27, 2015
Two Turtle Doves Join Search Influence’s Flock

We are very excited to announce two new members who have joined the ever-growing Search Influence team! What better holiday gift is there?

Sarah Ledgerwood – Internet Marketing Team Lead

Born and raised in a small town in North Idaho right near the British Columbia border, Sarah graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington in Seattle, and she got her J.D. from American University in Washington D.C. A new resident of New Orleans, Sarah just recently moved from Seattle with her husband, three kids, and two basset hounds. Sarah is passionate about food and music, and she’s excited to join the team at Search Influence!

Eric Knoepfler – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Eric was born and raised in New Orleans and graduated from Loyola University in 2013 with a degree in journalism. He recently started a film production company with some friends, and they spend their weekends shooting weddings and original shorts. They’re finishing up a short horror film titled “Burial Mounds” that they hope to submit to a few festivals this coming summer. If there’s one fun fact to know about Eric, it’s that he has an irrational hatred for pickles.

If you would like to join our team and pull our SEO sleigh (delivering good rankings to all), visit our careers page and apply! We look forward to hearing from you.

December 17, 2014
We’re Thankful For Our Newest Influencers!

Great team members are as essential to our business as mashed potatoes are to Thanksgiving dinner. They’re the gravy to our SEO campaigns, the stuffing to our—you get the picture! Get to know a little bit about each of our newest influencers:

Ryan Eugene – Junior Account Associate

Born and raised in Silver Spring, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC, Ryan graduated from The College of William and Mary in May 2013. After working as a track and basketball coach at the National Cathedral School in DC, he moved to New Orleans to experience all there is to love about the Big Easy and be closer to his grandmother who lives in Thibodeaux, LA. In his spare time during the last few months, he appeared in an episode of NCIS: New Orleans and lifeguarded at the JCC. So if you’re planning a pool party and you need a lifeguard, he’s your guy!

Brok Kretzmann – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Brok is from Minnesota. He loves extreme outdoor adventures—anything from an 85-mile bike ride to spelunking or free climbing. Brok is also a certified scuba diver. Music and technology, as a whole, are what he lives for. He jokes that you won’t ever find him without music of some kind.

Kate Mason – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Kate is from Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from USC in 2011 with degrees in Journalism and Anthropology. After traveling to Thailand and Cambodia this summer for two months, Kate moved to New Orleans for her next adventure. Kate’s secret talent is knowing every word to every song almost ever.

Paulina Rodriguez – Junior Web Developer

Paulina is originally from Los Angeles, California. She studied applied mathematics at UC Santa Cruz and Claremont Graduate University. Paulina is excited to be part of the development team. She enjoys watching extremely gory movies and can’t wait to try all the amazing food New Orleans has to offer!

Lauren Siegel – Product Management Intern

Lauren is a 2nd year Tulane MBA student concentrating in Marketing & Strategic Management and a New Orleans native. When she’s not getting down to business, Lauren enjoys any activity that relates to fashion, fitness, or food. Lauren also has a major Instagram problem, which mostly revolves around her 85-pound furry son named Pongo.

Join us in welcoming Ryan, Brok, Kate, Paulina, and Lauren! We’re excited (and very thankful!) to have you.

November 20, 2014
Search Influence Welcomes 4 New Guys & Ghouls To Our Legion of The Undead

Search Influence is growing, growing, growing! Since we moved to the CBD, we have rapidly expanded. For us, though, it’s not all about the numbers. We’re just excited to welcome incredible people to our team. Get to know our newest influencers:

Aubrey Ahmed – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Born and raised in New Orleans, Aubrey completed her undergrad at Loyola University, where she majored in English and French. While working toward her master’s in education, she spent a year teaching in France before returning to her hometown for a change of pace. She is passionate about books, art, traveling, and writing. She is looking forward to beginning this new chapter at Search Influence!

Drew Rowe – Junior Account Associate

Drew grew up in in a small beach town in Los Angeles, but went to LSU for college. She graduated in May with a major in communications. Even though she loves California, she decided to move to New Orleans because she loves how friendly the people are here. She also loves the food, of course. Fun fact about Drew: all through high school, her ID said Mr. Drew Rowe because they assumed, based on her name, that she was a guy.

Jessica Kersey – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Like most military kids, Jessi spent her formidable years all over the country. She has lived in two countries, five states, and one island. In 2014, she graduated from Cedarville University with a B.A. in journalism. New to New Orleans, she hopes to discover all the amazing secrets the city holds. Jessi is also a hardcore pop culture and canine enthusiast.

Mathieu Galy – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Originally from Toulouse, France, Mathieu graduated from the Business School of Paris in 2013 with an M.A in International Marketing and Communication. After graduating, he moved to New Orleans to follow his spouse. Since then, he has been enjoying everything that New Orleans has to offer and he has been giving his time to help Audubon Zoo as a volunteer. Mathieu loves baking French pastries, making his friends happy, and their dietitians a bit less! He is totally fond of his English bulldog, Fluffy.

Welcome Aubrey, Drew, Jessi, and Mathieu, we look forward to all of the great things you will accomplish with Search Influence.

October 29, 2014
SI: Taking Care of Business and Working [Out] Overtime

Rates of obesity are plateauing, healthy eating is up, and work fitness programs are on the rise. Fitness isn’t a fad or a trend, it’s a lifestyle change that a large part of the country is starting to value. But is your regular exercise regimen enough if you spend eight or more hours sitting per day? According to Time Magazine’s review of 43 studies on sitting, a sedentary lifestyle can increase your likelihood of getting cancer, along with a slue of other health problems.

With this in mind, some influencers have taken advantage of our company’s team spirit and new downtown location’s extra office space to incorporated some office fitness into their daily routines. Here are a few ways you can incorporate a little more movement and little less sitting into your daily work flow.

Trek to Work:

Your trek to and from work can be a great time to squeeze in some cardio. Biking or walking to work can help energize you in the morning and give you a boost of endorphins after a long day at work. Exercise before work can also help your memory and recollection, according to the New York Times.

“Biking every morning is a really great way to start and end the day! It wakes me up and keeps me energized throughout the day, while also saving parking money! It’s a quick and easy way to get some exercise in a busy 9-5 schedule.” – Sabrina Mohsenin

“Moving downtown made it worth the ride for me. From my house, after dropping my 12 year-old, it’s a little less than 5 miles. On my ambitious days I’ll extend it and go out and around city park which is 15 miles or more. Everybody was excited when we moved that we had a gym in the building. I’ve never used the gym, but I use the locker room shower plenty!” – Will Scott.

Live too far from your office to walk or ride your bike? Parking at the edge of the parking lot or choosing a parking garage a few blocks from work can help add valuable steps to your pedometer and get your heart pumping.

Climb the Stairs:

Incorporating some cardio into your day can help you shake off pent up energy and increase concentration. Try ditching the elevator and taking the stairs.

Not willing to climb the stairs with your purse, lunch box and computer in hand during your morning and evening commute? Try Chris Dopper’s ‘Crush the Stairs and Kill Some Calories’ challenge.

“After reading the article ‘The War on Sitting’ on Time.com, I realized we are sitting WAY too much. Every place you go, there is an invitation to sit down; in the car, on the subway, at work, at home. Therefore I set up ‘Crush the Stairs and Kill Some Calories’ and invited the whole company to join me in walking up the stairs three times a week. We are located on the thirteenth floor, so we walk up 13 flights of stairs and each week we add one floor. Around 10% of my colleagues accepted this ‘challenge’. Out of breath, but satisfied, we give each other an awkward high five on top of the stairs. According to Business Insider, your brain shows more activity after exercise, so working on the physical also does wonders for the mental. What’s not to like!?” – Chris Dopper

Build a Standing Desk:

Standing is one of the more obvious solutions to sitting too much at work. While that may seem unrealistic or like an expensive investment in office furniture, there are simple ways to build a standing desk with items you can find around the office. Make sure your monitors are high enough so that you don’t need to crane your head down. Also, make sure your keyboard is high enough to keep your arms at a 90 degree angle.

“Standing instead of sitting for 3 hours a day at your desk for a year is the equivalent (in calories burned) to running 10 marathons! My posture has been better and I’m using my abs and back more. My core area has been sore, because I’m using it so much more now and was probably not using it at all before.” – Cory Badeaux

Sit on an Exercise Ball:

Using an exercise ball as a chair in increments throughout the work day can help with core stabilization and posture.

“Since I’ve started using my exercise ball at work, I’ve noticed a big improvement in my posture. I’m standing straighter and have noticed that I have a lot less tension in my shoulders and back!” – Erika Karas

As general rule of thumb, people under 5’3” should use a ball that is 55 cm in diameter. If you are between 5’3” and 6’ try a 65 cm ball. If you’re taller than 6’, you should use a ball that is 75 cm. You can also measure the height of your chair and go from there. Try to maintain a 90 degree angle at your elbow with your arms slightly extended towards your keypad. For more info on how to use the exercise ball, check out this article.

Not ready to commit to a full exercise ball? Some influencers have started using the discball to help their balance and posture while sitting in an office chair. The discball provides many of the same benefits of the full exercise ball without the bulk.

“Sitting on the discball has really helped me maintain my posture throughout the day.” – Andrea Hernandez

Participate in Group Exercise:

Utilizing your support system at work is a great way to keep yourself accountable for your fitness goals. Participating in scheduled and structured exercise with your colleagues after work can keep you motivated to attend and to push yourself. Taking part in running clubs, yoga classes or other exercise groups that meet at the end of the work day is a fun way to be both social and active.

Influencers have been attending Happy’s Running Club on Wednesday after work for a leisurely jog through downtown New Orleans and 2-for-1 beers to hydrate after.

“Anyone who runs knows the running community is one of the most welcoming and supportive groups. A few years back we started the SI Running Club to help everyone train for some of the big races around NOLA. At the time, our office was Uptown and the team ran from Oak to Audubon and back to finish at Carrollton Station for a beer. Even though many of the members in the running club were more walkers than runners, I noticed something on that first run. I saw so many of our runners (daily runners, race runners, half and full runners) running with the slower ones to help encourage them and push them to the finish. For those five miles we weren’t Account Managers, or Developers, or Production members but a true team. This is still by far my favorite team building exercise yet! Even with the move downtown, the running group still goes on, but now we meet at Happy’s Running Club on Wednesdays. I’m still working on getting the team to run from the new office to the old office for old times sake!” – Gabrielle

Play Team Sports:

Team sports are another fun way to get some exercise while building camaraderie with your colleagues. This summer Search Influence participated in the New Orleans Dodge Association’s League. The team worked together by combining their strengths and strategy to win the championship.

“As much as the culture in New Orleans dictates great happy hours with your co-workers, breaking a sweat playing a team sport can be even more beneficial for your relationships and certainly better for your health. Dodgeball has been exactly that for the team at SI. It’s a great change of pace and good opportunity to see your coworkers in a new light.” – Scott Holstein

September 30, 2014
Putting The 8 In Teammate: Search Influence Welcomes 8 New Influencers

Search Influence is happy to introduce its eight newest members. Every month, our team continues to grow!

Andrea Siegel – Junior Account Associate

Originally from Miami, FL, Andrea moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane University. She majored in marketing and loved every second of her Tulane Experience. Andrea decided to stay because she loves the food, music, and culture that New Orleans has to offer. She has danced her whole life. So, if there is a dance floor, you will 100% catch her busting a move (and even sometimes when there isn’t one).

Courtney Cummins – Junior Quality Assurance Specialist

Courtney grew up in Oxford, North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2011 with a B.A. in Communication Studies. After graduating, she worked as an estimator for a precast construction company. Courtney worked in construction for two years before deciding to embark on a new adventure in New Orleans. In her free time, she enjoys playing in different sports leagues, going out with friends, and checking out live music. Courtney is excited to call New Orleans her new home and to be joining the Search Influence team!

Kaitlyn Levy – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Kaitlyn Levy currently attends Loyola University of New Orleans pursuing a bachelor of arts in graphic design. Before working at Search Influence, she worked at the Mayan Import Company, a cigar shop, and We Are Constance, an indie print shop. Kaitlyn can speak French fluently and, on a good day, can stumble through German. She is known for her giant, toothy smile and good humor, which she looks forward to sharing with all of Search Influence.

Lucy Stratton – Internet Marketing Associate

Originally from northern Virginia, Lucy moved to New Orleans to pursue her bachelor’s degree at Tulane University. She graduated a full academic year early with a double major in English and Political Science. Lucy’s writing has appeared in OffBeat Magazine, Art + Design, Generation Progress, GovLoop, The Tulane Review, and the Tulane Hullabaloo. From NOVA to NOLA, Lucy has spent countless hours in hot pursuit of new mac n’ cheese recipes to try and new happy hours to attend. She is excited to continue her cheese-fueled journey with the support of Search Influence.

Ryan Schulze – Junior Account Associate

Ryan, originally from Atlanta, graduated from the University of Georgia in May 2013. Two days after graduation, he got married. Two months later, he moved down to New Orleans to serve as the Administrative Director for a church plant in the Lower 9th Ward called Rebuild. Ryan has a 120-pound English Mastiff puppy named Marvin who recently had his 1-year birthday. In addition to playing in the backyard with Marvin, Ryan enjoys playing any sport, listening to any music, and taking walks on the levee in the Holy Cross neighborhood of New Orleans where he and his wife live.

Sarah Jane Lowery – Junior Internet Marketing Associate

Born and raised in Jackson, MS, Sarah Jane went to college at the University of Mississippi before returning to Jackson for a couple of years. After realizing Jackson was just too far north for her taste, she decided to move to New Orleans. As a new transplant, she is still looking for the best french fries in the city. She also likes the color blue.

Sarah Tan – Internet Marketing Associate

Originally from New York, Sarah completed her undergrad at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she majored in English. She then got a master’s in journalism, moved to New Orleans in 2012, and subsequently fell in love with the city. Prior to joining Search Influence, she was an education reporter, but is excited to transition to a slightly different field of communication at SI. She enjoys all things pizza and cat related.

Steven de Brueys – Account Associate

Born in Kenner, LA (America’s City), Steven spent all of his childhood in New Orleans. Steven graduated from Louisiana State University with a major in sports administration and business. Before working for Search Influence, Steven worked in New York City co-running an independent film production company while doing script analysis with Warner Bros., Circle of Confusion, and other independent film companies around the U.S. and Europe. During his free time, Steven likes to travel, go on camping trips, and attend music festivals.

Join us in welcoming Andrea, Courtney, Kaitlyn, Lucy, Ryan, Sarah Jane, Sarah, and Steven. We are ecstatic to have them on the team and to see them progress as Influencers!

September 29, 2014