Meet Mia Pruett, Senior Manager of Search Marketing!

How did you get started in your industry?
I got a BBA in Marketing and an MS in Marketing. Once I was ready to start my career, I wanted something that brought advertising and technology together, so PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns were the perfect start and I got a job as a PPC Specialist! Since then, I’ve expanded my skill set into other areas, but that’s how I got my start in the online marketing world.

What is your favorite thing about your job?
I love educating our customers and helping them best understand how to market their stores! I also love seeing my team members recognized for the awesome work they do.

What’s the funniest interaction you’ve ever had with a client or a coworker?
I think it was the time we convinced a co-worker there was going to be a chocolate fountain at work while he was on vacation. (There was not a chocolate fountain).

What’s one thing about design and marketing you wish everyone knew?
I think ALL of them take a level of expertise. Although we all wish we could just create design ourselves, run fantastic social accounts, do SEO on our own, or run PPC — you get the best results if you really know what you’re doing and have a lot of experience. So while I would love to fancy myself a designer and create graphics — I’m not a designer, and I’ll leave that to the pros.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have a toddler, so most of my spare time is actually spent entertaining her! She’s a people person, so we try to take her out to grocery stores, library storytimes, parks, pools, basically anywhere where she can interact with others. When I do have free time from entertaining her, I work on my food blog, try new recipes, and daydream about vacations I’ll take once the kids are older.

What’s your proudest moment while working at Studio?
At the start of this year, we made four webinars happen in a two month time span. It’s fun to just go all-in on something and plan it all out and see it come to fruition.

What’s something interesting no one knows about you?
In college, I almost switched my major to architecture, but I’m glad I decided to stay with marketing.

What song title best describes your personality?
“Everything Will be Alright” by the Killers. I tend to be an optimist and look for the positive in situations.

What advice would you give to people just starting in the online marketing & design industry?
Self-educate! Read blogs, join industry Facebook groups, and if you can, start your own website. You’ll learn a lot by just testing things and trying things out for your own site that you can carry over to your professional career.

What’s your favorite restaurant in Austin?
For fancy food and fantastic oysters/seafood/cocktails, I love Perla’s. For casual, I love Torchy’s Tacos.

Do you have any pets?
A 90 pound dog, Sydney! She just turned 10 and we got her when she was 4 months old. She’s lazy, rarely barks, is super-tolerant of children, and we love her.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Teleporting. It would be amazing just to teleport home after work and not have to sit in traffic.