Thursday June 29, 2017

Matt is a senior integrated communications strategist. Equal parts brand and reputation. Digital at the core. With 20 years of experience in the digital space, he has created global, award-winning solutions for some of the largest CPG and media/entertainment companies in the world.

Currently, Matt is the Executive Director, Head of Digital at Comcast Corporation in Philadelphia. He leads strategy and execution for all Comcast Corporate digital and social media properties including content strategy and production, as well as engagement across corporate channels integrating with Comcast owned properties.

Ben Blakesley, author of Get Social: a practical guide to using social media for business, has been working in social for over a decade, spanning industries from music to finance to sports apparel and many in between. One of those “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” kind of guys, Ben lives and breathes social and thrives on making connections and making a difference. Now leading social media for Reebok, he lives in the Boston suburbs with his wonderful and socially adept wife, Lauryn, and their three children.

Sean Lauer is a Marketing Lead on Twitter’s North America Business Marketing team, focusing on positioning the platform for advertisers across industries and providing partners with tools to drive marketing objectives. Prior to joining Twitter, Sean was a Brand Manager on the Budweiser brand team at Anheuser-Busch InBev where he worked on programs like Major League Baseball, World Cup, and the annual summer Red, White, and Blue campaign. Sean hails from New Jersey and has a BS in Commerce and MBA from the University of Virginia, along with an AAS in Graphic Design from Parsons School of Design.

Peter works on LinkedIn’s Brand Strategy Team, helping LinkedIn’s largest clients and their agencies develop best-in-class B2B marketing strategies.

Amanda Lange is a Technical Evangelist for Microsoft in the Philadelphia area. She is also a part-time video game critic for the web site http://www.tap-repeatedly.com. In the past she has worked on projects with Michigan State University, West Virginia University, and Schell Games studios in Pittsburgh. She is a gamer, artist, and rounded developer who is interested in health, app development, design, Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality, and unique applications for the Internet of Things. Her web site is at http://secondtruth.com and she tweets at @second_truth.

Matthew Fanelli is Senior Vice President, Digital, at MNI Targeted Media Inc., a Time Inc. company, and its three business units, Targeted Media Health, MNI, and Harpoon. Targeted Media Health focuses on healthcare-related communications in doctors’ offices, via print and on digital platforms, to foster patient education and well-informed medical decisions. MNI specializes in multimedia targeted advertising, in more than 40 prestigious national magazines, and partners with top-tier national and local online media brands to deliver highly targeted online and mobile campaigns. Harpoon partners with agencies and advertisers for their end-to-end media strategy and buying, providing a unique and powerful perspective that adds value to each custom-built plan.

A recognized leader in online advertising strategy and management almost 20 years of experience, Matt played a significant role in the development of MNI’s big data solution, Omnipoint, our proprietary market-collection and media-performance analysis tool.

He leads a team responsible for the daily operation of all of our digital business, including ad strategy and analysis, media planning and buying, new business and product development, and campaign reporting and optimization. Improving the systems and processes needed to make MNI an all-encompassing resource for advertisers is among Matt’s foremost priorities at the company. Matt’s past experience includes Online Advertising Director at Gannett and Regional Sales Manager at tradeout.com.

Matt is involved with numerous industry affiliates, including Media Buyers/Planners Network, Automotive Digital Marketing, Revedia Group, Online Advertising Professionals, ThoseIn Media, and the IAB.

Matt earned his degree in Mass Communications from Iona College and resides in Eastchester, NY.

MJ Franklin is an assistant editor at Mashable. Before joining the edit desk, MJ spent 3 years on Mashable’s social team, focusing on Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest. He is also the cohost of MashReads, Mashable’s online book club and podcast.

As Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Carly Keeny leads the integrated communications efforts of United Way, including market research, public and media relations, marketing communications, digital and social media, public affairs, executive communications and advertising. Throughout her career, Carly has created and led communications programs for the College of Engineering at Villanova University, as well as for clients Verizon Wireless and Bayer Environmental Science in her time with Tierney. She started her communications and public affairs career with Word Work Inc. in Lansdale, PA, where she focused on content development for local government, education, and small business clients. Carly is a graduate of American University in Washington D.C., where she earned a degree in political science, as well as Villanova University, where she earned a master’s degree in communication. She is a volunteer on the planning committee for Women Against Abuse’s annual Dish it Up! event and a member of WHYY’s Community Advisory Board.

Michael leads social strategy for Digitas Health Life Brands global client roster across Philadelphia, New York, and San Francisco offices. His unique strategic blend of behavior and narrative structure has built thriving communities in the tens of millions, independently estimated at over 3% of all brand conversation.

Before joining Digitas Health, Michael led the creation and operation of the social media practice at Draftfcb in Chicago. This included healthcare clients Stelara and Janssen’s Positively Together HIV community. Other social clients included Taco Bell, Sharpie, Cox Communications, KFC, Discover Financial, Tombstone Pizza, and Diners Club.

His social crisis strategy has been praised by Mashable, Business Insider as having defined the best practice. His strategic approach has been cited multiple times in publications such as TechCrunch and Huffington Post. Michael’s articles have appeared in Advertising Age, Media Post, and iMediaConnection, among others.

Morgyn Seigfried currently serves as the Digital Media Manager at
Temple University, a position she was promoted to in September, 2015,
after being hired as the athletic department’s Social Media
Coordinator in May, 2014. In her role, Seigfried focuses on building
and marketing the Temple Athletics brand through the power of social
media. She manages and oversees all social platforms, creates graphics
for digital channels, pushes relevant/timely content that highlights
the achievements of all Temple teams, and most importantly, engages
and grows the Temple fan base.

Seigfried was a four-year soccer player at Temple, and graduated with
a degree in broadcast journalism in 2013. She left North Philadelphia
after being hired at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., where
she spent a year as the athletics content and marketing coordinator.

Along with her behind-the-scenes responsibilities for digital media at Temple, Seigfried is a frequent presence on camera for OwlsTV. Her broadcasting role includes interviews with coaches and student-athletes on Temple’s football and basketball teams as well as introducing numerous features for the Owls’ video department.

Dana Schmidt is the director of social media at VISIT PHILADELPHIA®, the region’s official tourism marketing agency.

Schmidt is responsible for continuing to grow the brand’s social media fan base beyond 1.2 million followers (and counting). As the director of social media for VISIT PHILADELPHIA, she leads the organization’s award-winning social media program by curating compelling content and using innovative tactics to keep fans and followers engaged.

Schmidt, who joined VISIT PHILADELPHIA in March 2016, chartered a new way to engage mobile-savvy travelers and locals with an account on the latest image- and video-based storytelling social media platform, Snapchat. The account covers live, Philly-focused events and shares exclusive on-the-ground content from events and attractions in the Philadelphia region year round. She also led social media efforts around the launch of VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s Historic Philadelphia campaign and helped shine the social media spotlight on Philadelphia during the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Schmidt has helped expand the organization’s influencer marketing program by organizing Pokémon GO meet-ups and Snapchat scavenger hunts. Building on the success of VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s Guest Instagram program, Schmidt also implemented special guest takeovers for the organization’s Snapchat account.

Under her leadership, VISIT PHILADELPHIA’s social media program has been recognized by such industry outlets as Adweek and travel news website Skift.

Schmidt has shared her social insights with audiences at Mashable’s Social Media Day Philadelphia 2016.

Driven by her passion for storytelling, Schmidt is a champion for organizations that promote creative expression. Prior to joining the VISIT PHILADELPHIA team, Schmidt coordinated digital marketing efforts across platforms at WHYY in Philadelphia and, before that, at Rocky Mountain PBS in Denver. As the digital marketing manager for Rocky Mountain PBS, Schmidt earned a Regional Emmy Award for producing “Women and Girls Lead” public service campaigns. She is also a former member of the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

A writer for a variety of audiences and media, Schmidt was honored in 2015 for her short fiction work by Glimmer Train, a magazine that champions emerging writers. Schmidt is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from New York University.

Ross Hollebon is the Director of Content for USA Football, and currently based out of Indianapolis, IN. With more than 18 years of pro sports experience, he has led digital projects and content strategy for the Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins and Minnesota Wild; worked as a Bureau Producer for NFL Network and Account Manager for NFL.com in Los Angeles; and was a Real-Time Correspondent for MLBAM covering the Baltimore Orioles. His digital agency experience includes social media for Audi, and web/mobile projects for US Soccer, NFL International, the ATP and ISC. Ross earned an MA in Publications Design from the University of Baltimore in 2014 and teaches Sports Journalism at Butler University

Michael D’Antonio has been immersed in the digital advertising business for over 18 years, leading client accounts such as Comcast, Microsoft, Major League Baseball, NBC, YouTube and AstraZeneca. He’s guided multi-disciplinary teams in research, strategy, design/development, and marketing of multi-platform products and digital experiences at agencies including McCann-Erickson San Francisco, Digitas Health and EPAM Empathy Lab.

At the heart of what Michael does for brands — large or small, B2B or B2C — is balance business, marketplace and technical requirements to achieve unique digital experiences that delivering measureable results.

Michael’s expertise is focused on the following areas:

•       Defining clients’ overall digital strategy
•       Managing digital product design & development
•       Creating content and social media engagement strategies
•       Leading clients and teams with positive partnership

At Slice Communications, in the role of Director of Client Services, Michael is responsible for leading client Public Relations and Social media engagements.

He is accountable for overall client success, day to day agency operations and managing the delivery teams.

Additionally, Michael has taught digital marketing and account management at Temple University’s School of Media and Communication for 8 years.

Brendan Walsh’s passion lies in where the digital meets the live experience. For over a decade he’s managed strategic marketing initiatives on the client and agency side. As principal and co-founder of Mole Street, Brendan has directed experiential campaigns for lifestyle brands such as UGG to arts education pioneers like The Barnes Foundation. A Temple University alumni, Brendan is passionate about building brands and helping the City of Philadelphia move forward.

Nick is a 5x digital entrepreneur with a mix of successful exits and failed ventures under his belt. He has been quoted and features in The New York Times, Inc Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Business.com, and many of the leading publication in Digital Marketing. He is currently the VP of Digital Strategy at TrafficSafetyStore.com, the Nation’s largest manufacturer and distributor of traffic safety products online, and the Founder of I’m From The Future, a Philly-based Digital Optimization Agency. He writes about being an Entrepreneur with ADHD, and in his free time races bikes and cars.

Angela Ballachino is the Social Media Manager for Tropicana Atlantic City. She graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors Degree in Marketing and has over 8 years experience utilizing social media for both personal and professional use. From personal fundraising initiatives to non-profit volunteering and internships Angela has provided social media consulting or management for organizations like Relay For Life and the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey. She is the Ronald McDonald House of SNJ’s first go-to for social media consulting and ads. During and immediately after graduating college she worked at a digital marketing agency providing social media for various clients including Spa Week Media Group in New York City. 

At Tropicana Atlantic City, Angela oversees all social media content, engagement, and strategies to support the initiatives of the Tropicana property and its tenants. Working at Tropicana has opened her eyes to the depth of possibilities within social media and allows for constant learning opportunities.

Megan H. Chan is the director of digital operations at The Washington Post. In this role, she is responsible for elevating digital performance across the newsroom through organizational and technical product developments. She was previously the director of digital products at Politico where she focused on digital development and oversaw the social media and election results teams. Before that, she was the online Washington editor and assistant news director at USA TODAY.

Kara Williamson is the Regional Marketing Manager for the Eastern Pennsylvania Region of the American Red Cross.  For the past nine years, Kara has held a variety of roles within the organization garnering knowledge and expertise in delivering the Red Cross message to the communities served.  Kara is one of only ten regional marketers in the country supporting the top media markets throughout the U.S.  As a brand ambassador, she oversees all marketing, event and fundraising collateral, builds brand awareness through social media and website content, and increases local visibility by providing strategy and execution for a successful marketing campaign.  She grew up in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania and earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from the University of Delaware

Laura Wilson is the Senior Director of Digital Engagement & Social Media at Georgetown University, one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions located in Washington, DC. She has a track record for creating or improving successful social media programs for global brands such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts, ICF International and Cvent. At Georgetown Laura sets the university’s social media strategy including leading an award-winning first-person video documentary series “Georgetown Stories” which shares the lives of 11 undergraduate students. Laura also volunteers her time consulting on social media strategy for several non-profits in the DC area.

Blake Harrison serves as Vice President, Digital Marketing at Nutrisystem. In this role, he is charged with leading acquisition marketing, social media, web analytics and website optimization. Over the past 16 years, Blake has managed online marketing for companies such as Grey Advertising, NetPlus Marketing, Charming Shoppes (Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug & Catherines), IAC (CollegeHumor.com) and ReactGear.

Amanda Stoneall currently works as the Social Media Strategist for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). In 2010, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications. Having entered the workforce during the early days of businesses utilizing social media, she was able to get in at the ground floor and become a pioneer in the industry. In 2011, she moved to New York to work at a small media company, focusing on expanding their social media presence. Since then, Amanda has worked with a variety of industries, ranging from finance and entertainment to hospitality and influencers, helping improve and develop social media plans. At WWE, she oversees social media content strategies, working to build engagement, support initiatives, and growing their robust social media footprint.

Jennifer joined the Philadelphia Fire Department (PFD) in January 2007. On July 25, 2011, Jennifer founded the Red Paw Emergency Relief Team, an emergency response organization that works in conjunction with the PFD and other response organizations to assist with pets missing, injured and/or displaced by fires and other residential disasters in the Region. In 2014, Red Paw was added to the City of Philadelphia’s Emergency Response Plan.

In 2011 while working at the Philadelphia Fire Department, Jennifer was detailed to the Fire Prevention Division where she helped to implement social media platforms for the department including Facebook and Twitter. She also created and helped to design the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Fire Safety App.

Jennifer retired from the Philadelphia Fire Department in 2014, but continued to volunteer as their Social Media Manager until February 2017.

Jennifer was recently appointed to the Citizen’s for Fire Prevention Board as their Chair of Social Media and is part of the American Red Cross, Eastern PA Chapter’s Emergency Services Leadership Committee.

In 2014, Jen was named a CNN Hero for her work with Red Paw.

Christine Mina is the Manager of Digital Media for the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL). Christine joined the Philadelphia Flyers in 2014. In her current role, Christine oversees all digital media platforms including the team’s mobile app, social media platforms, and the team website, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com. She is responsible for strategizing and executing all digital content and marketing initiatives as well as tracking and analyzing digital revenue generation.

Prior to joining the company, Christine held public relations and communications positions for the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL).

Christine received a Bachelor’s degree in communication and rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh.

Shana Steigerwalt is the founder of Modern Driven Media, a Philadelphia-based digital marketing agency with a specialization in social media. Working with clients in industries varying from automotive to hospitality, the team at Modern Driven Media focuses on building an engaging online presence for businesses to grow relationships with customers and prospects.

Shana earned her Communications Degree from West Chester University and has years of experience in both the hospitality and broadcast industries; specializing in communication and guest relations. It was through the constant interaction with fans and guests that Shana decided to transcend into the digital landscape to provide those same experiences for other businesses online. The value she places on relationships was the inspiration behind the launch of Modern Driven Media, and it continues to fuel the passion behind every client relationship and strategy.

Shark Tank entrepreneur Jess Edelstein cofounded PiperWai Natural Deodorant along with Sarah Ribner, her business partner since their elementary school lemonade stand. The two friends launched PiperWai in early 2014 after Jess invented this unique, activated charcoal-based natural deodorant in her kitchen when she decided she wanted to ditch toxic antiperspirant but couldn’t find a natural option that lasted all day and wouldn’t irritate her sensitive skin. Following the Shark Tank air date on December 11, 2015, PiperWai experienced exponential growth (over 6,000%) as consumers discovered this life-changing product. Prior to PiperWai taking off, Jess sold real estate in Philadelphia after graduating summa cum laude from Pitt in 2011 and a brief stint attempting to follow her Millennial-cliche dreams of working on Broadway. Now, Jess lives in South Philadephia with her fiancé Marc and rescue mutt Velma.

Jared Melzer considers himself a student of sponsorships and social media. He enjoys learning about how brands drive value from their partnership investments and social media campaigns.  He’ll always choose the challenger brand over the market leader.  The fun is not only in winning, but figuring out how to win as a team when the odds are not in your favor.  As the Director of Sponsorships and Social Media at TE Connectivity, Jared works on leveraging the company’s partnership portfolio and developing social media campaigns that grow, engage and influence business.  A graduate of Penn State University and the University of Texas-Austin, Jared has lived in New York, State College, Austin, Madrid, Los Angeles and currently calls Philadelphia home. You can follow him on Twitter @jaredmelzer.

SiNae Pitts, PhD is Founder and CEO of AMMO, short for Amphetamobile, LLC, a 100% woman-owned mobile technology company in Philadelphia. SiNae is an entrepreneur with a passion for creating user-centric, elegant tech that is online, mobile and good for the world. SiNae earned a PhD in Neuroscience from Columbia University and has published in several peer-reviewed journals and is an avid international foodie and cook. Since the App store opened in Fall of 2008, AMMO has been guided by scientific rigor and understanding of how to present complex information and meaningful use workflows and tools, to bring mobile apps and mobile sites to life. Clients for AMMO’s consulting, design, development and platform licensing include national and international scholarly and medical publishers, such as the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM),  American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST), the World Bank, Thomson Reuters and Elsevier.  AMMO’s mobile publishing platforms not only include front end, native mobile apps for iOS and Android devices and mobile optimized web sites, but also easy to use content management systems (CMS’s) on the backend.

Peggy Heffner is Content Marketing Manager at Dechert LLP, where she helps to guide the firm’s strategy to maximize its thought leadership efforts. She also oversees the use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to promote the firm globally. In addition, she serves as director and producer of the firm’s internal and external marketing video content, including videos about the firm’s practices as well as trending legal topics which are shared on the Dechert website, YouTube and other distribution channels.

In addition to her content marketing and social media responsibilities, Peggy assists with a variety of the firm’s public relations and communications projects, including media relations, internal communications, brochures and other collateral items, practice statements and business development materials, and optimization of website copy.

Prior to entering the field of legal marketing, Peggy served as Associate Director of Communications for the American Heart Association, where she assisted with media relations and website efforts in the Philadelphia and Delaware markets.

Peggy is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia (B.A. in English, cum laude, 2002).

Chris is currently the Vice President and Partner for MaassMedia, a boutique digital analytics firm based in Philadelphia and has been involved in the digital analytics space for the past 12 years. Chris was one of the co-chairs of the Philadelphia chapter of the Digital Analytics Association and has been a mentor in the Analysis Exchange program since 2011. Chris’s work in analytics has been published in multiple outlets including Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab and the Applied Marketing Analytics Journal. Chris has spoken at a multitude of conferences including the Newspaper Association of America’s conference, Semphonic’s XChange conference, eMetrics San Francisco and Boston, various Digital Analytics Associations conferences and many Web Analytics Wednesday gatherings.

Erica Nardello is social media & digital content supervisor at Brownstein Group. She brings 8 years of deep experience developing and executing social media strategies to this role. Before joining Brownstein Group, Erica helped to launch a new social media offering at O3 World and managed the social media practice at LevLane, where she led the creation of thoughtful and forward-thinking content strategies, community management, and reputation management across platforms for brands in retail, health and wellness, and the City of Philadelphia.

In addition to her role at Brownstein Group, Erica serves as host and social media strategist for CreativeMornings Philadelphia, a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative professionals, and serves as a Technology Connector volunteer with the Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, helping the community’s artistic organizations develop social media and digital strategies.

Amber is the Vice President of Corporate Communications for TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank, one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S. Amber is responsible for planning and executing media relations and internal communications for TD Bank’s Corporate and Specialty Bank. She proactively and strategically develops story angles for press that will build TD’s CSB brand and thought leadership. Amber also manages internal communications to drive employee engagement and excitement by maintaining internal communication channels. She previously was responsible for developing and executing a communications plan that elevated TD Bank’s Money Out business. During this period, she led the communication efforts for the banks largest marketing campaign ever for the Home Equity business, Rolling Renovation. The campaign wrapped with over 356 million media impressions, a reach of over three times the impressions in the plans goals including placements on CNBC and the Wall Street Journal.

Throughout her career, Amber has gained experience in public relations, social media, marketing and digital and led projects for clients such as The Neat Company, Lutron Electronics and OKI Data Americas in her time with Garfield Group and Domus, Inc. Amber graduated Cum Laude from Widener University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications Studies with a dual concentration in Public Relations and Advertising. She is a member of the Philadelphia chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

After graduating from St Joseph’s University and jumping directly into the pharmaceutical industry with Johnson and Johnson and Astrazeneca, I soon found out that working directly with business owners was where I was meant to be.

Having been bribed into working at Inverse Paradox by my wife and her business partner Neil, I soon found out that there were a lot of businesses and organizations who needed serious help with their online presence. By applying some prior experience, while also learning more and more every single day, I’ve been able to help hundreds of clients grow their company.

When I’m not in the office, I can be found at a networking function, in an ice hockey rink, playing with my awesome son, Zach and perfect wife, Melissa, or in front of a television rooting for the greatest sports teams out there: Mets, Nets, Devils, and Giants.

Julia comes to USGBC after having spent 3+ years operating her own café/restaurant in Ithaca, NY. The original farm-to-table (and zero waste) business concept grew out of a passion for local goods and consumer accessibility interests. Due to the latter, her skills in digital marketing strategy grew, which is what brought her to the marketing and communications team here, in DC. With a background in journalism – which includes publications with In These Times, Ms., and Philadelphia Inquirer – she brings a polished set of writing and editing skills for professional purposes. She is a 2009 graduate of Ithaca College, and volunteers as a hotline counselor for domestic violence and sexual assault.

Laura Carlucci is a Senior Marketing Manager at The Wall Street Journal, where she leads the building of integrated multi-platform campaigns for some of the publication’s largest clients.
Prior to WSJ, she led social media marketing at AOL where she built a campaign around a tweet that earned more engagement than Oreo’s “Dunk In The Dark” Super Bowl tweet that same year. She got her start in public relations and television production.

Elizabeth Samet has spent the last two decades creating fearless, thoughtful, design-savvy solutions to push boundaries, dazzle clients and create award-winning work across print, digital and social platforms. She spent over 10 years working on various Proctor & Gamble accounts as a creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi X before moving in to the world of publishing where she held Sr. Creative positions with Time Inc, Hearst and Conde Nast including Creative Director at W Magazine. She has won a Lion at Cannes and multiple Effie awards. She joined Destination Maternity in January 2015 as Creative Director and now serves as the VP of Branding and PR as well helping their brands Motherhood Maternity and A Pea in the Pod engage the next generation of consumers in a volatile retail environment.

Alison Kessler is the Social Media Account Director for Brownstein Group, Philadelphia’s longest running independent advertising agency. Kessler spearheads IKEA USA’s social media strategy, where she ensures successful integration between traditional and digital efforts and develops innovative and engaging social media activations.

Kessler began her career in public relations at Bullfrog & Baum in New York where she was responsible for food and beverage clients such as Chef Carla Hall, Karlsson’s Gold Vodka and Dubonnet Rouge.

She then returned to her native Philadelphia and transitioned to the integrated marketing field, supporting both local and national brands to develop and launch campaigns seamlessly in commercial and digital spheres. Some of her favorite accounts included Drexel University, Comcast, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and Reading Terminal Market.

Passionate about Philadelphia’s food and arts communities, she serves on the board of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (Philadelphia chapter) and volunteering at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

Kessler graduated with a degree in Communications from Boston University before following that up with a Master’s degree in Journalism and Integrated Marketing at Northwestern University.