studio (un)scripted: 5 questions with samantha markiewicz.
SAMANTHA MARKIEWICZ, Chief Digital Officer, bread & Butter (who there aren’t enough compliments in the world that even begin to sum up her insane talents)
To me, the studio is my happy place. Where is yours?
I too find bliss in a buzzing workout studio (I’ve been a regular at Barry’s, CycleHouse WeHo AND Santa Monica (RIP), PlateFit, and Equinox (the Marina del Rey Best Butt Ever Saturday morning class is unmatched…). Beyond a workout – my kitchen on a sunny Saturday evening, cooking dinner with a glass of wine is my personal heaven.
You are Instagram goals. How much thought do you put into your photos or are they spontaneous? How do you decide when to post personal photos vs. work events?
Oh my gosh I would not say I’m IG goals – I spend so much time working on my clients’ social strategies that I don’t have that much energy left for mine. Somewhere along the way I realized I would never be the kind of mom that made baby books or wrote holiday newsletters – it was easier to just post snapshots of my life in real time. I don’t plan actual posts, I take photos of things, places, moments when they feel good, hit “favorite” on a few, and then post when I have a minute to sit down and reflect. I don’t have a formula for balancing work and personal photos. To be honest, I’m much more polished in work environments, and I happen to work with talented photographers, so I use those photos a lot because I’m vain and they look good (ha!). I also like to show what I do for work and tag my colleagues because I’m SO PROUD of our results and my team, I want them to know that they are important to me.
Where do you find inspo as a professional with social trends changing on the reg?
I keep up with platform changes and news via podcasts, I really like the Creator Upload for influencer marketing news/insights, Marketing School, Social Media Marketing with Michael Stelzner, etc. My job requires knowledge of social, influencer, digital marketing and the hospitality world, so I also like Cherry Bombe, Women Who Travel podcasts and I check out Eater daily, in addition to all the big and regional magazines (Los Angeles Magazine, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, etc.) Honestly I also see a lot of new ideas/trends while I’m scrolling – any time I see something interesting I save it and come back to it when I need inspo. Lastly I get inspired by how real people consume my clients’ products. I like to sit in the restaurant or hotel that I’m marketing and watch what people interact with – what’s the best photo spot? What are they referencing in addition to the menu to make ordering decisions? I think real life is sometimes overlooked in digital strategy – but it’s the most important element.
When people ask you, as a social and digital media professional, what you do for a living, how do you describe it?
My family still asks this – ha! I tell them I help restaurants, hotels and chefs create their online presence and build sales through social media. Usually people just say “She works in PR” or my favorite “She works in HR” (LOL).
If you could ask me anything, what would it be?
How do you DO IT ALL? You are the most organized, speedy, thoughtful person on the planet. I don’t know how you maintain your level of dedication and your constantly expanding client load, but I’d love to learn your secrets!
For MAJOR IG Inspo, you can follow Sam here.