Dru Anne Neil, Person Who Really, Really Loves this Stuff (for formal title, refer to Traditional Version)
To recap (in case you skipped the "Traditional Version"), here's the expected, standard stuff: Ms. Neil is a marketing, communications and fundraising professional with 20 years experience in marketing, public relations, media relations, tourism, fundraising, writing, sales, branding, social media, collateral production, visitor services, event planning and execution, direct mail, nonprofits, budgeting and management. Whew. Got that out of the way, so, moving on: She has opened three museums and planned and executed special events for small crowds of 20 up to large crowds of 3,000. She's worked with boards and major donors. She knows how to write for the media, for direct mail, for Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (and all things social), and she knows that each style is different, and, more importantly, she knows WHY. She realizes that customer service can make or break any business, and she knows how to sell (and, more importantly, why people buy). She worked as a reporter at a daily newspaper. She knows that SEO is important, and that messaging, consistency and relevancy are paramount. And she knows that decisions you make early on can make or break a business or a campaign. She knows a little bit about hockey and astronomy and still loves to diagram sentences, though she doesn't do that much when hiking or climbing ice. And finally, here's some just-for-kicks stuff: A few of her career highlights, to date, include: 1) doing a live phone interview (to promote an attraction) on a radio station in Madrid, Spain, from her desk in the states and having a colleague's friend hear said interview and say it was a hit--it's a small world after all; 2) handling the White House press corps and riding along with them in the Presidential motorcade, followed by meeting and casually chatting with the President of the United States; 3) being able to work on and actually help conserve the massive Battle of Gettysburg Cyclorama painting, as part of the opening of the new Museum and Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park; 4) Traveling to Alaska for work (not bad for someone who, five years ago, was terrified of flying). (And a master's degree in corporate communication from Duquesne University and a bachelor's degree in English Writing/communication from the University of Pittsburgh have helped with all of this.) And, more than anything, she can help you find YOUR way. |