“A golden state of mind.”
People from California often utter this statement to indicate pure bliss and happiness. It also perfectly describes our co-worker Mel Rubbelke’s general state of being. Her positive and happy-go-lucky attitude gives us the extra boost of energy we need to get through the cloudiest of Boston days. Mel is our in-house yogi, spinning enthusiast and wine connoisseur. She also helps us live up to our core value of amazing the customer by pushing us to think of new, interesting media ideas to deliver ongoing, valuable opportunities for our clients.
We sat down with Mel to ask her a few questions:
What's one thing you love about Metis?
The team. Metis has some of the smartest people I’ve worked with in the industry. Whether we’re fine-tuning a media pitch to get our client’s story out or developing a new idea for a client campaign, we’re constantly collaborating and pushing each other to stay forward-thinking and on top of the latest trends. We want our colleagues and our clients to succeed, and you can truly feel that the moment you walk into our office or start working with us.
What were you up to before you came to Metis?
I moved to Boston from sunny San Diego in January of last year. Let’s just say I quickly learned that my California peacoat was not sufficient. In San Diego, I was working at an agency that specialized in agriculture, consumer, tourism and local civic projects. One of my main – and favorite – clients was WD-40 Company (everyone’s favorite blue and yellow spray can). I spearheaded the media relations efforts, wrote content for their marketing materials and managed their social media pages, which included starting the company’s Instagram page. I also helped launch WD-40 EZ-REACH, one of their biggest product launches since 2005.
What’s your favorite Metis benefit?
I’d have to say the holiday break from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day. It was nice to go back home to Arizona and spend time with family and see my best friends. It’s rare all three of my siblings and I are together for more than 48 hours, so I really enjoyed catching up, playing Cards Against Humanity and having a few drinks together before we all went back to the craziness of our lives.
What's one thing you've learned since starting at Metis?
This is a tough one. I’ve learned so much from Metis, and I’m constantly learning. Many agencies say they’re “redefining” the public relations industry, but at Metis we actually showcase this in our work. Public relations has come a long way from just securing that media hit. Everything we do has strategy behind it and I’ve learned how important it is to understand that PR should never be a cookie-cutter approach. We develop programs that make sense for clients to meet their goals and generate leads. So, a speaking and awards program might make sense for one client, but a different client might need more assistance in content development and social media strategy.
What would your perfect weekend consist of?
I love kicking off days by doing something active, so you can often find me doing something like yoga, running, hiking in the morning. Being by water makes me extremely happy, so a weekend by the beach would be amazing. However, I’m a pretty laid back person. As long as I’m surrounded by good friends (which happen to include my co-workers!), food and a glass or two of wine, I’m a happy gal.
What's the next destination on your travel bucket list?
I’d love to do a Mediterranean adventure. Greece, Montenegro, Turkey, southern Italy…the list goes on. Honestly, I’d go anywhere if someone asked me (and gave me at least a few days’ notice!). My suitcase is always packed for the next adventure.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Most people know I’m a pretty active person. I’m a huge runner and I played soccer, but I’m also really into music and theater. My parents encouraged all four of us to play instruments growing up, so I played the flute for band and the tenor sax in jazz band. I was also band president in high school (nerd alert!) and still occasionally play my flute. I still have those chops.
