Lindsay Blackwell
Lindsay Blackwell (born August 3, 1989) is the assistant director of social media at Fluency Media in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Early life
A native of Livonia, Michigan, Blackwell graduated from Stevenson High School in Livonia in 2007. Blackwell then went on to study English and linguistics at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Professional career
Shortly after graduating, Blackwell worked as the Box Office and Administrative Assistant at the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (A2SO). Blackwell was promoted to Marketing Manager of the A2SO after six months, and worked in that position until she applied for a social media director opening at the University of Michigan advertised as paying a $90,000 to $110,000 a year salary.
Blackwell realized that she may not have the formal experience for such a high-profile role and needed a unique way to secure an interview. She pored over the idea for several days and from a Friday evening to Monday morning, she created a website, dearlisarudgers.com, targeting Lisa Rudgers, the Vice President of Global Communications for The University of Michigan and the hiring manager. Blackwell described the website as an interactive cover letter, featuring an embedded YouTube video describing her interest in the position. The campaign that followed spawned much coverage from local and national media, including American Public Media's Marketplace Money.
Blackwell was successful in obtaining Rudgers' attention and was offered an interview less than 12 hours after the campaign's launch. Though she was not contacted AbOUT a follow-up interview, the buzz generated by Blackwell's campaign led to other job offers, ultimately leading to a position at Ingenex Digital Marketing in Ann Arbor. Blackwell now works at Fluency Media.