Member Spotlight

MEET PRSA AUSTIN CHAPTER MEMBER: LINDSAY MASON

NAME: Lindsay Mason

CURRENT LIVELIHOOD:  I am currently working in the nonprofit industry as the Development Manager of Communication and Volunteers at Easter Seals Central Texas.  Easter Seals provides services to children and adults with disabilities.

CHILDHOOD AMBITION: I always wanted to be a veterinarian.  I loved animals and I grew up an Aggie so I had the whole thing planned out.  I would go to Texas A&M for undergrad and vet school and then move back to Austin to open my own clinic.  I knew that I wanted to work with small animals but have a partner who worked with large animals so that we could cover it all.

DRAW TO THE COMMUNICATIONS FIELD: Well, as you can see, my career as a vet didn’t actually happen.  In high school my ideas changed a bit and I became very interested in physical therapy and the entertainment industry.  While in college I took an introduction to public relations class and discovered that publicity was the same thing but in entertainment.  I decided that was the job for me.  I loved to write but not enough to be a journalist and I liked to tell stories.  PR seemed like a great fit.

HOMETOWN:  I am proud to say that I am a native Austinite.  I have only moved away twice, for college in San Marcos and one summer in New York City for an internship.  I have to say that my experience in New York is one that I wouldn’t trade for the world.  I moved up there at 21 to take on the big city all by myself.  I had an amazing job in the new media department at Universal Records and a cute room on the Upper West Side.  In just a few short months I discovered a lot about myself.  I’m pretty sure my mom didn’t get a single good night sleep while I was gone but I am so grateful to my parents for letting me have that experience. 

MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE AS A COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL:  I think this is a good place for a fun story.  I’d have to say that my most memorable experience so far is pitching a story about goats.  A past client of mine had an issue with thistle (that fun weed that has a sharp purple flower on top) and decided that the most eco-friendly way of taking care of it was to place goats on the hillside and let them eat the thistle.  Everyone knows that a goat will eat anything, right?  Well, the goats were confined to a small area until the thistle was all gone and then moved to another location.  It took everything I had to not crack up laughing when my client suggested this as a story.  I couldn’t imagine anyone taking this seriously but ‘silly’ turned out to be the perfect angle.  We made a joke of the idea that it was an eco-friendly attack on the hillside and that the goats where better than herbicides.  Believe it or not, this story was actually picked up and even became a fun photo opportunity.

RECOMMENDED READS: As public relations professionals we are always reading about the newest trends and changes to our industry.  The book that I would recommend is great for a little comic relief.  I was given a copy as a Christmas gift from my first employer and it cracked me up.  I don’t want to give away anything but I will say that only someone in the PR industry will see the humor in it.  Check out Bluff Your Way in P.R. by Basil Saunders and Alexander C. Rae.

As for personal choices, I really enjoyed Africa Solo by Kevin Kertscher.  It is a wonderfully written story of his journey across Africa with only a backpack.

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT AUSTIN AND FAVORITE AUSTIN RESTAURANTS: These are pretty hard questions for me to answer since I’m from here.  I love everything about Austin.

• My favorite restaurants are probably Polvos for queso and margaritas, Hopdoddy for somewhat fancy burgers, Homeslice for a fun pizza outing, Red’s Porch for a sports bar with great food and EZ’s for a little of everything.
• My absolute favorite thing to do in Austin is check out some live music.  Unplugged at the Grove and Blues on the Green are summer staples but there are always great shows at the Saxon Pub and Antone’s.  I also enjoy hanging out at local coffee shops where you can see a little of everything that makes Austin, Austin.  Spider House is still my favorite.
• Cool places to visit in Austin: 35^th Street during Christmas, the 2^nd Street District, South Congress, Auditorium Shores and of course the Town Lake Running Trail (yes, I still call it Town Lake).