(Dec. 8, 2016) Newly hired Ocean Pines Association Marketing Director Denise Sawyer promises a younger, hipper approach to promoting the community.
Sawyer, 28, was born in Miami and went to school in Washington, D.C. While still in college, she worked as a television production assistant for the Hearst media group, which led to an interview – and eventually a job – in front of the camera with WBOC just a week after graduation.
About a year and a half later she joined the new NBC affiliate in Rehoboth, where she worked for about three years.
She said she heard about the job in Ocean Pines online last month after then Marketing Director Teresa Travatello announced she would be leaving.
“I wanted something that would allow me to really get into the community and get to know people, and not just in a quick, deadline-driven basis,” Sawyer said. “I wanted to really get out there and build a rapport and build relationships with the people that I call neighbors.”
Sawyer, who has lived in Berlin for about four years, said she’s familiar with Ocean Pines.
“I’ve gone to a number of weddings at the yacht club, I’ve gone to their Monday Night Football games [at the club] and trivia night, and I have a number of friends who live there, so I spend a lot of time in Ocean Pines,” she said. “It’s just natural for me to eventually work in Ocean Pines. I was excited about it because it was familiar territory.”
She will not miss being in front of the camera, she said.
“I’ll be behind the scenes,” she said. “What I’m hoping to do is get more engagement from our residents – to keep them in the know in very intriguing and hip and compelling ways.”
Hip, in Ocean Pines?
“Yeah!” Sawyer said. “You would think that it’s a retirement community, but there are a lot of folks who are my age and who are renters and who are first-time homeowners, and we want to appeal to them. We want to make sure they know that they live in a great community. And we want to do that with video, photos, memes, gifs – keep them up to date with what’s going on.”
While Travatello often did double duty as an information technology helper, Sawyer will likely focus on the marketing side. In part, that’s because the association also hired an IT professional, Paul Fazzalaro.
“It’s my job to basically hone in on the image of Ocean Pines and the amenities that are inclusive, and let folks know who live within Ocean Pines and those who don’t live within Ocean Pines what’s available,” she said. “It’s my goal to market the area with the hopes of folks either moving there or extending their stay or just feeling in the know.”
She sat through her first Ocean Pines meeting on Monday, a more than three-hour work session in the community center with discussions that ranged from improvements to the country club and purchase orders for new playground equipment, to talks on dissolving a committee because of rampant bullying and calls for a high-ranking official to resign because of a conflict of interest.
“As a reporter, I’ve sat in filibusters, so that was a cakewalk,” Sawyer said. “It was quite entertaining. It was nice to break the ice and just get to the hot-button issues, and to get to know the personalities and the people and the residents that really care about their community.”
Interim General Manager Brett Hill introduced Sawyer and Fazzalaro during the meeting on Monday, widely praising both.
Hill said the IT position had been open for about four years. Fazzalaro comes from Tennessee and has family in West Ocean City.
“I think he brings a very valuable skillset that’s really going to be a great asset to us,” Hill said.
He added that Julie Malinowski, formerly a part-time assistant, would take on a larger role in the marketing department and assist Sawyer.
“[Sawyer] has a very strong background in media and public relations and I think will be a great new face for Ocean Pines and to help move our image and our marketing forward,” Hill said.
Sawyer, 28, was born in Miami and went to school in Washington, D.C. While still in college, she worked as a television production assistant for the Hearst media group, which led to an interview – and eventually a job – in front of the camera with WBOC just a week after graduation.
About a year and a half later she joined the new NBC affiliate in Rehoboth, where she worked for about three years.
She said she heard about the job in Ocean Pines online last month after then Marketing Director Teresa Travatello announced she would be leaving.
“I wanted something that would allow me to really get into the community and get to know people, and not just in a quick, deadline-driven basis,” Sawyer said. “I wanted to really get out there and build a rapport and build relationships with the people that I call neighbors.”
Sawyer, who has lived in Berlin for about four years, said she’s familiar with Ocean Pines.
“I’ve gone to a number of weddings at the yacht club, I’ve gone to their Monday Night Football games [at the club] and trivia night, and I have a number of friends who live there, so I spend a lot of time in Ocean Pines,” she said. “It’s just natural for me to eventually work in Ocean Pines. I was excited about it because it was familiar territory.”
She will not miss being in front of the camera, she said.
“I’ll be behind the scenes,” she said. “What I’m hoping to do is get more engagement from our residents – to keep them in the know in very intriguing and hip and compelling ways.”
Hip, in Ocean Pines?
“Yeah!” Sawyer said. “You would think that it’s a retirement community, but there are a lot of folks who are my age and who are renters and who are first-time homeowners, and we want to appeal to them. We want to make sure they know that they live in a great community. And we want to do that with video, photos, memes, gifs – keep them up to date with what’s going on.”
While Travatello often did double duty as an information technology helper, Sawyer will likely focus on the marketing side. In part, that’s because the association also hired an IT professional, Paul Fazzalaro.
“It’s my job to basically hone in on the image of Ocean Pines and the amenities that are inclusive, and let folks know who live within Ocean Pines and those who don’t live within Ocean Pines what’s available,” she said. “It’s my goal to market the area with the hopes of folks either moving there or extending their stay or just feeling in the know.”
She sat through her first Ocean Pines meeting on Monday, a more than three-hour work session in the community center with discussions that ranged from improvements to the country club and purchase orders for new playground equipment, to talks on dissolving a committee because of rampant bullying and calls for a high-ranking official to resign because of a conflict of interest.
“As a reporter, I’ve sat in filibusters, so that was a cakewalk,” Sawyer said. “It was quite entertaining. It was nice to break the ice and just get to the hot-button issues, and to get to know the personalities and the people and the residents that really care about their community.”
Interim General Manager Brett Hill introduced Sawyer and Fazzalaro during the meeting on Monday, widely praising both.
Hill said the IT position had been open for about four years. Fazzalaro comes from Tennessee and has family in West Ocean City.
“I think he brings a very valuable skillset that’s really going to be a great asset to us,” Hill said.
He added that Julie Malinowski, formerly a part-time assistant, would take on a larger role in the marketing department and assist Sawyer.
“[Sawyer] has a very strong background in media and public relations and I think will be a great new face for Ocean Pines and to help move our image and our marketing forward,” Hill said.