HEATHER BRINCKERHOFF INSPIRING JOY

From the moment

HEATHER (DAVIS) BRINCKERHOFF

’12 graduated from Southeastern, she was propelled into what has been a wild and amazing career working alongside companies as grand as Disney and as popular as PlayStation. Currently the director of social media for Magnolia, Heather determines the social media content representing the company owned by Chip and Joanna Gaines, the couple most known from their show “Fixer-Upper” on HGTV.

Originally coming to Southeastern on an acting scholarship, Heather was majoring in broadcast journalism and interested in getting involved in films. It wasn’t until some of her professors and advisors recognized certain skills and abilities within her that she considered a change in her intended career path. They suggested a reroute into the field of public relations.

Heather recalled, “At the time I didn’t even really know what public relations was.”

Trusting the insight of her advisors, Heather changed her major and began journeying down the road that would lead to her passion for social media marketing.

“Looking back, I really appreciated that my professors at Southeastern genuinely cared about me and invested in my future,” said Heather. “I still stay connected with some of them even to this day.”

It was also during her time at Southeastern that Heather met her husband, COREY BRINCKERHOFF ’12, who currently works remotely as the associate director of graduate enrollment for Southeastern. Immediately after graduation, Heather took a position at a public relations agency known as Porter Novelli, helping with the social media for both Disney and PlayStation. By the time she was ready to move on to the next venture, she had worked her way up to senior account executive, managing social media publishing programs for the teams at both Disney Parks and PlayStation.

“It was a really fun job, but it was challenging too,” said Heather. “We would end up publishing about 40 pieces of content a day between both Disney and PlayStation,” said Heather.

Never restricted to the typical office setting, Heather would often travel between Disney World and Disneyland parks promoting and capturing content for various events and grand openings. Similarly with PlayStation, Heather would fly out for product launches or national and global gaming conventions. She would then manage behind-thescenes elements of that event, working to catch the best highlights, whether that was guests trying out the technology for the first time or posting content about gaming announcements in real time.

Heather eventually felt as if she had hit her peak at the agency. It was during that time that she was scouted and recruited for a position overseeing LEGOLAND Florida’s social media.

Within this role, Heather created a strategy for the brand’s social media, building everything from the ground up. She was also physically in the parks producing and directing videos, casting talent, taking photos, and analyzing and reporting on the performance of that content.

A year and a half into her time with the company, Heather was promoted to senior global social media manager and subsequently put in charge of all nine LEGOLAND Parks’ worldwide social

Heather, Kanon and Corey

Heather representing LEGOLAND on NBC with news anchor Gayle Guyardo. media programs. In addition, she acted as a spokesperson for the company during interviews both in the studio and with other media that came to visit the park.

Heather often worked with celebrities that came to the parks.

“One of my favorite memories was bringing Howie Dorough from the Backstreet Boys and his sweet family to be the first to stay in our new LEGO Movie-themed rooms,” said Heather. “I always loved watching our guests experience new things at LEGOLAND for the first time.”

Although Heather thoroughly enjoyed her employment at LEGOLAND and all the fun that came along with it, she once again reached a point where she felt ready for a new opportunity. Not long after she began feeling this way, Heather discovered a post advertising a job opening with Magnolia as the director of social media.

Already a fan of the Magnolia brand, Heather decided to apply and went through numerous interviews before being offered the position.

“If I could sum up why I love working in social media, it’s the opportunity to create content that brings people joy,” said Heather. “I genuinely love what the brand is doing. Chip and Joanna are bringing inspiration and positivity to the world through Magnolia, and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Since April, Heather has been residing with her family in Waco, Texas, the company’s home base. She currently oversees five different social media accounts across 18 social media channels, representing several different parts of the company. When reflecting on the content she’s created so far, one post sticks out for Heather. It was a video she and her team created in honor of Father’s Day. She had Magnolia’s Twitter followers submit their favorite dad jokes. Heather said, “The idea was to take all those jokes and have Chip read them to his kids to answer the age-old question, ‘Are dad jokes actually funny?’”

The video turned out to be a fan favorite, holding the record as the most viewed Instagram video of all time for Magnolia. It also received national media coverage from People.com.

Constantly looking for new and innovative ways to share or promote things on social media, Heather and her team have to stay on top of the trends and what’s current and popular on each separate platform.

“There’s a lot more to it [social media] than people realize,” said Heather. “Working in social media you wear many hats, from content strategy to crisis management, copywriting, data analysis and creative direction, to name a few.”

As the director of social media, Heather is engrossed in creating and setting strategies for her team, building content calendars months in advance and consistently giving approvals for her team members’ projects. Sitting in on meetings with various teams and senior leadership, Heather is also responsible for understanding the company’s big picture goals and priorities. It is then her duty to give effective direction to her team so that the content they’re producing properly communicates and reflects those goals to all of their followers.

Although Heather acknowledges the unique stressors that come along with having a career in social media, she wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. “I’ve never felt like I’m going to work because I’m truly passionate about what I’m doing,” said Heather.

Oftentimes, people look at Heather’s career journey and wonder how she got so lucky with what many would consider dream jobs. Heather recognizes the opportunities she’s earned as a product of hard work, long hours and God’s hand in her life.

“A major theme throughout my career has been risk-taking. Every single position I’ve had at first felt unattainable. I’ve learned that hard work and persistence make up for a lot of unknowns. You eventually get the hang of it,” said Heather. “I’ve never regretted the times I’ve jumped in the deep end. My confidence has always come from my faith that God has placed me in roles specifically meant for me.”

Outside of her work, one of Heather’s passions lies with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she has been a wish granter since 2011. As someone who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one, Heather understands the weight and impact of fulfilling a once-in-alifetime wish for a child enduring a lifethreatening illness.

“It’s been amazing to work and spend time with so many inspiring kids and families,” said Heather. “I feel so lucky to be a very small part of the life-changing work the Make-A-Wish Foundation is doing.”

The rest of Heather’s free time is occupied with raising her one-year-old son, Kanon. Originally from a small country town, Heather loves being outdoors, exploring and spending time with friends and family.