Written by Talana Morris
As our MPD team blogs regularly these days, we’re profiling team members in a brief Q&A series.
Today’s Q&A is with Talana Morris, principal.
I am a wife and mother of two awesome young men: Preston (21) is just beginning his career as a firefighter in Garland and Garret (19) is a college student. I grew up and still live in the suburbs of Dallas. My husband, Cory, and I currently live in the rural area of Talty. We love it there! Just close enough to Dallas for work, but far from the hustle and bustle of the city. On early weekend mornings, we can be found on the back porch having coffee, enjoying the sunrise and listening to the roosters crow, accompanied by our English Bulldog, Bella, and our Yorkshire Terrier, Sophie.
L to R: Garret, Cory, Talana, Preston
My family is everything to me and I treasure every moment I get to spend with them. Cory and I enjoy cooking, trying new restaurants, antique shopping, entertaining, attending concerts and hanging with friends. I’m also an avid sports fan, particularly baseball and football. We’ve spent a lot of time over the last 15+ years watching our boys play baseball. I love my hometown teams, the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Cowboys. I also love the Texas Longhorns (hook ‘em!). Fantasy football is a secret hobby of mine as well.
I was working as a project manager for a health insurance company when I heard that Paige Dawson, a colleague from my days at Arthur Andersen, was looking for someone to fill that role for her boutique marketing firm. I was hesitant at first because I had no background in marketing, but I’m glad I made the move and am thankful to have recently celebrated a decade with MPD Ventures.
I love the work environment and the people. It’s very much a family dynamic. Each person on our team brings unique perspective and skills, which complement each other nicely.
I have coffee and music. I also feel most productive early in the morning and heavily rely on my dual monitors. Seriously…how did we get things done before dual monitors?
I never thought I would end up in marketing…it just happened. Paige needed someone to traffic manage all of the client projects and deliverables. I don’t consider myself the creative type, so I questioned if I could bring value to a world so full of creativity. I soon learned there’s more to it than just branding, ads, web design, graphics, etc. There is so much strategic thought and planning that goes into everything we do, as well as some technical and tactical execution. That is my niche. Thankfully, they don’t ask me to design anything.
I want to feel like I’m contributing to something special. Often times our clients have a great product or service, but they don’t have the resources to drive business through marketing and PR. I enjoy helping them achieve success.
I also feel it is important for us to stay up-to-date on the latest trends, tools and technology that are so critical to the ever-changing landscape of marketing. Social media has given us more options to reach our clients’ target audiences, but can be extremely hard to keep up with if we’re not dedicating time to learn from experts in our field (i.e. Social Media Examiner, Digital Doughnut or Hubspot) through articles, blog posts, webinars and podcasts.
My mantra throughout life has been Jeremiah 29:11—“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Everyone goes through hard times, whether it is in their personal life or career. This verse has helped me see the light at the end of the tunnel when faced with challenges or uncertainty.
