Spotlight on Saxum

Saxum is a public relations, digital and advertising agency in Oklahoma City. Founded by OU graduate Renzi Stone, this cutting-edge workplace is home to many talented and ambitious alumni who are ready to roll up their sleeves and delve into the world of digital media every day to help make our communities a better place.

We sat down with alumni Nick Buscemi, Houda Elyazgi and Madison Malget to hear about their experiences working at Saxum and how they use their Gaylord degrees every day.

Q: Tell us a little about what you do in your current role at Saxum.

Nick: I am currently working as a graduate fellow in client service here at Saxum. A lot of my work has involved content writing for websites and social media. I have also created media lists, I've written pitches, media advisories and press releases, I've participated in brainstorms, and reviewed/edited people's work. One of the most fun tasks I've done was creating a playlist for a pep rally.

Houda: I am the vice president and social issues group lead at Saxum. I have worked with hundreds of clients in the nonprofit, education, healthcare, consumer and financial sectors for over 12 years. My career at Saxum has taken me all over the world and allowed me to manage a great team who work on extensive issues related to diversity, equality, poverty and public policy.

Our clients tackle important issues in the world. Saxum helps them move mountains with the science and craft of marketing communications. Under the Social Issues Group, we focus on the following three issues:

• Placemaking - Creating vibrant spaces that promote quality of life, well-being and inclusive communities.
• Education Reform - Improving the vitality and equity in classrooms, schools and educational programs.
• Criminal Justice Reform- Developing programs that aim to create a fair, equitable and responsible criminal justice system.

I also lead Saxum's Step Up program, our nonprofit grants program where we have distributed over $1 million in in-kind contributions to area nonprofits in the last decade. I have worked with numerous national foundations and nonprofits, including Walmart Foundation, Teach for America, The Giving Pledge Learning Series, George Kaiser Family Foundation, FWD.us, the Walton Family Foundation, Inasmuch Foundation, Gathering Place and Tulsa Remote. My team and I have even been successful in influencing legislation in several states and executing integrated issue-based campaigns on a national level.

Madison: I am currently an account executive, serving our clients across a variety of industries. In my day-to-day, I work to build and manage relationships between our clients, our agency and external audiences. I also create and implement strategies that help our clients meet their communications goals. This includes assisting our engagement and experience teams in delivering our best creative and digital work that makes our clients happy.

Q: What did you study in Gaylord?

NB: I studied public relations in Gaylord, so I took a lot of classes with Dr. Moore. She's great!

HE: I got a BA in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in Arabic. I received the 2007 Award of Excellence in the field of public relations for the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I was in one of the first classes of the Gaylord Ambassadors. Additionally, I served on the Honor Council for the university and was also the first recipient of the Mary Ellen Hipp Doyle Scholarship.

MM: I studied public relations, and I am so glad I did! The degree choice and career path has been a perfect fit for me from the very beginning. My strong suit has always been writing and communication, so my PR degree was a great stepping stone to give me the structure and know-how I needed to excel in a career doing what I am good at and enjoy.

Q: How do you feel like your Gaylord degree has helped you in your current role?

NB: My degree in public relations has helped me a lot. Every agency or in-house company does things differently, but Gaylord taught me the basic principles of public relations and the world of journalism, and that has carried over into my role here. The format of a press release or media advisory might be different at Saxum than in Gaylord, but I know that I've written them before and that I'm capable of doing it again. Gaylord's public relations program had a big focus on earned media, which is still an important part of the industry today.

HE: Studying at Gaylord College sparked my interest in social justice issues. It was on campus where I discovered my love for working with nonprofits. Helping them advance their missions and contributing to a greater purpose is what keeps me motivated.

MM: It set me up for success starting on day one of my first PR job after college. The degree itself equipped me with all the practical tools I needed. Gaylord's PR writing, research and capstone courses were 100% applicable to the work in the real world at an agency. In addition to my degree, Gaylord gave me many opportunities for experience outside of the classroom that also proved helpful in my career. Serving as the PR director of Lindsey + Asp and as leadership for PRSSA furthered my abilities and put me ahead of the curve, compared to peers who attended universities without these opportunities.

Q: What’s one thing you’d like current Gaylord students and other alumni to know about the importance of their degree?

NB: No matter your degree from Gaylord, you can work in many different fields of communication because there is always a need for a well-studied and rounded individual that can competently communicate. Even if you aren't interested in digital work or social media, or if it feels unrelated to your degree, take a class or two. As the industry grows and evolves, more PR and communication work is done online, so it's great if you can handle the digital side.

HE: Take full advantage of the Gaylord experience. Immerse yourself in the rich learning environment. The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing as an individual. Seek opportunities to learn new things, expose yourself to different people, cultures, philosophies, etc. That curiosity and drive to learn new things will carry with you throughout your career.

MM: Gaylord gives its students so much during college, and I think it's our duty as Gaylord grads to give back to Gaylord and the classes that come after us. It has brought me great joy and pride to return to Gaylord to speak at career fairs, Top Jobs and PRSSA meetings. I recommend that all Gaylord alumni try to stay plugged in to the college throughout their careers. A Gaylord degree allows us to go on to do awesome things, and coming back to share about our post-grad experiences can serve as an inspiration to all those who come after us.