MEET MICHELLE MAGAT WILLIAMS

• 1970    Born in Des Moines, Iowa.
  
  
• 1975    Moves two hours north to rural town. Population: 7,000. Boredom sets in.
  
  
• 1978    Creates first issue of “The Sunshine Gazette” newspaper. Sells four subscriptions – mom, dad, dad’s secretary and piano teacher.
  
  
• 1978    Creates additional revenue by tapping into hot trend with lifestyle magazine “Sticker Mania.”  
  
  
• 1979    Publications fold.
  
  
• 1979   Gets a cassette player for birthday. Creates radio show called “The Sunshine Gang” with fictitious character warblings interrupted by sophomoric piano solos. Records a dozen tapes. Mom and dad kindly tolerate during road trips.
  
  
• 1984    Moves to Minneapolis. Thrown into private, all-girl, Catholic school swarming with Paris Hiltons. Nicknamed “Maggot.” Spends next few years trying to win friends and influence people.
  
  
• 1987    Runs for student council publicity chair. Uses humor and thought-provoking campaign posters to sway voters. Wins.
  
  
• 1988    Elected by student body to give commencement address at high school graduation because they thought it’d be funny. It wasn’t. Instead, quoted obscure poet and appealed to target audience: mom and dad.
  
  
• 1988   Attends St. Olaf College in Minnesota as pre-med student following in father’s footsteps. Enlightened by literature class, changes major to English. Spends the next year convincing dad an English major can lead to a lucrative career. It works. Spends a semester in England studying creative writing. Receives B.A. in English in 1992.
  
  
• 1993   Attends Indiana University in Bloomington. Writes for student newspaper and local rag covering music. Revels in perks of free CDs and concert tixs. Interviews dozens of Indie bands, like Pavement, Yo La Tengo, De La Soul and Guided By Voices. Receives M.A. in journalism in 1995.
  
  
• 1996   Moves to Chicago. Pounds pavement. Interviews at Weber Shandwick. After grueling interview process and writing test, throws up. Gets call with offer.
  
  
• 1996   At Weber Shandwick, helps develop and implement first-ever mobile marketing program for the “got milk?” campaign; serves as spokesperson on numerous TV and radio shows. In one green room, hangs out with Academy Award-winning actress Frances McDormand and non-Academy Award winning actor Tom Arnold.
  
  
• 1998   Works at Edelman PR in Chicago on American Dairy Association account. Wins two Silver Trumpet Awards.
  
  
• 2000   Misses Weber Shandwick; moves back; helps develop and grow teen marketing division. Manages youth programs for “got milk?”, Kraft and Masterfoods.
  
  
• 2003   Does stint at boutique shop Dome Communications in Chicago; works on ConAgra Foods account and new business development.
  
  
• 2003   Misses Weber Shandwick; moves back; manages multi-million dollar Electrolux account.
  
  
• 2004   Watches woman being blown down a sidewalk caked with ice one frigid December morning. Moves to California. Creates a consumer division at Weber Shandwick in San Francisco.
  
  
• 2006   Helps create Current and leads the San Francisco office.
  
  
• 2008   Has baby Zoe Bea Williams and can finally talk to client targets from experience. Currently manages The Glad Products Company, Hidden Valley Ranch and Pine-Sol accounts.