MKE DMC

MKE DMC is a non-profit community for digital marketers in Milwaukee, WI.

We host monthly events, welcome all levels of experience, and focus on networking, learning, and innovation. MKEsearch is a non-profit organization committed to educate the Greater Milwaukee area on search engine marketing. We encourage marketers, managers, students, and anyone else passionate about search marketing to learn and grow in an exciting, yet ever-changing industry. MKEsearch will hold

monthly meet-ups where members can learn from some of the top search marketers in the country. Our goal is to bring the search marketing community in Milwaukee together to:

• Network with peers
• Stay updated on the latest features and best practices in search marketing
•Learn new tactics to advance your career
•Hopefully volunteer to share your knowledge with the community

03/19/2026

Last night we hosted our MKE DMC panel: “Nobody’s Coming to Save Your Digital Marketing Career.”

And honestly… that title delivered.

Instead of sugarcoating the current market, the conversation focused on what’s actually happening right now a frozen job market, an oversupply of talent, and a growing gap between “doers” and truly strategic marketers.

But what made this panel stand out?

It wasn’t just talk our panelists shared real, actionable things you can do today to stand out in this market.

A few that stuck out:
--> Build a network before you need it
--> Find ways to create value beyond your job description
--> Keep your skills sharp and don’t get complacent
--> Start betting on yourself, even in small ways

Big thank you to our panelists, Matt Ruud, Nora Lahl, Melissa Graham and our moderator, Renée Girard for keeping it honest and practical.

**If there’s one takeaway to remember**

No one is coming to map out your career for you but that’s exactly where the opportunity is.

03/17/2026

Meet Renée Girard! 👋

Instead of pulling her official bio, I thought it’d be more fun to go rogue...

Renee is our moderator for the panel tomorrow night and if you’ve ever been to one she’s run before, you already know she’s fantastic at it. She asks really good questions, follows up in a way that actually gets to the interesting stuff, and always adds a little humor (plus a few hot takes).

She’s going to be especially great for this topic, navigating your digital marketing career, because she’s lived it. Renee has moved up quickly into a Director role and will have some really solid, real advice to share.

Outside of moderating, she’s the Programming Director for DMC and Director of SEO at Whitepages.

One thing I’ve noticed since meeting Renee a couple years ago is how welcoming she is. If someone new walks into a DMC event, she’s usually the one pulling them into a conversation and introducing them to people. So if you’re ever nervous about not knowing anyone, just find Renee.

Also important, she has a very cute dog who is currently working through a fear of elevators.

So come find Renee, meet someone new, and join us at MKE DMC tomorrow night.

RSVP --> https://www.mkedmc.org/events/march-2026

03/16/2026

Meet Melissa Graham 👋

Melissa will be joining us as a panelist at our event next week where we’ll dig into the 2026 digital marketing job market, share tactical advice for building a career in digital, and talk about where the industry is headed.

So why Melissa?

Melissa is a Milwaukee native, first-generation college graduate, and proud Latina with over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and leadership.

She started her career in a real newsroom before eventually joining “the dark side” in marketing, working with medical associations and nonprofits. Those roles gave her the chance to lead across multiple channels, from PR and event planning to newsletters and paid media.

Wanting to deepen her digital expertise, Melissa moved into the agency world where she spent more than five years at Rocket Clicks, eventually leading and scaling the SEO team as SEO Director. She later joined Kinetic Sequence, expanding her experience into emerging media channels.

Today, Melissa works as a freelancer and consultant, partnering with organizations on digital marketing strategy and nonprofit initiatives.

Melissa is also active in the Milwaukee community through the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee and recently joined their Board Pipeline Initiative. She’s also a proud alumnus of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, which focuses on building the next generation of Latino leaders.

A few fun facts about Melissa:
🍷 Enjoys wine and gardening
🐶 Loves spending time with her two pups
🎬 Big fan of anime and horror movies
🎲 Always up for a board game

Come see Melissa and the rest of our panelist this Wednesday!

RSVP here --> https://www.mkedmc.org/events/march-2026

03/13/2026

Meet Nora Lahl!

Nora will be joining us as a panelist at our event next week where we’ll dig into the 2026 digital marketing job market, share tactical advice for building a career in digital, and discuss the industry's future.

So why Nora?

Nora brings 20+ years of experience in digital marketing and agency leadership. She’s the COO at Milwaukee-based agency Lightburn, where she has spent the past 15 years helping grow and evolve the organization.
She started her career as a print production artist before making the leap from picas to pixels, joining Lightburn as a project manager and eventually moving into strategy and operations.

Today, Nora focuses on enabling teams to do their best work, whether that’s launching new services, building new roles, or improving the processes that keep an agency running. Her background in PR and philosophy shows up in her leadership style: client-focused, thoughtful, and never afraid to ask the tough questions that get to the heart of a problem.

A few fun facts about Nora:
- Avid biker
- Quilter
- Once nailed a perfect batch of croissants on the first try

Show her some love and RSVP for the event next week!
https://www.mkedmc.org/events/march-2026

03/12/2026

Agency vs In House - Which is Better?

Tyler Einberger asks Sam Torres what are the advantages to working at an agency and on in house teams.

For more conversations like this one, RSVP for next week’s event, which is all about navigating your digital marketing career!

03/11/2026

Meet Matt Ruud! 👋

Matt will be joining us as a panelist at our event next week where we’ll dig into the 2026 digital marketing job market, share tactical advice for building a career AI can’t replace, and talk about where the industry is headed.

So why Matt?

Matt brings 20+ years of digital marketing experience across both agency and in-house teams. Today he’s the Senior Manager of Paid Media & Search at Unisys, where he leads full-funnel B2B campaigns that drive measurable growth. That experience gives him a strong perspective on how the digital marketing industry is evolving and what it takes to stay competitive.

Matt is also passionate about mentoring and developing the next generation of marketers and has built a strong reputation for helping others grow in their careers.

A few fun facts about Matt:
🏀 Marquette basketball season ticket holder since 1999
🎸 Regular at local punk & emo shows
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Loves spending time with his wife and kids

Go Eagles! Go digital marketing! Go Matt!

Show him some love 👇
Share this post and RSVP for the event next week!

https://www.mkedmc.org/events/march-2026

02/19/2026

You can't invite 3 creatives to do a panel and not expect to laugh and have a fun time!

Big shout out to Jason Gierl, David Arnevik, and Mike Betette for the stories, perspective, and the kind of insights you only get from people who’ve actually been in the trenches.

01/22/2026

Adam Di Frisco delivered (again) last night! 🙌

From behind-the-scenes stories about working in China to insights on what Chinese platforms can teach us about the future of American search, so many great takeaways.

The Q&A was one of the best we’ve had. Thoughtful questions, great discussion, and a really engaged crowd.

Thanks to everyone who braved the cold to join us, and to Adam for another thought-provoking presentation.

Mark your calendars, next DMC is February 18th!

01/20/2026

Tomorrow!

It’s cold out there, but if you’re leaving your house for anyone, it should be Adam Di Frisco.

Fresh kegs on tap to keep you warm 😁

12/09/2025

Slight change of plans but still a good one!

DMC is still happening this Wednesday but instead of Adam’s talk we are turning the night into a Headshots and Holiday Hangout in the Momentic space on the 3rd floor in the same building as DMC.

We will have pizza and plenty of time to mingle!

And don’t worry Adam Di Frisco is officially rescheduled for January 21st

See you Wednesday!

12/08/2025

Tyler Einberger is offering FREE headshots at the Momentic office (3rd floor of the MKE DMC building) before DMC this Wednesday!

Spots are very limited so grab yours today --> https://calendar.app.google/vm7GxUFDwp9Z9bmo7

All we ask in return is that you stick around for DMC. Fair trade, right?!

And bonus Adam Di Frisco is hands-down one of the most engaging and informative speakers we've ever had on our stage so you're absolutely in for a great one!

Example headshot test from Friday staring Casey Cuene 👇

Address

318 N Milwaukee Street
Milwaukee, WI
53202

Website

https://www.mkedmc.org/

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