Welcome Stacy Willingham

October marked a momentous occasion as we welcomed aboard Stacy Willingham. In just a few short weeks, Stacy has proved to be a kick-ass addition to the small and mighty Team BIPR (Blue Ion Public Relations for the uninitiated), and is impressing us all with her project management chops. We couldn’t let another moment pass without sharing the answers to our nail-biting new employee questionnaire. So say hello to Stacy: our writing, reading, pitching, and organizational extraordinaire.

Hometown

I definitely consider Charleston my hometown, even though I spent a few years growing up in Chicago. My parents and sister live here, so I couldn’t really imagine living anywhere else.

Pets

I have a crazy one-year-old Labradoodle named Mako. We named him after a mako shark because he’s extremely fast and his puppy teeth were extremely sharp, but we’ve since learned that he’s afraid of the water, so… it’s ironic.

Favorite outdoor pursuit

Anything involving water. Fishing, swimming, hiking. But in the winter, you can’t beat an oyster roast. Shucking oysters next to a bonfire drinking a beer… heaven.

Favorite movie

How do you pick just one?! I’ve always loved The Usual Suspects. The ending gets me every time.

Favorite indoor pursuit

Reading somewhere cozy.

Favorite time of day

That really depends on the day. During the weekend, it’s definitely the mornings. We eat a pretty elaborate breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays (waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs… it’s a whole spread), and I love waking up to the smell of coffee in the kitchen and drinking it on the back porch before the day gets going. During the week, it’s walking around the neighborhood with my husband and pup after work (sometimes with a tumbler of wine).

Favorite Charleston restaurant

R Kitchen. Never had a bad meal or conversation at that place.

You can only read one magazine for the rest of your eternity: which
do you choose?

Tough question. I prefer longform journalism so I’d have to go with The Atlantic.

Three words your friends / family use to describe you

I just asked my husband and he said creative, “a little OCD” and kind, so let’s go with that.

What’s always in your refrigerator?

Beer and string cheese. Classic combo.

When you’re having a bad day, what makes it better?

A really good cheeseburger and a glass of merlot.

What celebrity parents do you wish you had?

Morgan Freeman and Mila Kunis. They’d make an odd couple, I know. But Morgan Freeman has the best voice ever and I’d listen to any advice he gave me. Mila Kunis just seems like a cool mom.

What sound or noise do you love?

Rain on the windows and a constant rolling thunder. Also, being inside Sanford Stadium during a Georgia football game.

First concert

I’m pretty sure it was a Sublime cover band at Music Farm.

Most recent concert

Chris Stapleton.

If you weren’t in PR and Marketing, you’d be?

I would die to be an investigative journalist for the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. I’m a freelance journalist, true crime junkie (guilty pleasure) and I tend to get pretty obsessed with things once they catch my interest, so I think I’d be good at it. I’d also love to be a novelist one day.