Biography

Melissa graduated from the University of North Carolina in Asheville with a Bachelor of Arts in New Media with concentrations in Interactive Web Design and Video Art & Design. In the years since college, she has been a freelance Graphic Designer by day for a CPA firm, an international Real Estate Agency, and a Marketing/Communications company. However, her creativity did not stop at the end of the workday, and by night, she transformed into Bartender Extraordinaire - tending bars from Raleigh and the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Destin.

One of the first projects Melissa executed while working as a freelance graphic designer was the successful implementation of a full website re-design for Robert G Patrick, CPA. Melissa has also produced social media content for Facebook, Google, and Twitter for Scenic Sotheby’s International Realty branch on Highway 30A, in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Melissa's proudest accomplishment and most personal project is her logo design for the Fort Walton Beach, Florida branch of The Drake School of Irish Dance; this is also the dance studio where Melissa grew up learning Irish Dance and where it became her life’s passion. This logo started off as a simple t-shirt design and has expanded to additional versions including designs for the Crestview and Panama City studios. Melissa's designs are printed on t-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants, flyers, and even put on a billboard. Her logo is printed on team shirts for the 2018 Irish Dance World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland.

Melissa was born and raised in Fort Walton Beach, where she currently lives. She is dog mom to an eight-year-old Golden Retriever named Maggie Mae. Her passion for creativity began at a young age with painting, drawing, and Irish Step Dance. She has been Irish Dancing for eighteen years and is currently studying to get her Irish Dance Teaching Certification, the TCRG. She enjoys going to the beach, cooking delicious food, drinking craft beer, watching Alabama football, and adventuring with her pup.

Operating Systems

• Windows
• MacOS

Software & Technology

• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Premiere
• Adobe AfterEffects
• FinalCut Pro
• HubSpot
• Kentico

Languages

• HTML5
• CSS3

Digital Marketing

• Print Design
• Web Design
• Branding
• Videography
• Photography

Random Skills

• Irish Step Dance
• Hula Hoop Dance
• Acrylic Painter
• Amateur Welder
• Harry Potter Expert
• Craft Beer Enthusiast