“What I advise singles is that a first date is like a first interview.”

Liz H. Kelly is a Marketing and Digital Media enthusiast who founded Sunrise Road Media (specializing in Social Media Marketing for entertainment) and just recently, Goody Awards (Social Good Shout Outs via Social Media.) Liz has worked for Paramount Pictures, Fox Interactive Media/MySpace, and Sprint PCS, and writes a National Digital Entertainment Column for the Examiner about everything digital, including film, video, apps, mobile, tablets, social media and more.

After covering hundreds of panels and conferences (SXSW, Sundance, Comic-Con, NAB, Digital Hollywood, etc) on digital entertainment, Liz launched the Goody Awards at SXSW to empower individuals to give shout outs via social media. Anyone can tweet 3 types of Goody Awards (#GoodDeedGoody, #HeroGoody, #TeamGoody) using #GoodyAwards in the tweet. To make it easy, there is a pre-populated Twitter box on GoodyAwards.com. The Goody Awards also develops integrated marketing campaigns around “special awards” such as the Golden Goody Award (like an Oscar for social good,) and will be hosting an Annual Awards Show.

Along with her digital media passion, Liz is a published author, who writes dating advice columns for the Los Angeles Examiner and teaches about love through Hollywood movie examples for her new book, Great Life Great Love. For more information, visit SunriseRoadMedia.com

MO: Can you talk about how and why you started Sunrise Road Media?

Liz: After getting laid off from MySpace like so many others, I started Sunrise Road Media as a way to take my integrated marketing skills and build Marketing Success Stories from the heart for brands / public figures through Engagement Marketing (Marketing, PR and Social Media) campaigns.

MO: What exactly is Engagement Marketing? How does it work and what are some of the advantages of using it?

Liz: Engagement Marketing includes developing core messaging for a brand, and engaging customers in conversations through multiple channels (social media, video, events, contests, polls, etc.) When I worked for MySpace, I managed the $1 million+ marketing campaigns, which included all of these elements for clients such as Toyota, University of Phoenix, Alberto Vo5 and XM Radio.

MO: Not only do you manage a thriving marketing company, you’re also a relationship expert and author. How do you balance your time between marketing, advising on relationships and writing books? Are there any points where marketing and dating intersect?

Liz: My current focus is on developing my marketing business with Sunrise Road Media and the Goody Awards. Where the relationship expert skills help is in developing compelling stories from the heart for brands. In my dating book and videos for Great Life Great Love, the emphasis is on how you are marketing yourself when dating. We also do Great Love Reviews, which are love lessons in the movies.

MO: How do you use your use your marketing and entertainment experience to help singles bring out their best?

Liz: What I advise singles is that a first date is like a first interview. You want to dress for success (which to be is casual and cool), keep the conversation light (don’t get too personal and avoid telling dating war stories at all cost), and above all, send out positive messages through your body language (which is 80% of someone’s interpretation of you.)

MO: What inspired you to write, Great Life Great Love?

Liz: When I was in high school, I was called Dr Liz for giving great dating advice. It helped that I was dating the cute and smart jock at the guy’s school down the street. Fast forward to my masters program at Johns Hopkins University, I had a professor who encouraged us to think big and go after our dreams. I wanted to write a book, and dating and relationship advice was a clear passion and topic for my book.

MO: What key elements help bring out the best in a client’s story?

Liz: When working with a client, we ask a lot of questions to get to the core of their story. Once we understand the history, motivations and benefits they provide, it makes it easier to develop a compelling marketing campaign. The fun part is developing the creative and the messaging that connects with their target market through social media, video, photos, events, contests, press releases, and associations to current events and conferences. Our overall goal is to develop a compelling campaign that is relevant and will build fans and revenue for clients. The Goody Awards offers a creative way to recognize social good, and positive PR is 3x more valuable than other PR because people want to support companies who are giving back.