Meet Mikaela Hunt of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mikaela Hunt.

Hi Mikaela, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
When a natural-born extrovert and problem-solver goes into TV news and comes out the other side as an entrepreneur and public servant- that’s my story. I’ve been a leadership consultant and a chief communications officer and everything in between in my quest to tell stories and improve lives through information. I’m fortunate to do it with a like-minded spouse and two kids who always keep it interesting. I was brought up as the daughter of a teacher and small business owner with capitalism in mind, and a dose of feminism too. Men and women both have the opportunity to lead well and our job is to use our God-given talents to make change happen in the world. I happen to do that through strategy, scrappiness, and heart.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing good ever is. I think we face our next highest purpose when we face challenges and decide to take it head-on. It’s not always pleasant, and it never feels like a trophy. It looks like hard work, integrity, and honesty.

I had a contract that wasn’t renewed in TV news because I spoke up about scripts not being written in time for a newscast on a regular basis. And for fighting for better content standards overall rather than lookism inside a newsroom that changed management. The viewing public deserved more.

And I’ve had individuals on my teams who struggle with feedback when leadership has high standards that I know they can achieve- but they think it’s too much. We live in a place where we need to be nudged to be great, and I don’t run from that. But it can be uncomfortable for others. When you stay in your integrity about the end goal, you can push through those challenges.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I currently serve as Chief Communications Officer for the Ohio Department of Commerce, where I build and execute media strategies across earned, owned and paid channels for the state’s chief regulatory agency. That work produces more than 700 media mentions and placements a quarter and a 6-8% CTR on paid marketing campaigns with our vendors. We have great public education opportunities that lend themselves to storytelling at their core. The work depends on keeping messaging consistent across nine divisions and stakeholders at every level, including direct advising of senior leadership on reputation and messaging.

Earlier in my career, as a partner in a small PR firm, I coordinated social media strategy and video messaging for healthcare, technology and government clients across U.S. and international markets, and before that I spent nearly eight years as a television anchor and reporter in a Top 35 market, which is where I first learned to translate complex, high-stakes material into something an audience will actually engage with.

I’m most proud of winning a national award from some of that work within the State of Ohio that addressed a very niche problem with our Securities Commissioner. What sets me apart from others? The ability to think outside of the box and connect dots to get results and/or solve problems.

What does success mean to you?
When you have the freedom to be the same person in public as you are in private. It also happens to be integrity- my top personal value.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikaelahunt.com
• Instagram: @mikaelashares
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikaelahuntnews
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikaela-hunt-storyteller/