Elspeth Rountree

Bio:

Listed as one of the “25 Need-To-Know Bloggers” by Mediaite.com and a “2009 Silicon Alley Insider 100”, Elspeth “Ellie” Rountree has appeared as an internet culture expert on major media channels including NBC, FOX, hosted her own show in conjunction with Conde Nast, and was featured as Lucky Magazine’s guest video blogger for July 2010. She has also recently been cited in the Wall Street Journal and the Huffington Post regarding internet culture. She was also a writer, senior producer, host, and co-creator of both highly successful Know Your Meme and Rocketboom Tech series.

Prior to Rocketboom and starting her current digital media consulting career focusing on Social Television Strategy and Digital Media for companies such as BBCA and The km.co, Rountree graduated with a BS in Cinema and Photography from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College. Rountree has also spoken at many conferences including Web 2.0 San Francisco (Keynote), Social Media Week Brazil, Case Camp in Toronto, among many more. She is an active member of the International Academy of the Digital Arts and Sciences, serving as a judge for the Webby Awards and a contributor for Social Media Week’s official blog. Rountree lives and works in New York City.

• Title: Digital Media Strategist
• Age: 28
• Location: SoHo
• Contact: @elspethjane, elspethjane.com

Back in 2009 you did an interview on Girls Go Geek where they asked you what gadgets you had in your purse at the time.  In your purse then was a flip cam, regular digital camera, BlackBerry, and a Mac charger.  If we were do the same thing, what type of gadgets would we find in your purse today?

Oh yes, 2009... The year of way too many gadgets!  Luckily technology has advanced enough to where I can consolidate all the items into a few key pieces that take up much less space and don't kill my back from toting around too much weight.  This morning as I walked to a client, my purse contained a 13' MacBook Air, an iPhone 4, wireless mouse, AT&T wireless hotspot and a small iPod.  The iPhone covers all my HD photo/video needs and the computer does the rest.  I love having the wireless mouse for working throughout the day, and I keep the iPod separate so it doesn't drain the Iphone's battery.  There are still a few chargers and USB cords floating around in there too...  

What’s a typical weekday like for you these days?  What’s an ideal weekend for you?

These days, my schedule is all over the place!  It's fun not having a "9-5" job anymore and in the NYC tech scene it's more like "10-8", even if you freelance. During the day, I'm doing anything from creative strategy for new websites, production, social media, writing, etc. The typical work day starts out early in the morning with the gym, then I answer emails before heading out to a client.  I'll usually stay there for the day depending on what's needed, then head out to other meetings or clients in the afternoon.  By the time it's 7 or 8pm, I'm usually meeting up with friends to grab a bite to eat or attending a tech event in the city. 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I had always wanted to be a pilot.  Even though I had never flown until age 18 or so, it seemed like the most interesting job in the world.  Luckily I discovered at the age of 16 my adrenaline rush could come from driving cars, which I still love to do.