Q&A with Samantha Liebhard, Account Strategist

We’re excit­ed to wel­come our newest team mem­ber, Saman­tha Lieb­hard, as an Account Strate­gist! With more than 12 years of inte­grat­ed agency expe­ri­ence, Saman­tha brings not only her com­mu­ni­ca­tions and account man­age­ment exper­tise, but also her can-do atti­tude, enthu­si­asm and effi­cien­cy to our clients and team. She’s already learn­ing all about elec­tron­ic com­po­nents and med­ical devices and putting her expe­ri­ence to work for clients with­in our Tech­nol­o­gy, Man­u­fac­tur­ing and Health prac­tice groups.

Recent­ly we sat down with Saman­tha to learn more about her expe­ri­ence, why she loves agency life, how she likes to spend her time out­side of work and more.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m a life­long Min­nesotan with a pen­chant for an active lifestyle and the out­doors. Work­ing in com­mu­ni­ca­tions has always been my ambi­tion, and I’ve been for­tu­nate to have worked with notable brands and inter­est­ing peo­ple to bring cre­ative cam­paigns to life.

My pre­vi­ous PR expe­ri­ences work­ing at inte­grat­ed advertising/PR agen­cies in Min­neso­ta allowed me to build my skills in con­tent devel­op­ment, event coor­di­na­tion, media rela­tions, and influencer/spokesperson part­ner­ships. Chas­ing the next big hit, plan­ning for the next prod­uct launch, find­ing the per­fect mes­sag­ing for a tar­get audi­ence – I live for the ever-evolv­ing PR world.

As a moth­er of three young chil­dren, I find myself as busy in our home life as at the office. Between coach­ing their sport­ing events, park vis­its, plan­ning play­dates and neigh­bor­hood gath­er­ings, I am often dubbed a “social but­ter­fly” and don’t sit still for long. I bring that same ener­gy and pas­sion for peo­ple to my work.

You’ve worked in agen­cies your entire career. What is it about agency life that res­onates with you? 

First and fore­most, the vari­ety! From the type of client indus­tries, to the cre­ative ideas, to the peo­ple and the oppor­tu­ni­ties, agency life is any­thing but bor­ing. Agency cul­ture has always res­onat­ed with me with its ener­gy and ever-evolv­ing ways of working.

As part of our Tech­nol­o­gy and Man­u­fac­tur­ing prac­tice groups, what appeals to you about work­ing with clients in the tech and man­u­fac­tur­ing spaces?

It is a plea­sure to learn about new indus­tries and bring a fresh per­spec­tive to an area I haven’t worked in before. I’m look­ing for­ward to con­tin­u­ing to dive into the tech and man­u­fac­tur­ing worlds to keep tabs on this impor­tant indus­try that thrives on inno­va­tion and new ideas.

What drew you to Bell­mont Partners?

Hav­ing worked only at inte­grat­ed agen­cies, it has always been an aspi­ra­tion to work at a PR-focused agency. Bell­mont Part­ners pairs that desire with a strong Min­neso­ta con­nec­tion and a cul­ture that imme­di­ate­ly piqued my inter­est. The core val­ues of col­lab­o­ra­tion, trans­paren­cy and flex­i­bil­i­ty fit well with my pro­fes­sion­al and per­son­al styles. I’ve also been impressed with the great client work the team has been doing and look for­ward to being part of it mov­ing forward!

What are your ini­tial impres­sions now that you’re dig­ging in? 

The team and clients have been incred­i­bly friend­ly, wel­com­ing and sup­port­ive as I have been get­ting up to speed. I appre­ci­ate the in-office time to get to know my new col­leagues and have been immers­ing myself in the tech, man­u­fac­tur­ing and health indus­tries to learn as much as I can. It has been a great first few weeks!

What are you most excit­ed about in your new role?

I’m most excit­ed to work with a new group of smart peo­ple with a pas­sion for PR and com­mu­ni­ca­tions! It is a priv­i­lege to be able to sur­round myself with a team and clients who are com­mit­ted, expe­ri­enced and smart, and I’m excit­ed to keep learn­ing from all of them.

What can clients and col­leagues expect when they work with you?

I am solu­tions- and results-ori­ent­ed, effi­cient and cre­ative, offer­ing big pic­ture think­ing to help our clients’ com­mu­ni­ca­tions plans stand out. With a strong ambi­tion for suc­cess, enthu­si­asm and pas­sion for all things PR, I aim to offer trust­ed guid­ance and a friend­ly demeanor to clients and col­leagues alike.

How do you enjoy spend­ing time out­side of work?

From patio wine drink­ing to hik­ing and bik­ing or exer­cis­ing in my base­ment, a bit of sweat and fresh air bring me the most joy. I also enjoy cook­ing, read­ing and planning/hosting gath­er­ings – and try­ing out new restau­rants when time allows. You can also find me on the side­lines of any type of field, cheer­ing on my two daugh­ters and my son in their many sport­ing activities!

 

Wel­come, Samantha!