Paolo lives in Tacoma, Wash., with his wife Amanda, brother Sergio Mottola, dog Gianna and alley cat Fabrizio. Paolo has a master’s degree in communications and digital media (MCDM) from the University of Washington and completed his undergraduate studies in journalism and public relations from Western Washington University. In his spare time, he likes shooting photos, directing poorly-produced home videos, drinking wine, contributing to or combating love handles, playing and composing music and perusing online.
Professionally, Paolo helps brands market using online communications strategies. Some people call his work “social media,” but Paolo is too old school to acknowledge that. Having maintained various blogs since 2002, he’s been called “God’s Gift to Blogging” by at least two people. Paolo still types “thefacebook.com.” Paolo doesn’t see Twitter, Facebook, Google+, AOL, Compuserve, Pinterest, Instagram, Prodigy or LinkedIn. He sees people evolving tools to efficiently connect to each other, and he helps brands capitalize on this constant dynamic.
He is a Digital Engagement Program Manager at REI. It’s a dream job! Previously, he was Director of Marketing and Ecommerce for Whittaker Mountaineering, an outdoor retailer; Sr. Social Media Specialist at Eddie Bauer, where he grew its social media program from scratch; Social Media Specialist at MultiCare, a healthcare network; and Sr. Account Executive at Weber Shandwick, a PR agency where he worked with clients such as Samsung, U.S. Army, General Motors and Microsoft. He kicked off his career as an editor for PRWeb, Inc., an online newswire that grew like bonkers during his OG (original gangster) tenure.
Paolo is available for paid blogging or consulting for brands or agencies. Please submit any inquiries via the “Contact” link on Word Is Born.
Finally, Paolo’s only clean-shaven headshot is a wedding photo, and he writes his “About” section in third-person.