Mary Elizabeth Benware, Marketing Co-Op on Influential Women

Influential Woman · Social Media and Digital Marketing

Mary Elizabeth Benware

Marketing Co-Op, LUZCO Technologies LLC

St. Louis, MO

2022Years experience

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree St. Louis University Degree Communication major with ISC concentration Degree Double minor in film and marketing

Her Story

About Mary

MaryElizabeth Benware is a senior at St. Louis University pursuing a degree in communication with an Integrated Strategic Communication concentration and double minors in film and marketing. She has spent the past four years building her presence as a content creator on YouTube under the handle Mebby and on TikTok, producing comedic commentary that touches on modern topics as well as elements of nostalgia. In addition to managing her own channels, Benware is completing a co-op internship with Bluesco that will continue into her senior year, and she previously worked in social media and marketing for the university itself. She plans to leverage her passion for the creative side of marketing after graduation by starting as a media coordinator and eventually managing the production side of a marketing team, while continuing YouTube as a source of passive income if it remains viable. Benware credits her success to beginning her YouTube channel as a junior in high school and committing to weekly posts, which taught her discipline and the ability to be her own boss even before the work generated income. She values empathy and a sense of understanding in both her professional and personal life, believing these qualities enable teams to collaborate effectively and produce great work. Among the challenges she sees in her field, Benware notes that long-form content is facing increased competition from short-form formats, though she appreciates the genuine depth that longer videos allow.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Mary

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to starting YouTube young and putting myself in a position where I had to post every week, which instilled a lot of drive and the ability to be my own boss. Even when I wasn't making money, I would work all night long and pull all-nighters, which taught me to sit down and force myself to do something.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I received is from my mom: all you can do is the best you can do. When going into an interview, you can't guarantee they'll select you, but you can know that you did your best, and the effort you put into it is fulfilling enough.

03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest challenge with YouTube is that long-form content feels like it's dying a little bit in the competitive sphere with short-form content. People who like long-form content appreciate having more time to explain things genuinely without doing it simply for clicks or engagement.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The most important values to me are empathy and a sense of understanding, because without those things a team doesn't really work together. A team has to care about one another and understand each other before they can start making really great things.

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