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I SPY: Brent Reser, the man behind CCU social media

by Mazzei

It’s hard to believe Brent Reser has only been at Coastal Carolina University for 15 months. In that time, Reser has transformed CCU’s social media program, building a strong CCU presence on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and all the major apps that students use. It is safe to say that Reser probably knows our students and their interests better than anyone else.

Originally from Spokane, Wash., Reser, 28, made the cross-country journey to work at CCU in May 2014. He starts his day by posting on social media channels, making sure each one has unique content. Along with Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat, CCU is also established on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Google+. He responds to all the feedback he gets on the different social channels. He also helps other departments at CCU work on their social media presence and strategy. Although he is the one running the websites – with help from Jada Bynum, a student worker – he insists on using the word “we.” He says that CCU social media isn’t just him; it’s us, the CCU community.

Lindsay Hickman, a student, nominated Reser for I Spy. She says he not only recognizes students in his frequent posts, but faculty and staff as well, and has “helped CCU garner national media attention while at the same time keeping students happy and informed,” she says. “His positivity and promotion of others has helped him become a student and staff favorite at CCU.”

Reser is constantly running different contests and online events for the students on the social media sites. He also gets alumni involved through campaigns like the “Question of the Day” on Facebook. This summer he started “A Teal Shaded Summer,” which featured CCU students wearing their “Chauncey glasses” all over the country and the globe. In last summer’s “CCUSA: Fifty States, Fifty Flags,” a CCU flag was sent to a student or alumnus in each of the states, and the student posted their pictures with their flags in locations that showcased their state. Reser constantly posts student successes on social media and is always trying to get them involved at CCU.

When he isn’t boosting CCU’s profile on social media, he works on his personal blog, “Don’t Blink,” which describes the activities of Reser and his fiancé Sidney Mathis, a second-grade teacher at Palmetto Bays Elementary School. Together they visit different tourist spots in Myrtle Beach and around the U.S., compete in ice cream eating challenges, attend sporting events, compare store brands versus real brands, and even sample and rate all the Do Us a Flavor Lays potato chips. He also comments on local and world events. Offline, Reser enjoys working out “to balance the potato chips and ice cream,” and is a huge sports fan.

Reser is a graduate of the University of Montana, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies with an emphasis on organizational communication. Prior to working at CCU, he worked at the University of Montana as the director of new media for the athletic department. He also volunteered for hospice in Missoula, something he hopes to continue here in Myrtle Beach, and for seven years he volunteered at Hoopfest in his hometown as a court monitor.

His favorite aspect of working at CCU is the students who he communicates with daily.

“Being around students each day is the most rewarding,” he says. “They are people in the prime of their life with such strong goals and ambitions.”

Reser feels lucky and privileged to do what he does for CCU, and he already has plans for marketing the CCU social media brand.

“We came a very long way in a year and want to continue to grow with plans for next year,” he said. “ The number one goal is to have CCU ahead of the game and the trends on social media.”

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