Name: Becky Mollenkamp
Bio: I’m a St. Louis native but, after 11 years here, consider Des Moines home. I have a bachelor’s in Journalism and a master’s in Communications, which really just means I’m skilled at bullshitting.
Title: City Manager at StartupCity Des Moines (event planning, social media, dorm mom)
City: A proud resident of the 50309 — downtown Des Moines, Iowa
Thanks to our sponsor
Website: beckymollenkamp.com
Twitter: @beckymollenkamp
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/beckymollenkamp
Intro music: “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley
Silicon Prairie News: You describe yourself as a “geek in training.” As someone without a tech background who now works closely with tech startups, what sparked your interest in your so-called “journey into geekdom”?
Becky Mollenkamp: I absolutely love the Silicon Prairie because it’s a true community. Even though I know nothing about HTML, I’ve been welcomed with open arms. And that motivates me to learn more about their passion.
SPN: As a liaison between multiple startups/entrepreneurs and the media, what tips can you share for startups looking to establish strong, fruitful relationships with media outlets?
BM: It’s a relationship, not a one-night stand. You need to court the people who cover your industry. Take a genuine interest in what they do (if you ask for a meeting, you’ll likely get it) and keep in touch regularly, not just when you want something.
SPN: As an active player in the efforts surrounding StartupIowa, what’s your pitch to startups for why they should register and get involved with the initiative?
BM: We all know Iowa kicks ass — it’s time to let the rest of America in on our secret. We may be small, but we were the eighth region in the U.S. to get involved with the Startup America Partnership, before California and New York. I don’t know about you, but I think that is awesome and I’m proud to be part of it.
SPN: Behind every prolific writer there’s a prolific reader. Or something like that. As someone who’s written for a variety of outlets on myriad subjects, who do you count as your biggest writing influences?
BM: If you follow my Twitter feed, you might not be surprised to learn that one of my earliest writing idols was Judy Blume; she’s not afraid of taboo topics. I’m not a fan of nonfiction so my favorite writers are novelists like John Irving and Cormac McCarthy.
SPN: As a St. Louis native and Cardinals fan, what’s your take on the emotional roller coaster of the last few months — from improbable World Series run to the loss of slugger Albert Pujols?
BM: St. Louis is a baseball city through and through — we aren’t fairweather fans. In our 100-plus-year history, we’ve won 11 championships (second only to the damn Yankees) and had many, many losing seasons. No matter what, though, we love our team. I’m happy to let someone else overpay for Pujols. We’ll rebuild and go for #12 in a couple of years.
Image credit: Photo courtesy of Becky Mollenkamp.
Prairie Portraits: To learn more about this series, see our introduction post, or visit our archives for past Prairie Portraits. To suggest an individual for a future Prairie Portrait, contact editor@siliconprairienews.com.
