Growing up in a small Northwest Iowa town, my early life essentially centered around sports. I played a variety of sports. I read the sports section of the Sioux City Journal every morning at breakfast. I could recite the latest stats and scores; I dreamed of being a SportsCenter anchor.

I was fortunate that my parents pushed my sisters and me to explore the world beyond our small slice of the Midwest. We frequently made trips to the mountains of Colorado to go skiing, visited Mount Rushmore, they toted us to Royals and Twins games in Kansas City and Minneapolis and to plenty of Iowa Hawkeye events in Iowa City.

As a marketing and journalism double major at the University of Iowa, it was only natural that I stumbled upon a profession which I did not know existed but could not have been more natural of a fit – that of the sports information director (SID). It was a dream come true to work in the athletic department as a student and to be up close and personal with the teams I loved.

I have always been fascinated by the intersection of marketing and public relations, along with the proliferation of social media, and how they all work together to build a brand. Following my passion and my profession took me to stops at the BIG EAST Conference, the University of Tennessee, Georgia Tech and IMG College, while working on the side helping my parents grow their vineyard and winery business.

While working at Georgia Tech, I was a member of our committee on branding and that was my “aha” moment, sparking my passion and interest in how communications and marketing work together to build a brand.

I have been fortunate to travel throughout the United States, frequent the Caribbean and to have crossed the Atlantic with trips to Ireland, London and Paris. I am intrigued and love exploring different cultures, their history, food and beverage.

This blog will touch on a variety of topics. Most posts will focus on social media, marketing, public relations, design and branding as it relates to sports, travel, food, wine, beer and bourbon, while a few posts will simply give you an upfront seat to my journey. You can follow me on Twitter (@mditt), on Instagram (@dittmerm) and drop me an email here.

Thanks for tagging along and I hope you enjoy the ride!