Introducing: Head of Marketing Jennifer Prishtina

A self-proclaimed foodie, weekend adventurer and Orangetheory Fitness junkie, one of Jennifer Gaines Prishtina’s essential goals - at least for the short term - is to discover all the “trifecta” parenting spots in Austin. (Read more on that later.)

Before navigating life as a mom, Jennifer hopscotched her way into marketing through blogs, newspapers and TV stations. Now as Productable’s head of marketing and employee number three, she’s charged with building our brand from the ground up. With roots in the consumer travel industry, Jennifer is accustomed to looking at data insights and marketing through a different lens and endeavors to bring some of that personalization and storytelling to Productable's innovation customers.  

We asked Jennifer...

Can you tell us about one of your favorite pre-Productable work experiences?

Being an editor and spokesperson for Travelocity. It was a job that I nudged my way into and truly took me out of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I made the leap into this opportunity! My pet project was a brand marketing initiative called Thanksgiving Task Force, where we stationed monitors at the top airports in the country during the busy Thanksgiving travel period to report on airport happenings and airport-specific travel tips. I headed the project for six travel seasons and had the opportunity to do a satellite media tour during my last year, conducting back-to-back interviews with local TV stations across the country. It was a pretty awesome - and totally nerve wracking - experience.

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What can we find you doing on the weekends?

Scoping out new places that have the unique combination of good food + good drinks + good playgrounds! Luckily, Austin is one of the most kid-foodie-friendly places ever, so I’ve been having fun exploring with my family and friends. So far, my favorite place is Treaty Oak, a local distillery that has managed to master barbeque and bourbon.

Who is someone you admire and why?

The legendary Leonidas Patterson of Mansfield High School fame. Mr. P was my journalism teacher and the advisor for our (award winning!) high school newspaper, The Uproar. He’s the first teacher that really sparked my interest in writing and storytelling and was instrumental in my early career growth, bringing me on as an intern reporter for the Dallas Morning News while I was in college. He has the ability to tell a story like no other and truly could have been one of the most well-known journalists of our time. Instead, he chose to dedicate his career to teaching. So admirable! And so very inspiring.

This photo was taken five years ago at a MHS newspaper reunion and is a testament to how impactful Mr. P has been to his students...even the “old” ones!