Lauren Biolsi: Project Manager of Digital Creative
Lauren Biolsi got her start in marketing during her time at Butler University (go dawgs). While operating as a full-time student she was able to connect with a small, local marketing firm, Hatchet Marketing. Starting as an intern the summer before her junior year, Lauren worked at Hatchet for nearly two years where she learned the basics of website maintenance and design, social media strategy, and SEO best practices, to name a few.
Upon graduating from Butler in 2017, Lauren took her BA in English-Creative Writing over to Eastern Europe where she spent over four months traveling, working at hostels, leading pub crawls, and writing.
Upon returning to the states Lauren settled back in her hometown, Evanston where she started working at Hoosier Mama Pie Company slinging pies and steaming lattes. From Hoosier Mama, Lauren found eGuide (via Instagram!) and has been working with the team since July of 2019.
As the Project Manager of Digital Creative, Lauren handles all of our website projects, social media strategy, blogs, newsletters, and design projects. Check out some of her work in the Digital Creative Case Studies!
Q: What’s your favorite place that you have traveled to?
A: Oof, I have a lot of favorites for different reasons. Iceland was the first trip I ever took to Europe and the first time I ever traveled by myself so it will always have a special place in my heart. The nature and hiking is also unparalleled to anywhere I had ever been before. I also loved Krakow, Poland. I stayed there for about a month and a half working at Little Havana Party Hostel and leading pub crawls. The people really made it there. I loved my co-staff and there was truly never a dull moment. Lastly, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina was another place at the top of my list. I stayed there and worked in another hostel for about a month. Mostar was very different from the US with mosques around every corner, the Stari Most bridge that was rebuilt flowing their civil war in the 90’s, and some of the most welcoming and friendly people I’ve ever met.
Q: As an English major, do you have any books you recommend?
A. Yes, many. I love contemporary fiction. Specifically transnational literature. “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides and “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” by Junot Diaz are two of my favorites that I read in school. I could honestly do an entire blog post on all of the books I love but I’ll just list off a few more: “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” “Everything I Never Told You,” “The Heart’s Invisible Furies,” “At Home in the World.”
Q: Is there anything that people are surprised to learn about you?
A: Growing up I was a ballerina, like not just as a five-year-old but until I was 18. I danced at the same studio for nearly all of my childhood and now sit on the Board of Directors for the company, Evanston Dance Ensemble. I also built their website. I spent my summers at the Joffrey Academy in the Loop and danced there about 25-30 hours a week my senior year in high school. I would wake up at 5:30am for early bird gym (yes, I still had to take gym even though I was dancing this much) so I could leave school four periods early each day, around 1pm. I’d go home for an hour or two and start on homework, sometimes nap, before taking the purple express train from Evanston into the Loop. I’d dance from 5pm-9pm then go back to Evanston and finish up homework. For a while I really wanted to try and dance professionally, but that year really wore me out. I wasn’t sleeping very much and felt like I wasn’t succeeding at dance or school which ultimately lead me out of wanting to dance professionally.
Q: What do you like to do in Chicago, when the city isn’t on lockdown?
A: I live in Lakeview East right now and LOVE walking around the neighborhood and trying new bars and restaurants. Happy Camper is one of my favorites, especially since they make delicious gluten free crust, not every restaurant is capable of that. Drinks and yuca fries at Barcocina is also a winning evening for me. I also live pretty close to the lake by Diversey Harbor which has been a true lifesaver during this unconventional summer and gives me a reason to get up and moving. This is also a prime area for dog watching which is one of life’s greatest pleasures for me. My absolute favorite guilty pleasure is finding coffee shops the city and spending a weekend morning reading at one of them; new discoveries and old favorites alike!
Q: Best eGuide memory so far?
A: Playing “What Do You Meme” with the team on the retreat while we were all in our Walmart onesies was pretty great. I also enjoy that everytime we had an alcoholic beverage or a sparkling water in the office we would all recite the famous “I got that bubbly” Vine. Below for reference.
