Throwback Thursday – To commemorate the 10th year of SXTXState, each Thursday we’ll be featuring past participants in the project. Check back each Thursday until SXSW to find out what SXTXState alumni remember from their time with the project and what they are up to now.

Before becoming Employer Brand Strategist at Proactive Talent Strategies, Shawn Dullye was a journalism student at Texas State University who saw opportunity in the digital world before it became as we know it today.

“I took some of Cindy Royal’s classes during my undergrad and just saw everything that web design, coding and social media in general could do for a journalist career. It encouraged me to go back and pursue a graduate degree in New Media and see what opportunities could come.”

After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Dullye produced a podcast that he shared with a good friend of his. Dullye decided to pursue a graduate degree while still maintaining his podcast project in order to expand his skills in the growing digital field.

“Cindy had a very good grasp and she could always tell where the Internet and communication was going in general. I could tell that she knew what she was doing, and I had no idea what I was doing, so I latched on to her knowledge because she was one of the best people you could follow.”

With a love for live music, comics and the Internet, it wasn’t a surprise that Dullye’s interest in the growing digital world led him to become a part of the SXTXState project in 2012 during his second semester in his graduate program. I was fortunate to meet with Dullye himself and he was able to talk about his experience at SXSW along with some tips for SXSW attendees this year. Check out the interview below!

After his experience as a team member of the SXTXState project, Dullye was able to gain digital and networking skills that ultimately led him to his career today.

Thank you to Shawn Dullye for sharing your experiences and advice with me! You can find Shawn on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.