Pursuing a BA in Communications in Media Studies at the liberal arts school, the College of Charleston in SC, was one of the best choices Katie pursued. The creative and open environment let her try everything from working in the ad sales department of the newspaper, writing a love advice column, restoring the college's literary magazine from failure in order to hand it off to future editors (namely females after a long line of males!), direct a Tennessee Williams play about Zelda Fitzgerald in the Black Box theater, and indulge in costume design and drawing courses. All of this prepared her for a chosen life in New York City on a rented couch with a hand-me-down avocado houseplant, where she stayed for a decade, working as a production assistant in film (namely Law and Order and a Lil'Kim video outside in zero degree weather painting the interior of a house in the heart of Dumbo) among others film projects. She worked in book publishing where she learned everything about contacts and editors, but really wanted work in magazines where content was ever-changing. Her day job was for the non-profit Childbirth Connection while she took more drawing courses at FIT and sold sewn accessories she had produced in the Garment District.Dabbling in blogging, she found her true calling as a blogger when she moved up to the downstate region of Beacon, NY (just 60 miles north of NYC). After searching for information and not finding it, she started A Little Beacon Blog. It started as a basic recommendation read. It quickly grew into a news source as well as entertainment destination, as she attended every City Council Meeting to understand what was going on and how it all connected. Today, ALBB has 21,500 page views per month, 9,600 Instagram friends, and 4,100 FB followers.Meanwhile, Katie always used her special insight for how people process information for her design company, Katie James, Inc., which produces print and digital media for businesses. This includes websites, t-shirts, social media plans and strategy.Most recently, Katie launched a podcast, "Wait, What Is That?" with her co-host, Brandon Lillard. The pair also offers podcast production services under her media education business, Tin Shingle.Tin Shingle! Those who know it know that Tin Shingle has been around for 20 years, surviving many iterations, partners, cease and desist letters from a major media company who prides itself on servicing entrepreneurs, etc. To quote a Meg Ryan character: "I will triumph!" Reach out if you need anything. She can help.