Today we’d like to introduce you to Christine Morton .
Hi Christine, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been a storyteller. For as long as I can remember, I loved listening to stories, sharing stories, watching stories unfold before my eyes, and even acting out stories. From landing major roles in high school theater to my favorite classes being Library & English, and even having my weather show in high school called, “Where in the World is Christine Morton?” I feel as if I was born to tell stories. So it was a no brainer when I graduated high school & wanted to study communications to become a TV newscaster. But a few weeks before starting college in 2010, I attended a communications seminar at my undergraduate school, La Salle University, where professionals talked about the difficulties in the industry due to the recession in 2008/2009.
After discussing it with my parents, we decided to pivot my career choice, and I went into teaching instead. Specifically, I became a high school Spanish & English Teacher. Being a teacher took me to Spain a couple of times & I even took a group of students on a tour of Spain one Summer, but I constantly felt like I was missing something. At the time, I was teaching at a private Catholic academy, so on my break, I would dip into the chapel to read “You are a badass” by Jen Sincero. And that book gave me the courage to pursue my dreams of journalism once again. I went ahead & applied for the broadcast and digital journalism master’s program at Syracuse University. And I’ll be honest with you; I didn’t think I would get in. I kept thinking, “I’m 25 years old & a teacher; no one’s going to take a chance on me.” But I was wrong. I got in & with a scholarship too.
I left the possibility of a teacher’s pension and decided to pursue a dream that not many people believed I could do. But getting my master’s from Syracuse University was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. Between the people I met, the professors I learned from, and the opportunities I was presented with, such as traveling to Israel and reporting on the Syrian border, seeing the Gaza Strip and then spending my last semester reporting on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., are experiences I would not have gotten anywhere else. I’m beyond grateful for them. Then, after graduating, I got an email from a recruiter for a TV station in Springfield, Missouri, looking for a multimedia journalist, which led them to fly me out to check out the station. And I’ll tell you, I had to look up Springfield, Missouri, on a map because I had never heard of it. I remember thinking, “oh my goodness, look at all these greenery & cows” when I landed.
In September 2018, I drove myself out to Missouri, moved in & became the on-air TV reporter I had dreamt about only two years prior. Those two years were super hard yet rewarding at the same time. I met some of the most incredible people out in the field & I finally felt like I was living out my purpose in life. But I have to note the not so glamorized part of TV news. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be telling you my full story. As a journalist, I was making less than I was as a teacher, even though I had a master’s degree. This left me in extreme debt from opening credit cards to make ends meet & working 40+ hours a week to eat ramen noodles & $2 TV dinners. In conjunction with all of this, the work environment was extremely toxic, which ultimately left me suicidal & stripped of all of my self-esteem & confidence. So when my contract was up & even though I wanted to stay because I was afraid of the judgment from others who had just seen me work so hard to become a TV reporter, I ended up leaving the industry. I knew there was another avenue of storytelling I was meant to be on.
From there, I ended up getting a job in newspaper journalism. While it taught me much about professional writing, I missed video & visuals. Therefore, that was short-lived too. I then went on to be a public information officer. And as someone so accustomed to a fast-paced work environment with short deadlines, this job was the hardest to adapt to for me. I would get an assignment and finish it within two days when it was meant to keep me occupied for much longer. And worse, my mental health issues from my journalism days kept rearing their ugly head & which is what ended up getting me fired.
I had never gotten fired from a job, let alone gotten a demerit in school. So when I came home that day, I hugged my dog and cried. I felt like the most worthless person on this planet. I felt like an absolute failure. But when I look back on it today, it was the best thing that has ever happened to me. I had been toying with wanting to work for myself for a while. And the universe truly presented me with that opportunity. So I started to reach out to everyone I knew & told them I was starting a business. By the end of that weekend, I had my very first client.
During my first month in business, I even invested in a business & marketing coach to help me get my business off the ground. And while I didn’t think I could afford it, I kept telling myself I’d figure it out. And I did. My business kept growing, with many speed bumps along the way.
I initially started by offering complete digital marketing services but have narrowed it down to social media marketing. This led me to help clients in Texas, Puerto Rico, Philadelphia & around the nation use the power of storytelling to connect with their audience. Their brand story allows my clients to make thousands of dollars from our social media marketing campaigns. Why? Because humans today have an attention span less than a goldfish. And our stories allow us to stand out, be extraordinary & be remembered. So, when I look back on my story, each part played a vital role in who I am and what I do today. And the skills that I learned from both industries make me the incredible social media manager/strategist I am today.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a challenging road. If anything, the first 30 years of my life tested me beyond measure. I honestly never felt like I have ever fit in anywhere. I am an extremely passionate woman with a crazy work ethic & a drive that gives many men a run for their money. I have never felt like I couldn’t have something because I knew if I studied hard or set my mind to it, I could do it. And honestly, this scared many people during the duration of my life. Many of the struggles I have confronted are more inner than physical. When starting my business, I was always looking for the following strategy: make more money, sign more clients & progress forward. But what I needed was to work on myself & heal the parts of me that I had neglected for so long. And the moment I put energy into loving myself, working on my self-esteem & building my confidence, my business took off.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Morton Marketing 417?
Morton Marketing 417 is a social media marketing agency for women-owned businesses that dare to be seen & want to create a profitable brand online through the power of their brand story. The days of traditional & hard selling are dead. People are craving a true, deeper connection with the brands & people they purchase from. You need a content strategy that demands the attention of your ideal clients & also allows you to speak your truth, build rapport with your audience & become the face of your industry. We offer various social media marketing services, from done-for-you social media management to social media coaching to one-time offers, such as a social media audit. We are currently taking on new clients who want to take their social media to the next level in 2023.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I would not be here or who I am today if it wasn’t for the countless people I have met along my journey. Each professor, sports instructor, business mentor, family member & even the terrible bosses I have had allowed me to learn a lesson I needed at this stage of my life. And specifically, I want to shout to my incredible mentors, Peggy Re James, Jenna O’Keefe & Demi Jean, for always believing in me & pushing me to be my best self in business & life. I am also super grateful for the clients I have today who took a chance on me & believed in me. Social media marketing is still relatively new, but my clients see the value in it & for that, I am beyond thankful. And lastly, the most important person in my life, who deserves the most credit, is my boyfriend, Keenan Vogt. He is the one who pushed me to start my own business & to keep going when all hope felt lost. He has been there for me after every long day to help me, support me & love me. I truly could not have done it without him.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mortonmarketing417.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mortonmarketing417/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.morton.1460
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mortonmarketing417?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Keenan Vogt with Queen City Photography
