MORE ABOUT ME
I am Michael Prieve, a Chicago-based social media, marketing, and digital content creator. I work with small to medium-sized businesses and solo entrepreneurs to help them realize and achieve their marketing goals and true potential.
I know from experience of running my own company and working for small businesses that while marketing is definitely a priority, in theory when things get busy, marketing efforts tend to fall to the bottom of the to-do list.
This is where MJP Content Labs comes into the picture.
My Story
After college, I started my career working for a major bank in various roles, and over time I realized that the corporate world was not for me. I have always had an enormous passion for pop culture and entertainment, so I launched a few websites (Socialite Life, Recapist, and Famesters) as a side project.
After a few years of toiling away with my hobby, the websites began to grow and earn revenue, so I did some serious soul searching, took a leap of faith, quit my banking job, and launched my own company, Fameish Media.
Within a few years, I had three full-time employees and a slew of interns. The site grew to 1.5 million monthly users and 8.5 million monthly page views.
The website traffic continued to grow, and I found myself getting more and busier. Between writing, team management, website management, I found myself with little time left for marketing.
Over the years, I had fielded a few offers to purchase my company, and in the summer of 2007, I received an offer to sell my company (and continue working for the purchasing company). The deal would allow the website to be marketed properly, allowing me to focus on the content and management side of things.
I did end up selling my company and made a move from Chicago to Los Angeles when the deal closed.
While at SpinMedia, I was the Editor-in-Chief of SocialiteLife.com and later Celebuzz.com. I grew Socialite Life to 3 million users and 15 million page views per month, and I took Celebuzz from 5 million users and 45 million page views per month to 10 million users and 73 million page views per month with a social following of 1.7M Facebook followers and 875K Twitter followers.
Along with the editorial and management duties, I also spearheaded the e-commerce program for SpinMedia as a whole. I also handled all the paparazzi agency deals and was responsible for enforcing best usage practices and compliance company-wide.
At the end of 2016, SpinMedia decided to close up shop and sell off all of their websites and so that was the end of one era for me.
Afterward, I worked for Unimpressed Media, where I did an array of things — office management, social media management, digitized the office (went paperless), website management, developed office training guides, and the list went on and on.
In the fall of 2017, I moved back to Chicago, where I took the position of Office Manager at a small financial services company. Along with my office management duties, I handled many of the marketing tasks, such as social media management, newsletter production, blog updates, and marketing email blasts and campaigns.
While working for the financial services company, I saw the need for a dedicated marketing person as marketing tasks tended to be pushed to the bottom of the to-do list as more day-to-day business priorities tended to take precedence. My lightbulb moment occurred when I realized that there were most likely other small businesses that are probably in need of marketing help. That’s why I decided to form MJP Content Labs.
In my various positions over the years, I saw over and over that when things got busy, specific marketing and social media efforts were either delayed, reduced, or eliminated.
Having founded and run two small businesses of my own over the years, I know what you’re going through, and I am obsessed with helping other people and businesses stay focused and help them grow from being the “little guy” to become the “not so little guy.”
I have worked with companies (media, finance, subscription box services, real estate, brick and mortar) of all sizes — from 1 person to 100 people — and helped them achieve success in social media production and marketing, content creation, newsletter publication, website management, and content strategies. MJP Content Labs currently runs the entertainment and pop culture website, SocialiteLife.com.
I am eager to share my 20 years of expertise and knowledge with you and your business. I strive to be your business partner and am happy to provide whatever level of service you most desire.
Let’s work together and let me be the marketing resource and support that you need.