Meet The Speaker: Lauren Siburkis, Digital Storyteller at FirstEnergy

Meet Lauren Siburkis, Digital Storyteller at FirstEnergy. Learn how she stays fit, enjoys traveling, and sees social media as a growing customer service channel in utilities.

Question: Name, title, Company

Lauren Siburkis, media relations + digital storytelling at FirstEnergy

Question: Family, hometown, where you live

I live in the Cleveland area with my husband, 2-year-old son and two dogs. I have a twin sister who also works at FirstEnergy!

Question: Utility/Social Media experience

I came to FirstEnergy in 2016, after working as a reporter and government publicist for many years. Although I’ve worked in different industries, social media has always been a key part of my job because it helps me engage with customers and members of the media, as well as identify opportunities to develop content that resonates with my target audience.

Question: What do you like to do when you’re not working? Hobbies?

I’m very close with my family! We enjoy traveling to my parents’ home in Marco Island, Florida, and supporting our favorite sports teams. I’m from Cleveland and my husband is from Philadelphia, so things can get pretty interesting! My favorite way to end the work day is to hop on my Peloton and complete a cycling or treadmill work out (330SpinTwin if you’re a fellow Peloton user).

Question: Notable achievements

I earned my master’s degree in biomedical writing in 2016. At FirstEnergy, I lead the video content development and have earned industry awards on my digital storytelling efforts.

Question: Where do you see Social Media in utilities in two-to-five years?

I see more companies leveraging social media as a customer service channel.

Question: Who are a couple of your role models (and why?)

My parents are business owners who undoubtedly shaped my work ethic and success-driven nature. From a very young age, they instilled in me the values of hard work, commitment and loyalty. If I committed to something, there was no quitting or giving up when it became boring or unpleasant (like piano lessons when I was 10).

Question: What’s the biggest misconception you run into in your role (or what people seem to think about Social Media)?

We meet a lot of people who think they are qualified to do our jobs because they have a personal Facebook page.