Last Thursday night, a bunch of us from the Boston-area social media scene got together to welcome Ken Burbary to town. That was the original plan, at least.
A few days before the Tweetup, Aaron Strout let us know that he’s leaving Mzinga, and Boston, for a position at Powered in Austin, TX.
So we had a dual-purpose Tweetup: To welcome Ken to Boston, and to congratulate Aaron and wish him well.
Aaron leaving Mzinga came as a shock to many. The bigger shock, though, was how he could leave Boston?
However, Aaron isn’t the type of guy to leave a good position, sell his house and move his family halfway around the country for just anything. I remember him telling me several months ago that an opportunity would have to be huge for him to leave Mzinga.
Aaron is going to be the head of marketing at Powered, a company that “provides a way for consumers to engage with brands on their terms — and in a way that the consumer values, not avoids.” Sounds like a great match for Aaron.
But what of Mzinga? Aaron, along with Jim Storer, has been one of the biggest personalities at Mzinga. Jim will fill in for Aaron nicely, along with Alexa Scordato.
And Boston? With the exodus of many social media personalities – including Scott Monty, Bryan Person, John Johansen, and Kyle Flaherty – from Boston, there’s a growing hole in the Boston social media hierarchy.
Sure, we have superstars like Chris Brogan and Laura Fitton, and a slew of rookies – recent college grads with a load of potential. What we need are utility players, those social media people that may not have a big name, but have enough knowledge to stand up and be a leader in the community.
So, to Aaron, best of luck to you and your family in Austin. And to all you Boston social media peeps, do you have it in you to be the next leader?
