Get to know Alex in our latest AI Partner Spotlight
Alex Weintz, Partner
What do you do at our company?
My background is communications. I used to be Gov. Mary Fallin’s communications director, so I take that politically-oriented comms mindset with me when I work for our clients. In terms of what I actually do, I manage digital advocacy and social media campaigns, work with local media to pitch and place stories, and generally work on the full suite of services that go into impacting a public conversation about an issue. Sometimes I’ll serve as a spokesperson for an issue, as I did for the campaign to modernize the state’s beer and wine laws.
What motivates you to wake up and go to work?
Generally, when I wake up and go to work, I am fleeing the scene of two toddlers throwing Duplo blocks, screaming songs from Frozen and demanding that I make them hot dogs for breakfast or some other unreasonable thing. When I get into my car, I feel very motivated to get to work.
Oh, and I also enjoy working with our clients on causes that I think have made major and positive changes to our community here in Oklahoma. That includes everything from getting more funds and support for vulnerable seniors to dramatically expanding the beer and wine selection for consumers. Our clients have important and wide-ranging goals, and it is really fun helping them meet those goals.
What has been your favorite project so far?
I like every project in different ways, so I wouldn’t describe any as my “favorite.” To name a few that I would highlight for different reasons:
I enjoyed the work on Yes on 792 (beer and wine) because it was relevant to people’s everyday lives and you get a lot of “attaboys’ when you are trying to get more cool alcohol products into the state.
I’m working on school choice issues now, which I personally am very invested in and passionate about and want to see bear fruit.
The campaign to get Julius Jones off of death row was the most emotionally intense, sometimes emotionally agonizing, work I have ever been involved in. The highs were very high; I also literally would lie awake at night and think about the gravity of what we were engaged in.
Also, the effort to get more resources to nursing homes to care for vulnerable seniors was successful and important, and I got a lot of satisfaction from helping with a really heavy lift.
Those are different projects that I enjoyed for very different reasons, and there are many more not mentioned here that I also liked for other reasons.
What inspired you to pursue the career you have today?
I used to want to be a lawyer, because I like the debate aspect of the job, as it is portrayed on television. When I actually interned for a law firm, I realized it was about 99% paper work and 1% courtroom theatrics, and I didn’t like the paperwork.
Communications work, especially in the political sphere, has the drama and the sense of importance that originally attracted me to the legal profession. You’re in the thick of things, having lively conversations, and you can see the immediate impact of your work.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
I guess one thing people might not know about me is I spend a lot of time reading fantasy novels in the Game of Thrones/Lord of the Rings mold. If you come into my home office, I have a few books about politics and historical bios, but most of it is dorky fantasy nerd stuff. In the Zoom era, I’ve had to reposition my computer in my home office so people aren’t seeing a bunch of book jackets with dragons on them over my shoulder. I assume that would be distracting.
What’s a passion of yours?
In my professional life, I never want anyone to think I am not doing my absolute best for them. Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone tries really hard not to. I want people to know that I am really working to do my best for the people who trust me with their business and, in many cases, their reputations.