Meet the Messenger: Jon-Stephen Stansel, Founder of Saturn 9 Media
Meet the Messenger spotlights leaders across industries who understand that strategic communication is central to individual and organizational success. Each conversation shares hard-earned lessons, candid reflections, and insights on how thoughtful, strategic communication drives impact.
In the communications field, few people understand social media as well as Jon-Stephen Stansel. A former English as a Second Language (ESL) Instructor at the University of Central Arkansas who fell into a social media career by embracing the very technology he once tried to keep out of his classroom, Stansel is an award-winning communicator with over 15 years of experience managing, building, and creating content for brand social media accounts.
As founder of Saturn 9 Media, he has worked on social media accounts for Amazon Prime's “Invincible” and “Hazbin Hotel” animated series, Hyper RPG, Better Place Forests, the University of Central Arkansas, Texas State University, the Texas Department of Transportation, as well as consulting for many television series, films, and small businesses.
As Director of Social Media for Chaotic Good Studios, Jon-Stephen worked on social media strategy and content for “Avatar: The Way of the Water” and Amazon Prime Video’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” among several other major entertainment franchises.
He’s also the author of “The 10 Principles of Effective Social Media Marketing,” a clear guide to mastering the fundamentals that work on any platform, in any trend cycle. (Keep reading to win a copy!)
In short, there's no one better to share their insights on social media, where the profession is headed, and the opportunities it can create. We're delighted to share our conversation with Jon-Stephen in this installment of Meet the Messenger.
What's one pivotal moment that most shaped the communicator you are today?
I didn't plan on going into communications. I was going to go back to school and get my Ph.D. and teach literature.
This was around 2008, so Facebook was still pretty new. The iPhone had just come out. I was teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) at the University of Central Arkansas, and I had one student who was on his cell phone all the time.
After a full semester of telling him to get off his phone, I lost my temper. I'm not proud of it, but right before class ended, I said, “Look, when you fail my class, this is why.”
He came and apologized to me afterward, but I realized something: I could use these tools that my students were looking at to enhance their education instead of hinder it. I was otherwise going to fight a losing battle.
So I created Facebook groups for my students and started making videos for my classes. The chair of my department saw what I was doing and said, “Hey, this is working really well for your classroom. How about you use it to help us recruit students?”
One thing led to another. Trying to figure out ways to make the tool that's in our pockets useful motivated me to start looking into communications as a career.
Describe one project or situation where you were absolutely at your best. What made it work so well?
I would say working on the animated series “Invincible.” Everything just seemed to flow together. I work with a very talented team at Prime Video and Skybound Comics. My personal voice, the way I write, and my sense of humor all really fit that project.
The community behind the show is incredibly supportive. The fans really enjoy the content we put out. There's a small handful of us working on the account, but the fans refer to what they think is the one person running it as “Admincible.” We've almost created a character, and it's been really rewarding to see that happen.
When I came on board, before it became a television series, the X account had about 7,500 followers. Five years later, we're at around 700,000 followers. Of course, I can't take credit for all of that. If the show wasn't good, it wouldn't have that many followers. But getting to put my fingerprint on it and watch it grow has been really rewarding.
What's a mistake you made that turned into one of your best professional assets?
I was working in higher education and accidentally scheduled a post for 3 a.m. instead of 3 p.m.
I woke up the next day, and it had done major numbers. It outperformed everything else that week, and I realized, “Oh yeah, college students stay up late.”
I started using those late-night posts to test content that might have been a little outside the character of the account. I could try things that were a little more edgy. That carried through the rest of my career. Sometimes those unusual posting times work better.
When I worked at the Texas Department of Transportation, I asked, “Why are we posting anti-drunk driving messages at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday? Last call in Texas is around 2 a.m. Why aren't we posting at 1:50 a.m. saying, ‘Last call's coming up’?”
Sometimes those little mistakes lead to inspiration.
If you could change one thing about our field in the next 10 years, what would it be?
The respect social media managers have.
It is a craft and an art, and we need to respect what they do. They need a seat at the table with the C-suite. They need to know what's coming down the pipes, and they need to be able to give input. They're the canary in the coal mine. They can tell you, “Hey, you don't want to do that,” or, “We can capitalize on this.”
They need to be paid better. It's not an entry-level job. There's room for entry-level employees in social media because you've got to start somewhere, but if you're leading social for a major brand, you need experience, and you need to be paid for that experience.
As AI progresses, it can help social media managers in many ways, but it cannot replace them. That human touch is something that's going to be needed going forward. Hopefully we'll see more respect for the industry.
What do you want younger communications professionals to know?
Social media managers really need to take care of their mental health.
You're in front of a screen all day, and it's a job that's draining and easy to burn out in. We know being on social media too much is bad for your mental health, and social media managers are not immune to it.
We need the support of leadership, especially during crisis communication, but even during normal days. A social media manager needs a good therapist.
They need to be able to get away and actually have a vacation where they unplug from social media. They need to regularly go out and touch grass, relax, do something that's screen-free, and get away from it, especially because social media can be so polarized now.
Part of the job is staying aware of what's happening in the world so you don't accidentally post something contrary to the overall public conversation. That means you have to be on social media. But having an employer that's supportive enough to allow you to step away from it regularly not only benefits your mental health, it keeps you good at your job.
Connect with Jon-Stephen Stansel:
His book, “The 10 Principles of Effective Social Media Marketing,” is available through major booksellers.
WIN A COPY OF JON-STEPHEN’S BOOK
We’re giving away five copies of Jon-Stephen’s Book, “The 10 Principles of Effective Social Media Marketing.” Enter your name below for a chance to win. Subscribe to The EO Report for an additional entry (option to subscribe in the form). Current subscribers are also eligible for an additional entry.
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