UM, Alumna, Melissa Gains flourishes in her career

By: Lily McCormick

Melissa Gains works for Pioneer Utilities Resources, a co-op working to bring reliable utilities to rural areas across the country. Her job title is “photographer” and she stays away from powerlines and construction sites. But for Melissa, the idea of telling stories and electrical companies go hand in hand

Melissa started her photography career at the University of Montevallo where she was a student in the mass communications program.

“I always had an eye for it, but I got the chance to show it at the Southeastern Journalism Conference that I attended with some other students and professors from the university.” However, this trip was not originally planned for Melissa. A student had dropped out of the photography contest, and she filled her in for the student. Melissa attributes the event as a “confidence boost” and contributed to her pursuing a career in photography. 

Now, as a full-time photographer, she takes her career very seriously.

“It truly is a privilege to tell these stories and it takes a certain level of trust for them to let me do it,” Melissa said. She is the head photographer for WordSouth, a communications brand under Pioneer. Her main priority is Pioneer’s monthly magazine which highlights the rural communities they work in. 

“I create a budget for the publication and I also pitch ideas to my clients,” Melissa said. She goes on to explain how the majority of her work revolves around working with clients. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this raised some issues. WordSouth’s staff works remotely, using email and the occasional Zoom call to meet deadlines and create meaningful work. 

“I know it sounds dumb, but communication in this career is so important,” Melissa said about her experience with remote working. She also recalls the importance of being able to write clearly and concisely when working with others. 

“People’s attention spans are so much shorter than they used to be, especially on social media you have to write concisely and do it well,” she said. This transition to shorter writing was tough for Melissa at first. Her first job post-grad was as a staff photographer at the Times-Journal in Fort Payne, Alabama. While covering a wide variety of events, she also wrote several articles for the newspaper.

The Times-Journal was also where Melissa met her future coworker and husband, Will Gains. Will was the sports editor at the time and then moved to WordSouth in 2015 with Melissa. He echos a lot of the same observations about the communications field. 

“I definitely think Gen Z definitely has an advantage when it comes to written communication because they grew up with cell phones and I didn’t,” he said. Will bought his first smartphone in his twenties and points out many college graduates now have not known a life without them.

He encourages students to use their technology skills to their advantage and points to social media as a tool for networking and employment. 

“The best advice I can give you is to always network and keep your professional social media accounts up-to-date and professional,” said Will. There has been a rise of professional accounts on platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Now there are over 200 million business accounts on Instagram according to Omnicore’s data set on their website. 

This increase in users means there are a lot more networking possibilities than before. Melissa encourages students to take advantage and “always be open to opportunities.” But, to also understand the pitfalls of the platforms. 

She was a journalist during the last presidential election cycle and saw first-hand how hard it is to remain neutral when faced with a tough comment section. 

“It is a hard lesson to learn, but you’re never going to win an argument online and it taught me how to remain neutral in those moments,” she said. But, she reiterates that these moments do not define her career.

“I just enjoy telling stories and I think if someone else does they will find a place in this field that works well for them,” she said. 

Gains is continuing her work at WordSouth and is an active member of the alumni associate at UM as well as the Black Warrior Riverkeeper board.