“It’s a pleasure to have our interactive work provide value to such a great cause,” said Scott Zeitzer, President of Mudbug Media, a digital advertising agency in New Orleans, “We’re especially appreciative of National Wildlife Federation’s wildlife recovery and restoration efforts in the Gulf of Mexico.”

All of the tracks feature recordings by the late Dan Gibson, a highly revered environmentalist, nature cinematographer and a pioneer in using recorded nature sounds in musical scores. The selection includes a range of options, from bird songs and ocean sounds to piano melodies and lullabies.

“As a collection, Dan Gibson’s Solitudes is considered one of the highest quality and most unique selections of nature music,” stated Cory Zeitzer, Business Development Director of Mudbug Media, “The songs will no doubt be enjoyed by the Federation’s supporters and wildlife lovers everywhere.”

“We’re honored to benefit from the sales of this wonderful collection of music,” said Ed Coleman, general merchandise manager for National Wildlife Federation. “The nature sounds are beautiful, and purchasing the music online is a good green way to support our organization’s mission to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.”

Proceeds from downloadable album sales on www.nwfmusicstore.com will go to benefit National Wildlife Federation’s conservation and education programs around the United States.

“I am excited, as a small company, to be recognized as one of New Orleans’ best places to work,” said Mudbug Media president Scott Zeitzer, “We really enjoy what we do and it’s an honor to be recognized by such an important publication.”

Mudbug Media fosters pride and creativity in and out of the workplace, allowing for the achievement of success for both its clients and employees.

Growing from the personal passions of its team, Mudbug Media boasts a history of emphasis on non-profit service and volunteerism.

Among the outstanding benefits for employees are the option to telecommute and Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club. With eight employees working remotely from different cities across the country, Mudbug Media is a nationwide entity, allowing for improved customer service and staff mobility.  As part of the agency’s dedication to open dialogue and growth, Tuesday Morning Breakfast Club allows employees to meet weekly with president Scott Zeitzer to discuss innovation ideas and new strategies.

Started in 2003, Best Places to Work recognizes the city’s 50 top employers, including 35 large companies and 15 small. Honorees are chosen based on a questionnaire of benefits offered, including average salary, health care, paid time off, and employee programs, coupled with an online survey of employees.

About Mudbug Media

Mudbug Media Inc. is a full-service digital agency headquartered in New Orleans. Founded in 1998, Mudbug Media currently employs professionals specializing in online/email marketing, website design, mobile device apps, application development, and graphic design for local, regional, and national clients. More information can be found online by visiting www.mudbugmedia.com.

“Mudbug Media has always made an effort to recruit programmers, graphic designers and marketing specialists right out of college,” said company president Scott Zeitzer. “Technology is constantly evolving and the tools we use everyday are being constantly updated — it is in our best interest to go out and find talented young graduates who are passionate about and well versed in the latest technology,” he added.

Elise Hotard, Graphic Designer
Graphic Designer Elise Hotard designs custom websites as well as online and print advertising projects. Prior to joining Mudbug Media, Elise interned with IM Marketing Group and W. L. Gaiennie and helped secure two service learning grants with Louisiana Campus Compact. Elise earned her BFA from Nicholls State University with a concentration in Graphic Design and a minor in Business Administration.

Samantha Barnes, Graphic Designer
Graphic Designer Sam Barnes specializes in motion graphic design. At Mudbug Media, Sam puts her design skills to work creating custom websites and designing online and print advertisements. Sam won a 2009 AIGA New Orleans Design Award of Excellence for motion graphic design. Sam has worked as a graphic designer for Sunburst Media and as a printer and graphic designer at Kwik Kopy. She also earned her B.F.A. from Nicholls State University with a concentration in Graphic Design.

“I am excited that we have been recognized by the Healthcare Marketing Report,” Mudbug Media president Scott Zeitzer said. “We have always worked to understand the business needs of our clients first then apply innovative creative solutions,” he added.  “These awards reflect the great relationship, rapport, and trust we have with our clients.”

The awards were presented for a pair of projects for one of the interactive agency’s clients, Ochsner Health System. A national panel of judges was engaged in reviewing all entries based on creativity, quality, message effectiveness, consumer appeal, graphic design and overall impact.

The first award was for website development and promotion of auction items provided by the New Orleans Saints. Mudbug Media created an interactive landing page and linked to an eBay page where bids were placed. The campaign was promoted on Ochnser.org and through a Google AdWords PPC campaign.  The effort raised nearly $15,000 with all items sold to benefit the client’s Childhood Obesity Fund.

The second award was for developing a fast loading and easy to read mobile version of Ochsner’s ER Wait Times to inform users in real time of estimated times for emergency room care. The goal of the project was to minimize content for all ER locations so a user could quickly find the address and phone number with Google Map functionality.

Temple Ruff – Marketing Strategist

Temple Ruff joins Mudbug Media as a Marketing Strategist transforming consumer and category insights into successful marketing communication campaigns. She also provides media planning and project management leadership for clients. Previously with local agencies Keating Magee and then Trumpet, Ruff worked with the Louisiana Public Health Institute, United Community Bank, and Dr. Holmquist Healthcare. Prior to New Orleans, she worked as an Account Planner for Element 79 in Chicago, developing strategic campaigns for Quaker Foods, Frito-Lay, and ConAgra. Ruff holds a BA from the College of William and Mary and an MS of Advertising and Communications Strategy from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Brandcenter.

Eve Fisher – Graphic Designer

Eve Fisher joins Mudbug Media as a Graphic Designer responsible for web design and layout, print advertising and collateral design, as well as logo development. She has 10 years experience in print design having previously worked as a Production Artist for AT&T Yellow Pages. Fisher earned her BFA from Youngstown State University with a concentration in Graphic Design.

“The team at Mudbug Media has just been fantastic,” First Bank and Trust education division relationship support manager Jimmy Murphy said. “Everyone has been very responsive and professional every step of the way.”

One major advantage of the newly redesigned site over the original is the ease of use for parents, schools and the bank, Murphy said, a necessity since tuition lending accounts for approximately 20 percent of First Bank and Trust’s annual loans.

“We generally end up doing about 13,000 loans every year,” Murphy said. “What this system allows us to do which we couldn’t do before the schools that elect to do this allow parents to elect to make payments to the school directly through the bank draft option, which is something new that we are able to offer.”

More than 1,500 hours of design and programming work have gone into the tuition lending site, according to Mudbug Media web technology director Sean McCann. The interactive agency utilized its designers and developers based in New Orleans plus some that work remotely from Washington, D.C., Houston and Sacramento.

St. Catherine of Sienna school bursar Jane Robbins said the First Bank and Trust tuition system is the most efficient method of collecting tuition she has ever seen. “I have done tuition over here for 10 years and this is the first time it’s ever worked,” Robbins said. “It just made my job so much easier. It is wonderful.”

Murphy said the responsiveness of the Mudbug Media team has given him confidence in the security and efficiency of the system. “Overall I can’t say enough,” Murphy said. “This has been an improvement for our bank and for our customers.”