Metropolis wins seven nationwide awards for communication, advertising

The city of Round Rock won four first TAMI awards, a second, and two thirds at the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO) conference held at the Kalahari Resort and Conventions in Round Rock this week.

Communications and Marketing Director Will Hampton also received the Cheryl A. Soward Communicator of Distinction Award for his efforts in leading City of Round Rock communications for the past 23 years.

“His commitment to our profession is unparalleled,” said TAMIO President Jay Warren. “He raises the bar every day and challenges us to become better by setting a good example.”

The city’s first TAMI awards were for:

• COVID-19 Internal Communications – for the “Corona Roundup” video series by the Round Rock Police Department to ensure the safety and information of employees during the pandemic.
• Best Media Relationships – for the Round Rock Police Department’s 2019 Operation Front Porch program.
• Best Use of Social: Planned (population over 100,000) – for a series of posts about the opening of the Kalahari Resort and Conventions in Round Rock, which reached more than 14 million people.
• Innovation – for Storm Stories, a series of blogs with audio, video, and other digital elements to highlight and recognize the heroic efforts of employees during Winter Storm Uri.

The city received a second place for photography for its social media initiative “Picture-perfect parks” for the presentation of Round Rock’s parks and in the Print Report category (population over 100,000) for its 2019 annual report on community development.

For its efforts to keep the public informed during the winter storm Uri, the city won third place for best use of social media: Unplanned (population over 100,000).

Left Right: Multimedia Specialist Ethan Lankford, Digital Media Coordinator Austin Ellington, Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Sara Bustiloz, Director of Communications and Marketing Will Hampton, Digital Designer Stacey McIntyre and Public Information Specialist Nick Olivier. Photo courtesy of TAMIO