About Me
The kid who photographed every meal, mapped every side street, and turned all of it into campaigns people actually remember.
Who I Am
I’m Ajereen Carbowitz. I grew up in San Luis Obispo, spent my college years in Arizona, and have since collected passport stamps across ten countries and strong opinions about good food. Marketing found me before I found it. I kept noticing why certain menus, signs, and social posts made me stop scrolling, and eventually realized I could build that pull on purpose. Today I lead campaigns at Rune Gate Co, where I get to combine brand strategy, content production, and a healthy obsession with knowing exactly who I’m talking to.
How I Got Here
My first real lesson in marketing came from walking Lyon’s traboules, hidden passageways that locals use every day but tourists never find without help. It clicked: the best content does not shout. It invites. I carried that idea into my Digital Audiences degree at Arizona State, where I learned to back instinct with analytics.
At Visit Phoenix I put the theory to work, helping grow their combined social following by nearly 10,000 in four months on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The secret was simple: stop guessing what tourists want and start listening to what locals already love. Destination I Do Magazine taught me a different rhythm. Long-form wedding editorials and a Pinterest strategy that turned slow-burn referral traffic into a reliable channel. Earlier still, producing video for the Tolleson Union High School District proved that a two-minute clip can carry an entire community’s pride when the framing is honest.
At Rune Gate Co I weave all of those skills into one role: strategy, SEO, content, creative direction. Each position added a new instrument, and the job now is playing them together.
Education
Arizona State University
Bachelor of Science in Digital Audiences
Aug 2024 – May 2026 (Expected)
ASU’s program gave me a framework for understanding how people actually consume content online, not just how marketers wish they would.
Mesa Community College
Transfer Studies
Aug 2023 – May 2024
Where I built the academic foundation and confirmed that media and audiences were the direction I wanted to go.
Experience Highlights
Rune Gate Co
Marketing Lead · Full-time
Sep 2025 – Present
Lead social media strategy and SEO initiatives for Rune Gate Co.
Visit Phoenix
Social Media Marketing Intern · Internship
May 2025 – Aug 2025
Grew combined social following by nearly 10,000 in 4 months across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Destination I Do Magazine
Digital Media Intern · Internship
Jan 2025 – May 2025
Created wedding editorial content and managed digital distribution channels.
Tolleson Union High School District
Marketing and Public Relations Intern · Internship
Jan 2024 – May 2024
Supported district-wide marketing and public relations efforts.
Off the Clock
I run a food account called AJ Eats. Hole-in-the-wall spots, weekend markets, anything with steam rising off the plate. A bowl of ramen in Shinjuku taught me that plating is its own kind of visual communication, and I have photographed every meal with that eye since. The account is equal parts personal obsession and ongoing education in what makes someone stop mid-scroll.
Then there is travel. Tasting quenelles for the first time in Lyon, wandering Venice’s back alleys until we found a tiny ring shop on the Rialto, and a private COVID-era Vatican tour where my now-husband proposed in the Sistine Chapel. Those experiences sharpen how I think about color, composition, and timing. The Colosseum photo on this page is one of my favorites because it captures exactly that feeling: standing somewhere ancient, already planning what comes next.