Hidden Gems: Meet Beth Downey of Permelia Media

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Downey.

Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up in North Mississippi and was always encouraged to be creative.

When I was finishing high school, I thought I wanted to be an architect, but math and physics aren’t my strong skills. So I started out to be an interior designer, but one day it occurred to me that I could not spend the rest of my life looking at carpet and wallpaper samples.

I changed my major to graphic design and something clicked. After graduating from Mississippi State University with a Bachelor of Fine Art with a graphic design emphasis, in 1999 I moved to Nashville.

I used to love pouring over liner notes and music packaging in the ’80s and ’90s. I loved all the ads in Rolling Stone magazine. The plan was to be a compact disc packaging designer. That was what I wanted to do. I moved here with no full-time job and one freelance client: a boutique music company on 2nd Avenue, where within a few months secured a full-time job as art director.

I worked there for 5 years creating music packaging, one-sheets, and other music-related art; then, the company was sold and I went freelance as a graphic designer. The Country Music Hall of Fame, Vanderbilt University Press, Sony BMG, and the Adventure Science Center were just a few of my clients.

Fast forward to 2012, I was getting burned out on design and the economy was in recovery from the ’08 meltdown. A graphic designer friend had successfully pivoted from graphic design to website development. He had more work than he could handle, I was eager to learn web development and we joined forces to solve each others’ problems.

He began his own web development shop and I ended up working with/for him for three and a half years building bespoke websites on the WordPress CMS. Next, I briefly worked at a content marketing company, where a stable of talented writers recognized my own writing talent and I brushed up on another marketable skill. That company was absorbed into an ad agency in town, but not before half of us were part of a layoff (2018).

Sometimes blessings come in disguise and the layoff was one of them – luckily from past experiences, I knew I would not only survive but had the tools to thrive.

I had opened my freelance company Permelia Media in 2015 and never shut it down. Sometimes your gut tells you to keep things as a safety net; this was one of those times. I updated the copy on my website, added portfolio pieces, and was ready when three website requests came in the week after the layoff. My company, Permelia Media, has since been in operation 7 years.

A variety of clients have come from 12 states of the Union and one country in South America. What sets me apart from other web developers is my design background – I’m the rare unicorn who can design and hand-write code. I love my vocation because of the variety of tasks and people I get to meet and work with. Often, clients become friends and/or trusted partners.

Nashville is still a big small town in a lot of ways and it’s always a treat to recommend one of my clients to another and see them work together toward mutual success.

When I’m not working, I am usually out and about in my neighborhood with my dog/best buddy, Gus. I also enjoy visiting local craft breweries, cycling, kayaking, exploring Nashville’s expanding restaurant scene, cooking, live music, art-house movies at the Belcourt, and reading.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a bumpy road. A lot of people will say Nashville is a 10-year town and for me, I’d say that’s true. In 22 years of living here, I’ve been through three job layoffs. But those experiences made me stronger and forced me to hone a lot of extra skills that have set me up for success.

I’m a triple threat – I design, code and write copy really well. I’ve named businesses for friends when they were coming up short for the right words — that’s a special talent. Having setbacks, while difficult at the time, only made me more creative and hungry.

Not to be all woo woo, but I’m a big believer that God/the universe/a higher power/what-have-you will steer you where you’re supposed to be if you listen. It took me a while to listen, but I also had to take some twists and turns to learn the lessons to set me up for success today.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At my company, I build bespoke custom-themed WordPress websites.

I also perform maintenance as well as customize existing websites. If your WordPress website breaks, I am the one who can fix it. What sets me apart from others is I have a design background.

Not many web developers can design; I’m what is known as a unicorn in my field.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe in luck. I think Oprah was the one who said “Luck is opportunity meeting preparedness.” I’ve done the work that helps me succeed when opportunity knocks.

But I will recognize that I was set up for success by being born into a family that valued education. My college was paid for when I graduated, so I’m not saddled with student loans like a lot of people my age, and I realize my good fortunate and am immensely grateful for that leg up.

I get up every morning and write a “to do” list. I prioritize sleep and eating healthy although I do love to eat an entire bag of chips at a sitting and have a Coca-Cola habit. Most days, I walk two miles around my neighborhood with my dog.

All of those acquired little actions add up to keep me going in the right direction.

Contact Info:

• Email: beth@permeliamedia.com
• Website: https://permeliamedia.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/permeliamedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/permeliamedia

Image Credits
Ron Davis