- November 11, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
Three new C-suite executives are coming to Pinellas County — but these personality hires won’t be spending their days at the office.
Working remotely is part of the deal for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s viral new SPC-Suite executive team.
The county’s official tourism and marketing organization announced earlier this month that its national, month-long search for a Chief Vibes Officer, Chief Sunset Curator and Chief Flavor Explorer has come to an end.
Three content creators and social media influencers were chosen out of more than 17,000 applications for the tongue-in-cheek jobs: 10-day all-inclusive gigs documenting the cities’ arts, food, music, nightlife and “beach culture” on social media. Each content creator will also get paid $10,000.
The agency’s recruiting push began Oct. 1 and quickly spread nationwide, popping up on billboards in New York City’s Times Square and sparking a partnership with social media influencer Ben Sweeny, a New York City-based comedian with more than 400,000 Instagram followers who makes workplace comedy content under the name Corporate Sween (@corporate.sween), VisitSPC says.
The job listing racked up more than 100,000 page views, VisitSPC says, with candidates making their pitch on video and submitting their social media pages for review. Then it was up to the tourism agency’s staff to sift through the applications, form a committee to shortlist their favorites and interview the finalists.
The three new hires “caught our attention from the moment we watched their video submissions,” says Steve Grimes, chief marketing officer for Visit St. Pete-Clearwater.
“They came prepared with genuine enthusiasm, creative ideas and fresh perspectives,” Grimes says. “We're confident that same curiosity and passion will lead to incredible discoveries across our 24 communities.”
The belief behind the marketing stunt is that some of those thousands of people who clicked on the posting for a dream job-turned-day job will start planning a trip of their own, VisitSPC says, with more stops at local restaurants, museums and music venues. The tourism agency estimates that 15.1 million visitors spent $6.1 billion in Pinellas County in 2025, the announcement says. And its new “Beach. Culture.” campaign also introduced the Art Everywhere mobile passport, which points people to more than 50 experiences, from public art projects to film premieres, through the first week of December
The new hires, announced Nov. 5, start their 10-day assignments in person this month, VisitSPC says, documenting their immersive explorations of “beach culture” in real time through selfies, status updates and sizzle reels across their Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube accounts. Their content will also be used by the tourism agency, which goes by the social media handle @VisitSPC, and Pinellas County, the announcement says. All campaign posts must also include paid-partnership disclosures.
Following their St. Pete-Clearwater assignments, the three executives may be tapped to take their newfound expertise on the road for a future out-of-market “beach culture” activation,” the agency says.
For now, though, Grimes has a less formal measure of success in mind.
“As for the ROI? A healthy case of FOMO is a good place to start,” Grimes says.
Meet the new SPC-Suite executives:
Social Media: @alexptaylor1
Assignment: “Who will eat and drink their way through the destination’s culinary scene and call it research.”
Known as the "Nacho King of Connecticut," Taylor is a Hartford-based culinary personality and content creator with more than 20 years of hospitality experience. He has appeared on FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen and his debut cookbook, Totally Nachrageous, features 70 original nacho recipes, the agency says. Taylor prepped for his role with a short list that includes Gulf seafood, independent restaurants and craft breweries. “My motto is one chip at a time,” he says in his video application. Taylor is also the first of the three to get to work, with a stop at Parkshore Grill in downtown St. Petersburg earlier this month.
Social Media: @michaelartisma
Assignment: “Tasked with finding inspiration across world-class museums, hundreds of murals, colorful neighborhoods and plenty of Gulf sunsets.”
“I paint portraits of strangers for free for a living,” the Kansas City, Missouri-based painter says in his application. “Tell me how that makes sense. I don’t know.” Artis is known for turning his everyday encounters with strangers into paintings that tell their personal, often emotional, stories. Blending portraiture, conversation and storytelling, Artis says his goal is to use his platform to foster meaningful connections through art. As Chief Sunset Curator, Artis will look for subjects in Pinellas County’s museums, murals, colorful neighborhoods and waterfront sunsets, the agency says, finding inspiration in the region’s individuality.
Social Media: @whereiserica
Assignment: “Responsible for conducting very serious field research across live music, nightlife, entertainment and wherever else the vibes lead.”
A Seattle-based marketing professional, Ditton made her name on social media making content with group travel company Here and Now Travel. Her hobbies span everything from salsa dancing and roller skating to improv comedy and live music, her application says. She caught VisitSPC’s attention with a video application that turned the interview around, reviewing the tourism agency’s qualifications. Her requirements? Interesting locals, good nightlife and “somewhere I can dance until 2 a.m. without anyone asking if I’m okay.” She’ll cover live music, nightlife and community gatherings through Nov. 22.
