Melissa Church is a digital marketing entrepreneur with a unique blend of skills: she’s a social media strategist, a science communicator, and a humorist.
As the founder and CEO of Digi-Buzz, a social media marketing agency, and the creator of Bad Science Jokes, an online platform that uses humor to explain complex scientific concepts, she’s carved a path that fuses education and entertainment in the digital age.
“I started Bad Science Jokes in high school as a fun way to make science more accessible,” Ms. Church said. “Science can feel overwhelming with all the terms and math, so I made jokes to help myself remember the material.”
What started as a small project to engage her classmates quickly grew into a viral sensation. Today, Bad Science Jokes has over a million followers across Facebook and Instagram. Posts can range from head-scratching headlines “Endangered Hawaiian monk seals keep getting eels stuck up their noses and scientists want them to stop,” to bad puns “It’s not an old bus, it’s (picture of ancient Egyptian God Anubis) to heady memes “If you hold a crab up to your ear, you can hear what it like to be attacked by a crab.”
Ms. Church also is the driving force behind Digi-Buzz, a social media marketing agency she founded in 2020. What sets Digi-Buzz apart is its 24/7 emergency on-call service, offering clients immediate assistance with public relations crises and online backlash – what Ms. Church refers to as “social media attacks.”
“I’ve always believed that social media doesn’t sleep, and neither should your social media manager,” she said. “People often underestimate the importance of having someone on call when things go wrong online. If a business’s reputation is on the line, it’s crucial to act quickly.”
Kellie McPherson, who nominated Ms. Church for the Emerging Woman of Influence award, praised her dedication. “Melissa takes calls at all hours of the day for her clients,” she wrote. “She’s the kind of person who picks up the phone simply to help, without expecting anything in return.”
Ms. McPherson described an instance where Ms. Church spent an hour helping someone with a Facebook issue, even though they were not a paying client. “She didn’t hesitate; she just wanted to help.”
Her personalized service and hands-on innovative approach means she maintains close relationships with her clients. “I know everyone I work with, and I speak to every client personally. That’s something I never want to lose.”
Beyond her business ventures, Ms. Church’s influence extends into education. Bad Science Jokes has become a trusted resource for students and educators alike. “I get messages all the time from people saying the jokes helped them pass tests or understand complex ideas,” she said.
Her impact on both digital marketing and science education has earned her recognition. In 2023, she was a QCBJ Forty Under 40 honoree; and in 2022, she was named Emerging Leader of the Quad Cities by Women Lead Change. The Universal Women’s Network also named her Millennial Leader for her contributions to STEM education.
One of her proudest moments came in 2017 when NASA invited her to its Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to help promote a laser technology demonstration. “I had the chance to speak to a huge audience about NASA’s work, and it was incredible to share that experience with my followers,” Ms. Church said.
Looking ahead, she plans to expand both Digi-Buzz and Bad Science Jokes. “With Bad Science Jokes, I’m focused on coming up with new, creative ways to make science fun and accessible to everyone.”
Ms. Church also remains focused on her mission to make science and social media management more approachable for all. “I tell people ‘nothing learned is wasted.’ You never know what skill or experience will come in handy later.”
Whether she’s managing a social media crisis or cracking a science joke, her work is changing the way people connect with both digital marketing and science education – one post at a time.
WORDS OF WISDOM
“Nothing learned is wasted.” Sometimes, especially when you’re a kid sitting in class and thinking, ‘when am I gonna need this? When is this going to apply to my life?’ … Whatever you learn, ballroom dancing, photography, playing an instrument, it might not specifically be important, but being able to pull that out, I can tell you all the stuff I learned, it’s all been useful to me now.
Bio
Childhood hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada.
Education: Northern Arizona University.
Family: Husband Sam, daughter, Lillian.
