Who is The Austinot?
We are!
The Austinot is a blog about all-things Austin, TX. We’re passionate about exploration and sharing unearthed discoveries with you! From artistry, to events, to family activities, to unique local businesses and everything in between, Discover Austin with The Austinot.
Eric Highland
Founder and Lead Blogger
I’m an explorer and a kid at heart, kinda like a grown version of the kid in Pixar’s Up. I’ve traveled the world and made my home in Austin. I love discovering new places and telling others about them, and I revel in getting to know people and their stories. Professionally, I’ve taught Social Media and SEO at national-level conferences and sat on panels that have been broadcast internationally. I’m a 20-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard and I’ve been involved in the sport of professional boxing for over a decade as a promoter. When not blogging, teaching, promoting fights or working with clients on social media stuff, I’m usually with my wife doing something spontaneous and fun.
Likes: Meeting new people, exploring, traveling, great burgers, swimming holes, Oldies, RC cars, classic cars, good cigars, DJ’ing, disc golf and golfing (but I’m horrible at golf, so don’t invite me unless you want a long day on the links).
Dislikes: Wasting time, wasting talent, mushrooms and chick flicks.
Brittany Highland
Editor
A Canadian by birth and a Texan at heart, I adore Austin and everything in it. I love to explore the city and share little-known gems with fellow Austinites and curious visitors. When I’m not adding commas to guest posts, I’m managing my SEO and social media startup, Knektion…and my husband.
I’m especially fond of Theodore Roosevelt, Pablo Neruda, Mozart and my bearded dragon named Trogdor the Burninator.
I love to help people and give them things, and want my life to be all about that.
Cris Mueller
Contributing Blogger
My heart is hooked to Austin, but I was sprouted in Albuquerque, NM. During the last two decades, I made myself at home in three countries, five states domestically, countless communities and realized I suffer from severe wanderlust. My independent travels have allowed me to find my own stories of passion, travel, food and good people doing great things.
After many great escapes, I dropped my anchors in Austin in 2008, where I rediscovered my joy of community and began to put storytelling to good use. The entrepreneurial spirit, memorable flavors, charming landscape and endless experiences have managed to captivate this girl and her gypsy soul. My metaphorical roots are tangled well below the surface to my Austin community, but the gypsy will live on.
I’m a big fan of sunshine, adventures, Scrabble, wine, baseball, entertaining, stage performances and laughing. Not so much a fan of cilantro…
Want to ask me a question? You can find me in the sunshine, near the water and most likely in the middle of a great story. Or you can connect with me on Twitter.
David Thomas
Contributing Blogger
I graduated high school and left my hometown of Kingsville, TX in 1995 for Dallas, where I enrolled in a Baptist Seminary. About a year and a half later, I quit and joined the Army. After crisscrossing the Pacific between South Korea and Ft. Hood for seven years, I put the army base in my rearview mirror in 2003.
Since then, I’ve been living and working in Austin and I love this town. Looking back, I probably could have avoided the circuitous detour my life took. But if I had, I probably wouldn’t appreciate this crazy city as much, and I definitely would not have found my fiancé.
I’m not exactly rowdy, but I dig a good time. I think the best stories are lived and I try to keep Hunter S. Thompson and Jack Kerouac in mind when I write. I have a lot of rednecks in my family, and they always ask when me when I’m moving “up here.” I’m not ever moving up there…it ain’t Austin.
Dustin Vegas
Contributing Blogger
I was born and raised in a small village named Volcano, Hawaii. After moving to Texas as a teenager, I finally found my way to Austin and The University of Texas. I worked in multiple laboratories, wrote a thesis, and published two papers as a Longhorn. After a few short years and many electives I graduated with an honors degree in philosophy.
These days I build websites for businesses and non-profits across the country. When I am not doing that, I am building video games. If not that, I am running around the city for the Austinot. Somehow I still find time to hike with my dog, Weston.
I am interested in everything under the sun, though I tend to write about the Austin tech industry and local culture. You can shoot me a message through Twitter or email any time of day.
Why The Austinot?
At of the beginning of December 2011, Austinot founders Eric and Brittany relocated to Austin. Before moving here, we looked at some of the Austin blogs and honestly didn’t find what we were looking for. There are some pretty interesting ones, but they are mostly focused on music or film. Which is cool, but they don’t seem to capture the city itself. There are also some ridiculously commercial blogs that use the name of Austin, know their SEO and are well-ranked by Internet standards, but don’t even focus on the city. Fail.
What Makes The Austinot Different from Other Blogs?
If you are going to have a blog about Austin, it should be about the real Austin.
The people of Austin, the little nooks and crannies, that gem of a location that doesn’t have a huge advertising budget, an honest take on the news, and a little bit of history. We hope the Austinot always reflects the “weirdness” of Austin that everyone talks about.
We’re getting to know this weird city…and we hope you’ll join us for the ride.
How Did You Come Up with “Austinot”?
We wanted a name that reflected who we are and what we do, in one word. In looking for a name, we used this ridiculously cool site called Wordoid.com. Wordoid is great for naming everything from pets, to businesses, to your blog. When we saw the word Austinot, we knew it was going to stick. Austinot sounds kinda like astronaut, and that’s the point – we’re exploring and discovering things.
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