Alex Labat

Director of SEO & AI | Award-Winning Journalist Turned Digital Strategist | Google Bug Hunter Hall of Fame

Lafayette, Louisiana, United States

About

I started my career chasing breaking news with a camera on my shoulder. Today, I build AI solutions and engineer search strategies that help brands get found, get heard, and grow. The throughline? Storytelling. Whether I'm crafting a headline or a prompt, the goal has always been the same...to cut through the noise and connect with an audience. As Director of SEO & Artificial Intelligence at Burning Stick Creative, I lead digital strategy and custom AI development for a diverse portfolio of clients, leveraging tools like the Anthropic's API, Microsoft Azure, SEMRush, and so much more. I'm a Google Trusted Pro, an Associated Press Reporter of the Year, and the kind of person who once found a payment exploit in Google's infrastructure just because I was curious.

Experience

  • Director of SEO & Artificial Intelligence at Burning Stick Creative
    Jan 2019 - Present · 7 yrs 6 mos

    • Manage SEO strategies for Burning Stick Creative, optimizing website performance and increasing organic traffic for our business as well as the numerous clients we have in our portfolio. • Utilize Google Analytics, SEMRush, and other tools to analyze data and make data-driven decisions. • Assist in developing and implementing GEO and SEM campaigns to improve search engine rankings and drive traffic. • Develop custom AI solutions for our clients using Microsoft Azure, Anthropic API & SDks, OpenAI APIs, etc.

  • Director of Online Engagement at Lafayette Travel
    Jul 2017 - Dec 2018 · 1 yr 6 mos

    • Grew the organization's digital presence across all major social platforms, earning verified status and ensuring brand consistency across channels.

  • Communications Coordinator at Lafayette General Health
    May 2016 - Jul 2017 · 1 yr 3 mos

    • Serve as communications and marketing liaison for internal and external LGH customers, including patients, employees, physicians, volunteers, board members, partners, suppliers, consumers, community groups, award/rating/recognition organizations, government/legislative/regulatory constituencies, etc., especially those related to the Lafayette General Foundation. • Maintained web presence and earned BrightEdge SEO Certification

  • KATC Communications (Full-time · 5 yrs 3 mos)
    • News Anchor/Producer/Reporter
      Mar 2011 - May 2016 · 5 yrs 3 mos

      • Produced and anchored the weekend newscasts of KATC, where I also reported the news as it happened, working in tandem with all departments to engage the viewer with groundbreaking editing and storytelling techniques, while keeping them up-to-date on various social media platforms. • Stories posted to the KATC website which required technical SEO knowledge where we tracked story engagement and performance.

    • Multi-Media Journalist
      Dec 2012 - Mar 2014 · 1 yr 4 mos

      • Reporting news as it happens, shooting and editing with state-of-the-art industry technologies to put together a compelling story that is then pushed out to social media.

    • Multimedia Journalist/Editor/Web Producer/Live Truck Operator
      Mar 2012 - Dec 2012 · 10 mos

      • Assist in the creation of the day's newscasts for KATC-TV 3. Weekend Tape Editor as well as MMJ, so two days out of the week I essentially put together an entire newscast from start to finish, twice daily.