We are excited to share that we have been included in the Top 21 web development companies in the US by the Austin Business Journal. The list is constructed of firms that “specialize in website design, development and digital marketing.” In 2015, much of the demand that fueled these agencies came from fast-moving online sectors—sports betting sites UK among them—where competition for visibility pushed companies to invest heavily in web development. Each of the firms earned their ranking based on revenue that year, and together the 21 companies brought in $35 million. Not only do each of the firms make up some of the most successful website developers, they also all have headquarters in Austin. Continue…

Dads, or men in general, are hard to crack. There has probably been a point in your life where you were stumped on what to get that special man for the holidays. Thankfully, Father’s Day is not the time to shower him in gifts, instead it’s the one-day you can truly show him how much you care. This year make Father’s Day one to remember with a day packed full of his favorite activities! Try one or take on a few, either way, make Father’s Day special! If your dad loves hunting and you’re looking for the best gift for him then get him a rangefinder for hunting, this will help make his shots more accurate.

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We are proud to announce that HMG recently won a FAVE award for, “FAVE Small Business!” Thank you so much to everyone who supported us in our quest to “three peat!” We are thrilled to have received this honor, and we are unbelievably thankful for everyone’s support and votes – we truly couldn’t have done it without you!

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If you have ever been in Austin in the summer, you know it is a lot more than just a hot southern town in Texas. It is chalk full of activities everyday, ranging from relaxing by the water to listening to live music with your friends. So, whether you are here for the whole summer or just dropping in for a visit, there will always be something going on for you to do. To make things easy for you, we have highlighted some of our own “must do’s” for the 2015 summer for all of you who will be in Austin at some point!

Must Do #1 – Barton Springs

This has been an Austin classic for a very long time. Nothing beats spending a long day out at Zilker Park and then cooling off in the 68 degree natural springs pool. The hot summer days combined with refreshing cold spring water make for the ultimate refresher. Follow it up with some relaxing on the large grassy hill in the sun to warm back up!

Must Do #2 – Blues on the Green

This one goes great when pared with Barton Springs. Blues on the Green is a FREE event that is held out at Zilker Park on select Wednesdays throughout the summer. Hosted by KGSR, bands like Bob Schneider and Shakey Graves will preform for families and friends out for a fun night of live music and fun. Check the schedule to see when the next date is!

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With the holiday season already upon us, the team at HMG wanted to take a little time out to reflect on this past year and share what we have to be thankful for (a lot!).

First and foremost, health, happiness and the support of our family and friends cannot go unmentioned. We are a team that is lucky to have a steadfast support base and we couldn’t do all we do without you!

Here’s what else we’re thankful for, in no particular order:

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Hi! I’m Callie Musick, the new Social Media and Marketing Coordinator at HMG Creative. It’s Day 1, and I can’t wait to jump in to my new position here. A little about me – I’m currently a senior (enjoying my summer break) at the University of Texas at Austin and will be graduating this December with a B.S. in Advertising with an English minor. Born in North Pole, and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, texas I migrated south after high school and have been enjoying everything the beautiful city of Austin has to offer for the past 6 years. On weekends you can find me soaking up the sun and wakeboarding on Lake Travis, stand-up paddle boarding on Lake Austin, or jamming front row at a live concert downtown.

Recently, I completed an internship with local street art collective, SprATX, as their Social Media and Marketing Manager in which I immersed myself in the brand and the family of artists to build their startup’s online presence. Additionally, with my past training as a marketing manager in the retail industry, I’m excited to bring my real-world experience and variety of interests to the team here at HMG.

At this internship, I’m excited to gain experience working from the agency side of things, and build upon my creative marketing, networking, and writing skills.

I know I have big shoes to fill here, and I’m looking forward to carrying on what Emily has created!

Feel free to shoot me a tweet at @calliemusick or email me at callie[at]hmgcreative.com

It’s always our pleasure to work with local non-profit organizations here in Central Texas and learn about their causes. When creating a website for these entities, we often rely on the functionality of WordPress for the back-end framework of our projects. In addition to the features mentioned in our previous blog Why We Use WordPress (And You Should, Too), there are a few components of the vastly popular platform that lend itself specifically to our use for these organizations that largely depend on their digital presence to promote and provide key functions in their mission of helping others.

Here’s 6 reasons WordPress rocks for non-profits:

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Austin is an amazing city for many reasons: the abundance of sunny days, the live music history and artful culture, the friendly vibes from the locals, the plethora of breakfast taco choices … the list goes on and on. One of these reasons that especially stands out to us at HMG is the empathy that Austin residents have for others and the dedication to causes they’re passionate about. This city is a mecca for nonprofit organizations founded on selfless missions that benefit society in a large variety of ways. These entities play a strong role in shaping the culture of our city, and we believe they deserve a little extra recognition.

We’ve compiled a list of 15 of these organizations that were founded here in Austin and are doing some great things for our city and beyond.

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We’ve talked before on here about how much we love WordPress, and it’s definitely no secret. One of the reasons we’ve mentioned is that it’s an open-source platform, meaning that at any given time there are numerous developers fixing it and making improvements to it across the world. With so much constant attention and many new features being added, updates are released periodically making these enhancements available to the entire WordPress community.

Take advantage of these! We know it can seem overwhelming to alter the site that you’ve built, installed plug-ins and themes for, and is running smoothly, but there’s a danger to skipping these updates and benefits you’ll miss out on if you don’t.

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This article was originally posted on Austinot.com

Austin is known for being one of the best cities for singles, making it a city full of first dates and hopefully many others afterward. Beyond the singles dating scene, anyone in a relationship has probably experienced how easy it is to get caught in a routine of go-to date night spots.

Whether you’re craving something new with your current SO (significant other) or looking for an impressive first date idea, here are a few local suggestions that break the typical dinner-and-drinks mold.

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