Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Multimedia Journalist

San Jose, CA

A geeky mom, social media nerd, PR Pro and multimedia journalist in the Silicon Valley. Chronic documentarian, occasional gardener and enthusiastic listener of stories, I split my time between learning new things and [re]discovering life through my 10-year-old's eyes.

Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Multimedia Journalist

San Jose, CA

Featured
And It Started With a Parking Lot ...
A single chain stretches from one side of the driveway to the other. The parking lot that Campbell residents and visitors had used for nearly 11 years (and were ticketed in) was closed suddenly on July 1. Both residents and local businesses were left in the dark, and customers were left circling for parking.
Campbell Patch
Community
Featured
Eric Victorino Tells Campbell to Stay Weird
For Eric Victorino of the musical ensemble The Limousines, Campbell was a gritty place to grow up in, but a place his heart never left. Streets without sidewalks, skateboarding, coffee shops and liquor stores with questionable customer service--all these embedded into Victorino's childhood memories and onto the pages of his 2005 collection of poetry "Coma Therapy."
Campbell Patch
Community
Featured
They Said Yes to the Prom Dress
The line outside as Gabrielle Medrano's employees drove up to the downtown Campbell business startled the women, not knowing what to expect from their earlier of deeply discounted and free (with a 3.5 grade-point average or higher) prom dresses to local high schools. The store sold 22 dresses and gave 16 for free on April 1.
Campbell Patch
Community VIDEO
Featured
The Story Behind The Guys Selling Fruit On the Street Corners
You see them around town as soon as the weather turns nice. Fruit vendors on street corners -- strawberries first, then oranges, melons and a wide variety of other natural delicacies. In Campbell, on the corner of McGlincy Lane and Curtner Avenue and Curtner Avenue and Shamrock Drive, you often see a pair of vendors sitting in the sun with their fruit, hoping to sell the items straight from farms in Watsonville and Gilroy before they go bad.
Patch
Community VIDEO
Featured
'There Are Too Many Kids Killing Themselves'
Pott, a 15-year-old Saratoga High School sophomore, tried to commit suicide last September after learning she had been sexually assaulted when she had passed out at a party and a photo of the attack was posted online. Ann Brownell's daughter, Amanda, also tried to end her life four years ago after allegedly being bullied at Del Mar High School.
Campbell Patch
Obits Schools
Featured
Campbell Spelling Bee Champs Don't Need Spellcheck
These words definitely aren't part of your average teenage cell phone/text lingo. The Campbell Union School District held its fifth annual district-wide Spelling Bee Wednesday night and these were just a few of the words spellers endured during the 20-round competition. Fifteen students, five from each of the district's three middle schools—Campbell, Monroe and Rolling Hills—competed for top honors Jan. 23.
Patch
Schools
Featured
Willow Glen Adobe provides link to area's past
The off-white Monterey Colonial looks out of place at the busy industrial leg of Lincoln Avenue. An all-American white-picket fence guards the 1844 structure from speeding cars, while a mission black fig tree's lush canopy hides the adjacent adobe that is attached to the home. Both dwellings have managed to defy time and the changes that have sprung up around them, becoming a rare gem and portal into the area's past.
San Jose Mercury News
Community
Featured
San Jose's Gardner neighborhood finds itself on the other side of the tracks — again
Most residents in Willow Glen's Gardner District say they aren't opposed to bringing California's high-speed rail through San Jose; they just don't want to sacrifice their homes for it — and are prepared to make sure history does not repeat itself in the neighborhood. Many times during the past 101 years, Gardner has picked up the pieces after massive transportation projects.
San Jose Mercury News
Community
Featured
Gardner neighborhood residents work with their councilman to bring lights back
Debbie Wade has lived in the Gardner neighborhood in Willow Glen for the last 18 years. When she noticed the streetlights go dark one by one, she began inquiring with the city when they would be fixed. The months passed and the pedestrian streetlamps around the perimeter of the park began following suit, going dark until the entire park was unlit.
San Jose Mercury News
Community
Featured
A Campbell Tree Lighting for Dad
For 22 years, the city of Campbell gathered together to light the redwood trees and officially welcome the start of the holiday season. The lighting ceremony started off at the corner of Campbell Avenue and Winchester Boulevard, in front of the and the 55-foot Redwood planted nearly 100 years ago. About eight to 10 years ago, the celebration was moved closer to the downtown, in front of Campbell City Hall and the , with the Redwood on the .
Campbell Patch
Community
The Story Behind Nido Drive's Lights
Just behind the along Winchester Boulevard, an apartment complex elicits wows and smiles from residents of all ages as its holiday lights turn on, one section by one and light up Nido Drive. Signage out front beckon passer bys to stop, park and come inside. “Noela Peace” glows from a sign at the center of it all and cherubs near the complex’s entrance welcome visitors.
Campbell Patch
VIDEO Community
Featured
Campbell's First Filipino Postmaster
The US Postal Service in Campbell has a long and rich history, filled with many firsts. According to Jeanette Watson's book, Campbell the Orchard City in 1885, Benjamin Campbell was appointed first Campbell Postmaster. In 1895, Louisa Weitzenberg became the first woman postmaster in Campbell. In 1897, Campbell became the first rural route established in the West Coast.
Campbell Patch
Government
Sierra LaMar's Case Reminder to Update Information with Schools
As the search continues with the kidnapping of Morgan Hill teen Sierra LaMar, a closer look has been cast in the day of the abduction. According to an article in the Mercury News the parents of missing teen Sierra LaMar had no idea she never showed up for class until 6:00 p.m., despite the schools computers having logged her in as absent nearly 10 hours earlier in the day.
Campbell Patch
Schools
Armed Robbery Victim: 'I Could Not Let Him Go With My Money, So I Tackled Him'
A group of community members were recognized for their actions during an armed robbery at Tuesday night's Campbell City Council meeting. “Far too often you hear of citizens witnessing a crime and deciding to turn away and offer no assistance,” said Campbell Mayor Evan Low. “Frequently they won’t cooperate with investigating officers for fear of retaliation but in the city of Campbell we are fortunate to have a community that values public safety and citizens that are willing to put themselves in harms way to prevent harm to others.”.
Campbell Patch
Community VIDEO Crime
Featured
San Jose resident Rey Giese has been painting signs for 75 years and is still going strong
Rey Giese spent three hours on a ladder painting the sign at a local tattoo shop this month. His weathered hand expertly held a paintbrush and drew the lines onto the glass window. He's brought his paint-speckled toolbox—with him for almost the entirety of his 75 years as a sign painter. Martin Robertson, owner of Lucky Stars Tattoo on Blossom Hill Road, looked on in awe and chatted Giese up about his colorful career.
San Jose Mercury News
Community
Featured
Local students help others reach education dreams
Cesar Juarez rides the bus to school like so many college students — head against the glass, earphones streaming down his olive jacket, eyes straight ahead. The 22-year-old was a full-time student until this semester, when he and his family discovered they were facing possible foreclosure on their San Jose home.
San Jose Mercury News
Schools

About

Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Storytelling

Editing

Social Media

I enjoy communication and find it a vital part of building community. This has been at the core of my career. A more informed community is a more effective and cohesive one. And these communities become quality audiences and advocates.

I have fine-tuned my skills in most forms of communication and storytelling through traditional and online media, digital, social media and public relations.

My specialties include team and community management; social media strategy and management; digital content strategy, creation and curation; and digital analytics and measurement.