06/15/2026
Jon Stell came to eMYRge in 2021 without a college degree and with a with a clear goal: to earn a living doing work he was actually good at
He is a photographer, producer, and QA tester for TransPerfect Legal, a company that builds software used in major litigation and arbitration cases across the country. He shoots employee spotlights, covers sales conferences, produces process videos, and works alongside front-end developers identifying bugs before they reach clients. The work is real, the clients are large, and none of it requires a Manhattan address.
Five years in, he has hit that income goal. He credits eMYRge for surfacing job opportunities that never would have shown up on Indeed. "I've taken every opportunity that's been thrown at me," he said. Executive Director of eMYRge, Jenny Halstead says "From my perspective, he's the epitome of a community champion. More than a welcoming cheerleader, leaning in with his unique set of skills where needed, and continuing to share his love for Myrtle Beach. He believes in what this region can become."
He also said something worth repeating about this place specifically: in a city like Austin, the talent is spread across the whole metro. Here, the highest-caliber local people are concentrated in one room. "There's only one place for us to go. It's right here."
That is not a small thing.
