Copywriting | Communications & PR | News & Opinion writing

Social Media Strategy / Fashion

TomboyX

Client: TomboyX (LGBTQ and size-inclusive underwear brand)

Screenshot of the TomboyX homepage

Backstory

Today’s fashion customer is far more politically and socially minded and motivated than ever before. People vote with their wallets as much as they do at the polls. And, they’re not afraid to call out brands if they see something is amiss.

Gender neutral and size-inclusive underwear brand, TomboyX experienced backlash after several prominent, Black and plus size content creators questioned why they had never received compensation from the brand despite being used regularly in marketing and having brought hundreds of new customers and followers to the brand.

About the project

After receiving negative publicity about the lack of transparency with regard to compensation for their Brand Ambassadors, TomboyX asked if I would offer my expertise. Having worked with and as a content creator, in Diversity/Equity/Inclusion, as a social media strategist, and having been a longtime fan of the brand, I was happy to lend my services.

TomboyX knew they needed to make their BA program more equitable and transparent so it felt fair, honest, and representative for all. The brand was made for and by members of the LGBTQ+ community, but they clearly had made a misstep in trying to be inclusive without considering equity.

The Ambassador Program I created in collaboration with TomboyX. 

Strategy

I designed the program and selected 25 first round Ambassadors to consider and then presented that to TomboyX. They moved forward with the majority of my suggestions and we narrowed down the first round of Ambassadors to 15. I ran the first three rounds of the Brand Ambassador program and then handed it off to their internal social media marketing team.

Summary

The program was a success and the company is still running it in a similar form, with some updates per my feedback after the first three rounds. My support on the project helped the organization grow their social media following by creating a steady flow of social media content creator-fans and assuaged criticism and doubt by taking direct action to correct what went wrong.

Social Media Strategy / Entertainment

Netflix animated series “Disenchantment”

Client: The Tangent Agency for Bapper Books/Matt Groening

About the project

Disenchantment is an animated series from the mind of Simpsons and Futurama creator, Matt Groening and is available for streaming on Netflix. The series features the voices of actors Abbi Jacobson, Nat Faxon, Eric Andre, and more.

Backstory

In 2019, I was hired to create the digital strategy to amplify excitement and engagement for the new season of the show. Season 1 (“Part 1,” which featured 10 episodes) had been released the summer prior. Season 2 (“Part 2,” featuring episodes 11-20) were scheduled to be released within a few weeks (September 20, 2019). So, needless to say, I had a very tight deadline.

Groening is very hands on with his projects and wanted to make sure there was more excitement for Part 2, given that the series wasn’t as popular as it could have been after the first season.

Netflix was running social media accounts for “Dreamland” (the make believe setting of the story), but they were not active and needed more viewers. There was also an interest in selling Bapper Books’ Dreamland-branded products.

A bit more detail about the project

The overall tone for this project was smart, witty, sarcastic, irreverent, playful, and a bit crass at times. The target audience was 18+ and all genders, mostly fans of Groening’s other work and that of the voice actors, as well as cosplayers, comic book fans, and gamers, etc.

Strategy

As such, I created a detailed digital strategy to address the following:

  • Build and grow Disenchantment’s social media channels
  • Drive branded merchandise sales
  • Create a fun and engaging community for Disenchantment fans
  • Amplify the presence and appeal of Disenchantment to a wider audience in order to earn more fans and drive more merchandise sales

The platforms I focused on were Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

In addition to creating content calendars, I also created irreverent recurring content ideas and UGC promots that were in line with the look, feel, and voice of the show to get fans engaged on social media, such as:

  • #SinfulSundays encouraging fans to share their guilty pleasures (whether that be a “cheat meal,” something that’s a “guilty pleasure” or a memorable show quote)
  • #MerkimerCrushMonday or #MotivationalMerkimer featuring memes and self-love messages inspired by the narcissistic prince character
  • #TummyTouchTuesdays showcasing humorous, in-world dating profiles for the characters and interactive right or left ‘swiping’ as one would experience on a dating app
  • #WastedWednesdays encouraging fans to play a drinking game (that I also developed) to connect with the main character who is usually inebriated
  • Fan Fridays allowed fans to post photos of themselves in cosplay and/or with merch or of fan art
  • Various ideas for polls
  • Overheard at Dreamland featuring funny and sharable bites from conversations (a parody of “Overheard in LA”-type accounts)
  • Disenchantment Story time featuring fairy tales told weekly by the Disenchantment characters
  • Immersive avatar creator / name generator
  • Go Elf yourself (similar to ElfYourself.com) with a raunchy Dreamland twist, in line with one of the main character’s side kicks, a small elf named Elfo
  • Cosplay fan contests and giveaways

Summary

In the end, the digital strategy I created for my client, allowed them to create a 360° advertising and marketing plan for their client, Bapper Books/Matt Groening. The series has been incredibly popular. Part 3 is streaming on Netflix now and Part 4 is coming February 4, 2023.

My client was happy with my work. Their client was happy with what they asked for. And, now fans everywhere can enjoy their newest favorite animated series from the mind of Matt Groening. I would call that a major success!

Facebook @disenchantmentnetflix

Instagram @disenchantment

Twitter @disenchantment

Communications, Copywriting & Copyediting / Education & Non-Profit

Director of Communications

Innovate Public Schools (Non-profit Sector)

This is one of several quarterly reports I coordinated the publication of for key stakeholders (parents, donors, school boards, government officials, teachers, and concerned tax payers).

About the project

Innovate Public Schools is a based in San Francisco, California. I was directly hired as Director of Communications, managing a team of 10 (four full-time employees and interns and six regular external vendors). I was hired in part because of my Spanish fluency, graduate education and professional journalism experience having worked in various newsrooms, and my experience working in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Work

As Director of Communications, I managed all of Innovate’s communications, overseeing a $100k annual budget. I led and executed a full communications strategy around the release of regular reports such as the one above, including engaging press through press releases, emails, phone calls; overseeing the creation and publishing of social media content, e-newsletters, and website updates; and managing external vendors such as videographers/photographers and Spanish translators.

As Director of Communications, I had the final say on what messaging we sent out on behalf of our organization and the parents and families we worked for. I handled internal and external communication and was the point of contact for press, giving interviews for both English and Spanish media (local TV, print, radio, and online). I oversaw the organization’s digital presence and used data to track the impact of our communications efforts to know where to best allocate our budget.

PR, Communications & Copywriting / Healthcare

Public Relations & Communications

Client: The Creative Group for UCI Health

UCI Health’s homepage that I helped populate with press releases, blog posts and reported articles.

About the project

University of California Irvine Health, better known as UCI Health, is Orange County, California’s only academic health system and is home to renowned healthcare provider and leading-edge medical facilities.

The team at UCI Health was rather small, so the Public Information Officer (head of the Public Affairs & Communications department) hired me through an agency for remote support 20-40 hours per week.

Work

I was contracted to support the department’s efforts with clinical and academic relations for UCI school and Medical Center. My specific areas of focus were:

  • managing media packages
  • copywriting and editing
  • creating content for social media
  • executing traditional PR initiatives, including writing and sending press releases
  • writing for the News (blog) section of their website, which included conducting interviews – something I am very familiar with, having been a journalist for 10 years
  • pitching news media (TV, radio, print, community, medical journals, and online)

Summary

I worked with UCI Health for about one year, which was much longer than anticipated. I completed interviews with UCI Health doctors and medical staff to create content around various health initiatives and Health Center events. I also supported their Summer Health Education program, writing and disseminating a news release and a feature to local media outlets. During the week-long event, I kept an eye out for elements during the week that were TV-friendly for Orange County reporters (ABC, NBC, etc.) and several participants with particularly interesting backgrounds for outlets from further away. And, I developed and executed media relations and outreach strategies, securing several key placements in print, radio, and broadcast media.

Public Affairs / Communications for Municipal Public Works

Public Affairs, Communications & Copywriting

Client:The Creative Group for Orange County Sanitation District

OCSD’s Website (I wrote blog posts, press releases and created other copy for internal and external audiences, including employees, board members, the media and other key stakeholders.)

About the project

The Orange County Sanitation District (OCSD) was in need of additional support on their Public Affairs team.

Required for the position were a wide range of skills, including:

  • Public Relations
  • Community Relations
  • Writing and editing
  • Social Media

Work

I was contracted to write copy and publish to the OC Sanitation District’s website homepage, employee newsletter, internet and intranet sites, monthly bulletin, social media sites, and the weekly employee email. I also attended board meetings, community events, and gave presentations on behalf of the Public Affairs department.

I provided creative services and technical writing for newsletters, brochures, presentations, information posters, and award applications; participates in a variety of special events including tours of the District and displays in public venues. I learned, very quickly, the inner-workings of the wastewater facility and how wastewater is treated and recycled, then sent to the Orange County Water District to replenish the groundwater supply.

OCSD Tours page, advertising the wastewater treatment facility tours that I regularly led, which required me to learn technical information about the water, water recycling and sanitation industries.

I was involved in the development, implementation, and coordination of public affairs and community outreach activities; provided a variety of support including identifying events, defining outreach objectives, creating displays, recruiting staff, monitoring budgets, and tracking effectiveness of initiatives. My role also involved a great deal of research and copywriting for internal and external audiences. I developed and reviewed presentations, prepared customer response letters, developed internal communications to employees and Board members, and managed the production schedule, content, photography, editing, design, layout, and production for all publications.

In all of the written materials I produced, I had to work with various District departments to coordinate and clarify information and develop accurate facts for projects and then translate incredibly technical information into laymen terms. I then turned created assets and media that visually communicated District information or services in a manner that appealed to the target audience, often under tight time and budget constraints.

In addition, I supported the graphic development of the District’s website, providing recommendations for website content. And, I stayed on top of new developments in the field of public affairs and community outreach, incorporating new developments as appropriate.

Wastewater Word Search activity: one of several educational activities I created for the newsletter and social media channels to foster engagement and share the mission of the organization

OCSD’s What to Flush campaign page that I supported with copyediting, copywriting, blog writing, press release writing, media list management, social media planning and writing, etc. I grew the Public Information Office’s social media accounts by creating engaging and informative content that I carefully crafted and scheduled. My creative, out-of-the-box thinking was put to good use at OCSD and I excelled in my role as a result. 

The above activity sheet was one of several fun and lighthearted examples of creative copy I produced to engage various audiences around the work and messaging OCSD promoted.

Summary

I was originally contracted to work with OCSD for three months. However, my contract was extended several times and I stayed on for almost one year. The department head was very pleased with my work ethic, creative, out-of-the-box thinking, and the final product.

Public Affairs / Communications for Municipal Public Works

Public Affairs, Communications & Copywriting

Client: LHH Recruiting Solutions for Orange County Sanitation District

West Basin Municipal Water District’s website homepage: I wrote reported blog posts, wrote press releases, managed and grew the Public Information Office’s social media accounts and created social media calendars and did other planning. I also wrote comprehensive summaries and updates from board meetings and sent them out to key stakeholders, 

About the project

I was contracted to support the department’s communications efforts and develop a strategy to expand West Basin’s social media platforms to gain support of the organization’s Water Reliability 2020 program as well as the District’s other public outreach objectives. These initiatives included public awareness and engagement around conservation during droughts and the proposed ocean-water desalination facility.

Work

In order to support the District’s efforts to leverage online platforms to create meaningful interactions with its stakeholders, decision-makers, influencers, and the community, I created performed a social media and communications audit and provided recommendations to the head of the communications department, detailing who the key target audience demographics are and how best to reach them. More specifically, my areas of focus in this report were:

  • How to best leverage Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest
  • How to repurpose presentations and other materials to maximize impact and minimize effort (rather than creating brand new content)
  • Target audiences and how / where to reach them
  • Objective and Metrics
  • Proposed Social Media Platforms and Uses
  • Compiling a list of creative, out-of-the-box content ideas to be published across platforms relating to water conservation
  • Best Practices on Social Media (including recommended content, template copy for posts, recommended hashtags, a sample editorial calendar and posting schedule, etc.)
  • Key stakeholders and media outlets to target when sending out press releases
  • Potential risks and mitigation, including protocols for various issues
  • Content guidelines for anyone managing the social accounts to follow
  • Promotion ideas to earn more followers and increase engagement

Blogging & Content Creation / Cultural Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle

The Chief of Style

Founder, editor of The Chief of Style (est. 2017)

The Chief of Style began as a fake-it-’till-you-make-it Self-Love project that worked. Who knew sharing my struggles and triumphs healing my relationship with my body would help me discover my inherent worth and inspire thousands along the way?

Home page of my website / cultural fashion blog website The Chief of Style

My written content has earned the attention of large brands and fashion retailers like Dove, Kohl’s, Lane Bryant, and more.

 
 

  • Create content about identity and cultural expression through fashion for an audience of over 300k 
  • Develop an editorial calendar for all channels, including original photo and video content
  • Host live events for brands as well as Facebook Live and Instagram Live shows on a variety of topics
  • Manage relationships with representatives from more than 200 fashion, beauty, and lifestyle brands
  • Featured in dozens of news articles, and a guest on numerous TV news, entertainment, and podcast shows
  • Writing samples available at ChiefofStyle.com