My “big kid” career has been a blend of higher education, K-12, and corporate communications, learning, leadership, and product development – but my core passion is creating content and experiences to connect people, ideas, and communities. Here’s some of the recent work I’ve done in this space:
Chef’s Playground
Co-Owner/Marketing and Community Leader
Managed all marketing, social media, and public relations for a chef owned and operated food truck specializing in gourmet hot dogs. In just 10 months, I was able to:
- Develop a distinctly playful, edgy, community-spirited brand voice and visual identity
- Build and maintain a dynamic website and blog
- Grow a loyal following and fanbase on Instagram (836 followers) and Facebook (976 followers)
- Generate 21 Google reviews with a 4.8 star average rating
- Launch a custom, chef-made spice line at the local farmer’s market
- Secure a live cooking segment on WGN News Sunday Brunch
- Land a spot at Glizzy Fest, a regional hot dog competition where we took the judges’ prize for first place in the “Best Loaded” category
- Establish partnerships and co-promotions with several other local businesses
Content Gallery
Besides managing our own small business, here’s content I’ve created for other partners and projects:
Schaumburg High School Class of ’03 Reunion
Co-chaired the volunteer committee to plan, promote, and host our class 20-year reunion, including:
- Designing and managing a weekly social campaign to generate interest and drive ticket sales
- Building an Eventbrite page to manage orders and collect payment
- Securing a venue, planning the menu, creating DIY decor, booking entertainment, and setting up a private school tour
- Successfully covering all event costs and donating extra proceeds to fight ALS as a tribute to a classmate we lost to the disease
Woodstock Country Club
Managed club social media for 1-month in order to refresh the brand and boost engagement across social and email channels. In the first 30-days, I was able to drive:
- +611% in accounts reached on Instagram
- +80.4% in accounts engaged on Instagram
- +14.9% in new followers up to 547 on Instagram
- +20% engagement on Facebook
Content I created included event flyers, social posts, promotions, membership guides, newsletters, etc:
Other Featured Collaborations
Created several custom promotions and campaigns for other local small businesses, special events, and community functions:
Just for Funsies…
On the side, for no real reason at all besides that it makes me smile, I’m in the process of launching an Instagram for my porch goose:
Ashley Blackburn 