Derek Blalock Email & Phone Number

Houston, Tx

East Lansing, Michigan, United States

• Oversee all facets of MSU Football’s digital and social media efforts as they relate to graphic design, photography, and videography to tell the story of Spartan Football.• Serve as lead content creator for football digital platforms and assist with internal content requests (coordinates design materials, presentations, and creative support for recruiting visits and other aspects of the football program’s internal operations).• Own and drive social media strategy and execution across all relevant social media platforms.• Orchestrated a unique new uniform unveil campaign that produced the three most engaged posts in @MSU_Football’s history.• Develop & manage content calendar and serve as publisher for @MSU_Football social.• Manage active roster on INFLCR and GREENFLY while generating and distributing content to student-athletes using the platform.• Serve as the primary liaison to other athletic department units (Spartan Vision, marketing, Communications, etc) to develop messaging and content that enhances Michigan State Football’s brand. • Develop strong relationships with student-athletes and coaches to create a robust content ecosystem.

• Conceptualized, produced, and oversaw the visual identity and brand of UC Irvine Athleticsthrough all mediums.• Ranked 7th in YOY % increase (+236%) in social interactions (2021 v. 2022) amongst allathletic departments in the NCAA, according to SkullSparks, in the first year as Directorof Digital Marketing.• Doubled the number of impressions, and engagements, while increasing video views by nearly400%, and the number of new followers by 156% year over year.• Produced hundreds of short-form and long-form video projects, including highlightpackages, our Walk & Talk series, Instagram Reels, Videoboard Player Intros, and more.• Managed more than 65 digital accounts for 18 division one programs. Our social coverageled to record-breaking months and quarters for the following ticketed accounts: baseball,women’s soccer, men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and men’s volleyball.• Led and taught a team of 16 digital interns in completing assigned tasks for those mediums,and engage with our fanbase on gamedays.• Worked in lockstep with media relations and the rest of our external staff to find and tellstories of our 300 student-athletes.

Chief Designer for UC Irvine Athletics.• Expanded my role to more than graphic design. Produced dozens of short-form and long-form video projects, including our Walk & Talk series, Instagram Reels, Videoboard Player Intros and more.• Implemented a highlight clipping program to provide live highlights to our social feeds, as well as post-game highlights on YouTube for men's and women's basketball and baseball, as well as all of our postseason contests.• Our social coverage led to the best two quarters to begin a calendar year for UC Irvine Baseball's Twitter and Instagram accounts during the 2021 NCAA Baseball Tournament.• Lead and taught a team of six digital interns to complete assigned tasks for those mediums, and toengage with our fanbase on gamedays.• Set up and coordinate media days for all 18 division one sports at UC Irvine. • Assisted with the creation, assets, and marketing for the Athletics Department's participation in UC Irvine Giving Day, which helped bring in the most gifts to the department in a single year (2020 & 2021).

Rochester, Michigan

• Served as an athletics communications assistant for Oakland University for six months before working as a part-time graphic designer. • Wrote feature articles for OU Magazine and GoldenGrizzlies.com.• Performed a variety of gameday tasks, such as statistics.

Southfield, Michigan

• Developed and produced fifteen 20-60 minute digital shows, and dozens of segments for three Fox Sports Detroit shows and social media.• Created and implemented social media strategies that led to the success of campaigns for YFP highlighted by the weekly growing of the LTU Athletics and Football accounts, which saw the largest 10 months in the last 10 years.• Branded and re-branded several properties for YFP, including, but not limited to, State Champs! E-Sports, and State Champs! Winter Jam.• Captured, created and customized content for Yellow Flag Productions and Lawrence Technological University through the mediums of the written word, graphics, photography, and videography.

Rock Hill

Arlington, Texas

• Wrote daily game notes and researched statistics for use by local and national media.• Handled incoming communications for the media relations department.• Compiled and wrote daily Texas Rangers Minor League Report recapping games and researched stats for all eight of the Rangers’ farm teams.• Managed the press box prior to each game while assisting manager Jeff Banister’s postgame press conference.• Worked with local and national TV production crews, including live talent, acting as the live stats point of contact.• Controlled access to the press box in-game, granting access to guests.• Wrote monthly player bios for Texas Rangers Magazine.• Produced, compiled and proofed the 2016 Texas Rangers Media Guide, Postseason Guide, and June Draft Guide.

East Lansing, Michigan

• Wrote feature articles and produced bios for game magazines and MSUSpartans.com.• Generated graphics to help drive traffic to numerous MSU Athletics social media accounts.• Worked with ESPN, FOX Sports and the Big Ten Network for several games as their live stats contact for basketball, football and soccer.• Oversaw public address scripts for women’s and men’s soccer, football, and basketball games.• Gathered and transcribed quotes from postgame press conferences.• Distributed credentials to local and national media outlets.

- Assisted in the marketing and communication strategies for the MSU Alumni Association, University Development and MSU Greenline.- Duties included: shoot video for the website, write press releases and articles for several university publications.- Wrote and edited scripts/talking points for numerous events, including MSU’s Capital Fundraising Campaign.

- Wrote daily recaps for all 30 major league baseball teams, as well as provided commentary on the day’s biggest events.- Assisted in marketing the app to help bolster downloads. In less than six months, the app reached more than 50,000 downloads.

- Ran the day-to-day operations of the public relations department for nearly the entirety of the eight-month internship.- Served as the liaison for the players at community events, autograph signings, etc.- Updated Sky Sox website with game stories, feature articles, player interviews, and created content for team magazines.- Produced game notes, stats and rosters for use by both teams and media for all 144 games.- Generated graphics and other content for Sky Sox social media and Sky Sox team blog, helping double the presence on each platform. - Managed events, such as All-Star games and celebrity softball games.- Sold ticket/marketing packages using cold call system and surpassed sales goal of $10,000.

East Lansing

- Reported high-profile events such as the Champions Classic in Chicago, Michigan’s Right-to-Work protests, MSU basketball player Derrick Nix’ arrest for drugs and the MSU Board of Trustee election in 2012.- Researched and wrote in-depth articles on knee injuries in women’s athletics and MSU president Lou Anna K. Simon’s athletic oversight.- Shot and edited videos using Final Cut Pro to later be uploaded to StateNews.com.- Spent one semester on the Copy Editing desk, fact checking dozens of articles each day.- Covered MSU men's and women's soccer beats in Fall 2013.

Greenville, South Carolina Area

- Coordinated player interviews.- Wrote game and feature stories for the team magazine, as well as press releases and the live stats for MiLB.com.

Becket, Mass.

- Coached baseball players from ages 11-16 in practices and games for seven days a week with former Indiana University head baseball coach Bob Morgan, USA Baseball and Dublin Coffin High School coach Tim Saunders and East Hampton High School coach Scott Wosleger.- Performed duties as a bunk counselor to help the kids adjust to living away from home.

East Lansing, Mi

- Covered high school basketball games twice a week, and wrote a recap for each game.- Reported both the men's and women's MHSAA State Championships at Breslin Center.

B.A., Advertising

Activities and Societies: The State News, Student Alumni Foundation

Master Of Science - Ms, Sport And Fitness Administration/Management