Develop and execute comprehensive digital strategies that elevate the Indiana Dunes brand across multiple platforms. Manage content creation and distribution, including paid and organic social media, website, and publications, while aligning messaging with the organization's overall marketing goals.Key Responsibilities:• Lead the development, implementation, and analysis of Indiana Dunes Tourism’s digital and social media strategies, enhancing brand visibility and engagement across all platforms.• Manage a multi-channel content strategy, ensuring the integration of social media, paid digital ads, Google Search, SEO-optimized website content, and traditional media for maximum reach.Notable Accomplishments:• Increased social media performance significantly: social media channel impressions grew by 24.4%, engagements by 36.4%, and post link clicks by 83% within the first year.• Developed and implemented a new content marketing strategy, resulting in a 100% increase in visitor reliance on the brand's social channels for travel planning within 12 months.• Brought paid social media advertising in-house, resulting in a more cost-effective and targeted approach to campaign management, maximizing ROI.• Collaborated with the marketing team to build and execute an effective email marketing strategy, optimizing newsletter engagement and growing the subscriber list through segmentation and targeted campaigns.• Optimized website management processes, streamlining updates and enhancing user experience through ongoing SEO optimization and content refreshes, resulting in improved traffic and engagement.By leveraging a data-driven approach, I continuously monitor and analyze digital marketing performance, ensuring that Indiana Dunes Tourism maintains its position as a trusted resource for visitors while increasing online visibility and engagement.

Developed, implemented, and analyzed the Indiana Dunes Tourism social media strategy; managed all aspects of communications content, including publications, website, press releases, newsletters, and articles; and acted as a liaison between Indiana Dunes Tourism and the media.Notable accomplishments:• Conceived and implemented social media marketing strategy, resulting in increased social media channel impressions by 24.4%, engagements by 36.4%, and post link clicks by 83%.• Led a new content marketing strategy that improved trust in the brand as an expert. Visitor reliance on the brand’s social media channels for travel planning doubled in twelve months.• Brought the development and management of paid social media advertising in-house.• Worked with marketing team colleagues to create the newsletter marketing strategy for both internal and external audiences. Audited existing newsletter list and created a plan for list growth.• Acted as project manager for the Indiana Dunes Outdoor Adventure guide and content manager for the Indiana Dunes Activities Guide.• Streamlined processes to maintain and update the company website and database.

Worked on a team to create interactive marketing campaigns for corporate and nonprofit clients. Wrote social media content, website copy, character dialogue and game narrative for companies such as Ford, General Electric, AARP and the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.

Freelance writer, designer, and consultant for non-profit and corporate marketing campaigns, transmedia projects, and games. Major clients include Ford Motor Company, the United States Military, AARP, General Electric and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.Notable Accomplishments:• Reported on the 2018 Porter County, IN Election on my personal Twitter account (@varin), garnering over 5 million impressions with over 600,000 total engagements.• Managed Ford Motor Company's Facebook and Twitter accounts during their Focus Rally: America campaign, most importantly for the campaign's launch during Super Bowl XLV's Half Time Show.• Traveled across the United States as onsite social media community manager for Ford and The Amazing Race producers' road trip reality show, Focus Rally: America.• Worked as writer and community liaison for the Peabody Award Winning World Without Oil, a serious game funded by the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. World Without Oil won the Award for Activism at South by Southwest and was honored for its contribution to humanity in the 2008 Stockholm Challenge.• Chosen to attend Forward/Story's Indonesian residential lab for interactive creators in 2017.• Worked on several of the first Alternate Reality Games, including the sequel to Chasing the Wish and one of the first successful grassroots games, Orbital Colony.

Designed rooms, storylines and dialogue scripts for interactive theatrical haunted houses. Borrowed techniques from other areas of entertainment, such as interactive theatre, magic and theme park rides to push the boundaries of what is considered scary in a haunted house. Helped design and build practical and digital effects.

Researched and wrote articles about Alternate Reality Games, Transmedia, and other interactive entertainment for ARGN.com. Featured on Wired.com through a content sharing agreement with ARGnet.