How I Multiplied Creative Capacity
Through Strategic Partnerships
TL;DR: I designed a scalable creative network of students, successfully implemented a pilot team, and now have multiple departments paying full costs for producer positions that I co-manage.
-
There are two age-old problems in higher ed that every social media manager must navigate:
Staff can't authentically showcase student life. You need actual students to get behind-the-scenes content that feels relevant to an institution’s culture.
The marketing team is always, always understaffed.
The solution seems obvious, right? Except, student workers are some of the most difficult employees you’ll ever manage. Low skill, high confidence, and viable to ghost you when classes get too overwhelming.
So when I took on 12 student workers at Colby, I knew I needed more than just good hiring. I needed systems, training, and strategic coordination that could work with their beautifully chaotic reality.
-
At UNH, I saw the exact same problems. Every college needed authentic student content, but nobody could justify hiring enough creators individually. Who would teach them? Manage them?
But I had a dream. A 50+ student creative army embedded across all the colleges but centrally coordinated.
75/25 cost split between colleges and main communications
Specialized roles in photography, video, social, writing, event management
College communications managers handle day-to-day reporting and project assignments
Professionals from various departments within Central Comms—social, photo, editorial—coordinate with these students for strategic alignment and training
UNH paid me to develop the full proposal. Then decided it was "too ambitious" without proof of concept. Challenge accepted.
-
I piloted the model at Paul College with a 10-person team we affectionately dubbed our “influencers.” It included:
3 short-form video specialists
2 photographers
1 social media manager
1 blog writer
1 tour guide
1 events coordinator
1 floater for chaos management
Each role filled specific strategic gaps on our marketing team. I provided mentorship on strategy, brand voice, and platform optimization alongside technical training. Our content production capabilities soared—and our capacity to have fun! All while staying on brand.
I didn’t manage them alone. My direct coworkers helped with the writer and event coordinator. A member of the undergraduate advising team managed our tour guide. And beyond that, we consistently coordinated with the main brand’s marketing team. My students had access to a smorgasbord of professionals in various fields.
-
When I got to Dartmouth, I was back to square one. Same problems, different campus. The communications team had no student creators, but they needed authentic student content to bolster engagement on accounts focused on institutional initiatives, brand awareness, and reputation building. (Every audience in higher ed loves student content—students, want-to-be students, former students, and people who care about students.)
But this time I was on the main brand team, which meant I could establish partnerships by reaching out instead of asking to be let in.So I approached the Admissions team: "You have student creators, we need student content. What if we collaborated?"
In this partnership model:I co-manage their 5 video students and ideate with the admissions team
I provide technical videography expertise + strategic guidance
They handle day-to-day management and project assignment
Content serves both departments' strategic needs
They fully fund the positions
The organic expansion:
Students are now on waitlists to participate (good problem to have)
The Hopkins Center and The College of Arts & Sciences saw our results and are now joining the partnership under the same model
Instead of managing student teams directly, I finally launched my collaborative network. Departments get authentic student content and professional expertise. Students get high-level training. I get to multiply creative capacity without the administrative overhead.