What do you do as BOPA’s Social Media & Website Coordinator? My role as BOPA’s Social Media & Website Coordinator involves managing the multitude of BOPA’s social media accounts and websites. I create the content for our social media posts, including choosing the images and videos, responding to messages and comments and tracking our social media analytics to determine what’s working for our posts and what needs improvement. For our festivals, I am responsible for gathering social media volunteers to help our Communications Team with live updates. Additionally, I edit the content on all of our websites and coordinate any website changes with our developers.
Where were you before BOPA and had you heard of BOPA before working here? Previously, I worked as a Human Resources Assistant at Notre Dame of Maryland University for a short stint, and prior to that, I worked in a couple of admin/communications-related positions. Through an internship at the Maryland Institute College of Art, I had the pleasure of meeting Dionne McConkey who told me about her experience at BOPA. I was immediately interested after hearing about BOPA as the producer of Artscape which is one of my favorite events. I became a social media volunteer for the inaugural Light City and now I’m incredibly fortunate to work here.
Why is BOPA’s mission important to you?Baltimore is my home and I think BOPA’s mission is extremely valuable to the people who live here. We need to have events that cater to the arts and highlight the creative industry that exists in the city. To have access to so many free programming throughout the year is vital for us.
What is the most challenging thing about your job?Sometimes, it can be a struggle explaining to others that my job is much more than just “sitting down and posting on Facebook all day.” It may seem like anyone can do it, but a huge part of my job is planning ahead and staying on top of so many deadlines. My position isn’t the typical 9-5. Social media is constant and I have to respond to comments or messages even during my time away from the office or weekends. Luckily, I have an extremely supportive team who works hard to assist whenever possible.
What is something most people don’t know about BOPA or Baltimore’s arts community? I underestimated how much planning it takes to put on our special events and festivals. My initial impression, similar to others, is that events sort of just pop-up and happen. After spending time with the hardworking staff at BOPA, I know this is far from the case. It takes a ton of planning on our end to make all of our programming happen. I also didn’t realize how much BOPA produces and manages. We’re responsible for some great traditions in Baltimore and that deserves more recognition.
Where do you see yourself in five years? In five years, I hope to continue working in the communications industry, transitioning over to public relations. While social media has been an amazing opportunity to experiment and flex my creativity, I am interested in more PR work, specifically crisis communications. I also hope I am traveling internationally to see more countries.
When you’re not working, where are some of your favorite things to do in Baltimore? I love exploring Baltimore’s neighborhoods! It’s always nice to venture off and see a new location that you may have heard about but never visited. It wasn’t until after college that I went beyond the Inner Harbor to go to Federal Hill. As a lifelong resident, I stuck pretty close to my own neighborhood; so, I make an effort to see new areas in the city.
What do you do as BOPA’s Social Media & Website Coordinator? My role as BOPA’s Social Media & Website Coordinator involves managing the multitude of BOPA’s social media accounts and websites. I create the content for our social media posts, including choosing the images and videos, responding to messages and comments and tracking our social media analytics to determine what’s working for our posts and what needs improvement. For our festivals, I am responsible for gathering social media volunteers to help our Communications Team with live updates. Additionally, I edit the content on all of our websites and coordinate any website changes with our developers.