CASE STUDY
Building a Distributed
Creative Operating System During a Public-Health Crisis
How I co-founded UC Students for Transparency and led a 19-person creative team to communicate verified information, mobilize students, and influence public policy during COVID.
Organization
UC Students for Tranparency (UCST)
Role
Co-Founder & Communications Manager
Role
May 2020 - May 2021
Team
19 student creatives
THE CHALLENGE
Students Needed Answers.
Systems Couldn't Keep Up.
When COVID hit, critical public-health information was confusing, inconsistent, and often missing. Students felt unheard and unprotected.
Two separate social media pages started to fill the void. It quickly became clear we needed one movement, one brand, and one operating system that could scale.
Misinformation
Rumors and inconsistent messaging created fear and confusion.
No Infustructure
No team, no workflows, no brand. Starting from scratch.
Lack of Visibility
Student voices weren't
being represented in local
or state conversations.
Urgent Need for Action
Students needed clear credible information they could act on.
MY APPROACH
Design the System.
Empower the Team.
Drive Real-World
Impact.
1. Unite the Mission
Combined two seperate initiatives into one movement: Gauchos for Transperency (G4T).
2. Build the Team
Recruited 19 students across design, writing, research, and outfeach
3. Create the System
Built worklows. content calendar, Trello boards, brand guidelines, and
approval process.
4. Measure & Adapt
Tracked reach, engagement, signups,
and sentiment to improve each cycle
5. Influence Change
Elevated student voices and helped drive local policy discusslons and
real-world outcomes.
WHAT I LED
End-to-End Leadership Across People, Process, and Product
I managed the team, assigned
work, set priorities, and made strategic decisions across
content. brand, platform, and
campaigns.
Team Structure (19 Creatives)
Communication Manager
Co-Founder
-
Graphics
-
Carousels
-
Branding
-
Templates
Design
5
-
Writers
-
Researcher
-
Fact-checker
-
Copy Editors
Editorial
6
-
Filmers
-
Editors
-
Motion
Graphics
Video
4
-
Leads
-
Partners
-
Community
-
Engagement
Outreach
4
Operating System
Ideas/Submissions
Student Submissions
Research & Verification
Topic Priortization
In Progress
Graphic Design
Copywriting
Video Editing
Ideas/Submissions
Fact Check
Legal / Policy Review
Quality Check
Trello
Workflows
Google Drive
Asset Library
Website
Informational Hub
IMPACT & RESULTS
Measured Reach. Meaningful Action. Real Change.
1M+
MONTHLY IMPRESSIONS
Across all platforms at peak campaigns
2K+
NEW FOLLOWERS / MO.
During peak periods of outreach
1.5K+
VACCINE SIGN-UPS
In the first week of availability via social links
LOCAL NEWS COVERGE
Featured by local news outlets and influenced county-level policy discussions
MERCH REVENUE SUPPORT
Funding for advocacy and outreach efforts
Content Formats That Connected
Comics
Infographics
Reels
Stories
Brand Built for Trust
A visual identity that was able to be replicated across the UC school system.
Once Gauchos 4 Transparency showed to be so successful we brought it to other UC schools
What I'd Do Next
Formalize documentation and SOPs earlier
Expand analytics dashboard for deeper insights
Build out a content playbook for replication
Strengthen handoff and succession planning
Develop scalable fundraising and sponsorship systems
Let's Make Complex Marketing Easier to Operate
Interested in senior and specialist roles across marketing technology, creative operations, marketing operations, brand systems, and digital experience.
"Kalle is a professional, talented, and thoughtful employee and colleague. He sets an extremely high standard for himself in all of his work and pays attention to perfecting every detail. He takes initiative to identify and address organizational needs without needing to be asked to do so."
Sarah Kahn
Legal Director, CHRCL