CASE STUDY
From an Anonymous Instagram to 1M+ Monthly Impressions
In fall 2020, Isla Vista parties kept going while COVID cases climbed. I started @ucsb.party anonymously, creating a platform for the community to submit party footage set to pandemic news audio. Then I merged it with Gauchos 4 Transparency into UC Students for Transparency and led its 19-person creative team.
Organization
UC Students for Transparency (UCST)
Role
Co-Founder & Communications Manager
Timeline
May 2020 - May 2021
Team
19 student creatives
THE CHALLENGE
Isla Vista Kept Partying.
Cases Kept Climbing.
About 90% of Isla Vista's 15,000 residents are students. In fall 2020, Noozhawk reported cases there rose about 50% in two weeks. Health updates weren't reaching students, and students weren't part of the county's conversation.
Mixed Messages
Rumors and conflicting rules spread faster than official updates.
No Infustructure
No brand, workflow, or people to make content.
Students Left Out
Student voices were missing from county discussions.
Cases Rising
Students needed clear information they could act on, fast.
MY APPROACH
Approach, team, results, and next steps
1. Start the Account
I ran @ucsb.party anonymously and edited its weekly party videos, set to pandemic news audio.
2. Unite the Groups
I merged it with Gauchos 4 Transparency to form UC Students for Transparency.
3. Build the Team
I organized 19 students into design, editorial, video, and outreach teams.
4. Create the System
A Trello calendar, a brand guide, templates, and an approval flow, so every post was fact-checked before it went up.
5. Measure and Adjust
I tracked reach, engagement, and sign-ups, and put more into the formats that worked: comics, infographics, Reels, and Stories.
WHAT I LED
How the Team Worked
I set priorities and made the final calls on content, brand, and campaigns. Every post moved through the same steps: idea, research, design or video, fact-check, and review.
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 Prioritization
In Progress
Graphic Design
Copywriting
Video Editing
Editorial
Fact Check
Legal / Policy Review
Quality Check
Trello
Workflows
Google Drive
Asset Library
Website
Informational Hub
IMPACT & RESULTS
What Happened
CalMatters reported the accounts helped fuel attention before Santa Barbara County passed an October 2020 ordinance allowing fines of up to $500 for gatherings that broke health orders.
1M+
Average monthly impressions within three months of launch
2K+
New followers a month during peak outreach
1.5K+
Clicks to vaccine appointment sign-ups in the first week
5 outlets
Featured by local news outlets and influenced county-level policy discussions
Food banks
Where merch proceeds went
Content Formats That Connected
Comics
Infographics
Reels
Stories
The brand spread to UC Riverside and UC Berkeley
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
Write the playbook and handoff docs early, so new chapters start with the whole system.
Build an analytics dashboard the whole team can read.
Plan who takes over before the leads graduate.
Let's Make Complex Marketing Easier to Operate
Hiring a marketing coordinator? Let's talk.
"Kalle has the ability to take even the most complex ideas and break them down into actionable steps to create a finished product. Kalle was an empowering leader who recognized the strengths of each of our team members. I know without a doubt that Kalle would be a valuable asset to any team he's part of."
Michelle Lee
Earned Media Associate, Golin