Brooke Nicholson

Education 

Auburn University / Auburn, Alabama
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism / August 2017

 Highlands College, Evening / Auburn, Alabama
Pastoral Leadership / August 2016–May 2017

Professional Experience

Creative Manager / Costa Mesa, California
Rockharbor Church / January 2023–Present

Creative Direction

  • Directed the rebranding initiative and created the new brand book, including photography, tone of voice, and graphic design guidelines.

  • Directed creative efforts for major events, such as Easter and Christmas, as well as ongoing campaigns, including photo shoots and branding.

  • Led Creative Team, including Graphic Designer, Digital Content Associate, Project Manager, and 7 volunteers.

Digital Content & Marketing Management

  • Developed and implemented marketing strategy for all events and initiatives.

  • Managed and developed Rockharbor's digital presence, ensuring brand alignment across the website, social media, email, app, video, and print collateral.

  • Utilized Asana to improve workflow and teamwork, prioritizing communication through ministry tiers.

 Social Media

  • Developed and executed social media campaigns for events, vision initiatives, and ministry efforts.

  • Developed and implemented strategic content calendars and social briefs, scheduling and maintaining an organized social calendar across platforms.

  • Created and managed social media content, ensuring a cohesive brand presence that is creatively engaging and invitational to foster community.

  • Wrote and edited copy for all social media channels, maintaining a consistent brand voice.

  • Provided real-time and in-person social support during events.

  • Assessed and reported on analytics to optimize channel and content performance, using insights to inform ongoing improvements.

  • Utilized Sprout Social to organize and schedule posts for ministries, events, and campaigns across channels.

  • Managed community questions, comments, and direct messages daily across platforms, ensuring timely responses.

Social Media & Visual Content Manager / Costa Mesa, California
Rockharbor Church / August 2020–January 2023

Social Media

  • Planned, scheduled, and managed Instagram and Facebook channels for @rockharborchurch; Instagram and Facebook channels for @rockharbormissionviejo from August 2020 to April 2021.

  • Increased Instagram following from 5,500 to 8,200 (49%).

  • Tracked analytics for 4 channels using Sprout Social and developed strategy accordingly.

  • Scheduled content through Sprout Social and Facebook Creator Studio at strategic days and times to reach peak engagement.

  • Developed sermon series-specific social media campaigns across Instagram and Facebook.

  • Ideated, filmed, and edited video footage for Instagram Reels using in-app Instagram features and Adobe Premiere Pro.

  • Designed social media graphics that align with Rockharbor Church branding, sermon series artwork, and social media feed to communicate key points to our audience.

  • Developed a social media content calendar and planning system for monthly and weekly planning across 4 channels using Google Sheets.

  • Wrote engaging, platform-specific social media copy across 4 channels to communicate key messages and initiate a call to action, while maintaining a consistent voice for Rockharbor Church.

  • Recruited, coached, and led 7 Creative Team volunteers.

  • Communicated and interacted with our audience on 4 social media channels, including responding to comments and direct messages.

 Visual Content and Branding

  • Contributed to the development of Rockharbor’s brand guide, including language, tone of voice, photography, videography, and graphic design elements.

  • Conceptualized and led branding decisions and photography studio shoots for campaigns.

  • Photographed weekend services, church-wide events, ministry events, and outreach opportunities; Culled through staff images and volunteer images to select images of the best quality and content; Edited images on Adobe Lightroom using the Rockharbor Church preset to keep imagery and social media feeds cohesive.

Digital Marketing

  • Redesigned, conceptualized, and wrote copy for the Weekly Newsletter email using Mailchimp.

  • Increased the average Weekly Newsletter open rate from 19% to 40% in 5 months.

  • Developed and executed campaigns for Christmas services, Easter services, and 21 Days of Prayer initiatives across Instagram, Facebook, Weekly Newsletter, and the website.

  • Helped develop a new website by choosing overall visual aesthetic and imagery. Ensured website information was up to date and consistent with the brand guide using Squarespace.

Social Media Coordinator / Irvine, California
Mariners Church / September 2019 – March 2020

  • Planned, scheduled, and managed Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter channels for @marinerschurch; Instagram and Facebook channels for @marinershb and @marinersirvine

  • Increased Instagram following from 14,000 to 22,000 in 6 months.

  • Tracked analytics for 7 channels using Hootsuite and developed strategy accordingly.

  • Scheduled content through Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Facebook Creator Studio for strategic days and times to reach peak engagement.

  • Developed sermon series-specific social media campaigns across Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter feeds and Instagram and Facebook stories.

  • Developed a new social media content calendar and planning system for all 7 channels using Google Sheets to keep content organized and plan efficiently. The content calendar was used by the social media coordinator, social media manager, digital director, and communications pastor.

  • Wrote engaging, platform-specific social media copy for all 7 channels to communicate key messages and initiate a call to action while maintaining a consistent voice for Mariners Church.

  • Photographed weekend services, church-wide events, ministry events, and outreach opportunities; Culled through staff images and volunteer images to select images of the best quality and content; Edited images on Adobe Lightroom using the Mariners Church preset to keep imagery and social media feeds cohesive.

  • Communicated and coordinated with staff copywriter, graphic designers, video team, and leadership team to create cohesive, relevant, and engaging content.

  • Recruited, coached, and led 10 photography volunteers.

  • Communicated and interacted with the audience on 7 social media channels, including responding to comments and direct messages.

Assistant Store Manager, Events Lead / Newport Beach, California
Kendra Scott, LLC / October 2018–April 2019

  • Worked closely with Store Manager to creatively drive business through philanthropic donations, Kendra Gives Back events, Color Bar™ parties, and off-site events. Led in-store and off-site events by ensuring team members know their roles during the event and by providing refreshments.

  • Oversaw philanthropic donations by corresponding with over 100 businesses and nonprofits through email to maintain partnerships and increase profitability. Ensured donation requests were filled at least 1 month prior to the event date. Constantly developed new contacts through donations and booking in-store partnership events to maximize profitability.

  • Communicated daily with the Store Manager, District Manager, Home Office communications team, and 8 sales associates to understand and execute sale strategies, initiatives, and event campaigns.

  • Executed inventory procedures (receiving, transferring, processing, damages, etc.). Maintained accurate inventory levels by leading annual inventory, two-cycle counts, and two rebalances.

  • Oversaw payroll for 8 team members, verified timecard accuracy, and approved time off requests using ADP. Ordered, maintained, and organized office supplies from Kendra Scott and Staples Advantage.

Creative Team Intern / Costa Mesa, California
Propel Women / May 2018 – August 2018

  • Played an integral role in the rebranding process of the nonprofit organization, which empowers women to succeed and achieve personal goals. Curated brand photography guidelines by gathering photography inspiration categorized by tone, composition, and content. Wrote clear and concise copy for the photography brand guide by explicitly defining the brand’s photography aesthetic.

  • Wrote copy for 10 Propel Newsletter emails, social media, and web content for marketing purposes to generate brand awareness and persuade community members to take action. Edited copy to ensure clarity, proper grammar, and that all email marketing was consistent in message and in voice.

  • Assumed the role of production assistant during three photoshoots. Scouted photoshoot locations, corresponded with models and photographers, coordinated schedules, gathered props, and assisted photographers during photoshoots.

  • Selected images to correspond with published articles, aligning with both article content and the photography brand guide.

  • Executed editing duties and enhanced images through Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to improve brand presentation; implemented images into materials designed for the program and the aforementioned marketing techniques.

  • Tracked email marketing and editorial analytics through Google Analytics to measure reader engagement and adjust content to attract a broader audience.

Social Media Marketing Intern / Birmingham, Alabama
Church of the Highlands, Main Campus / September 2017–May 2018

  • Established a schedule for social media posts and managed 3 social platforms through the utilization of Sprout Social, which reached approximately 76,000 followers.

  • Developed 3 innovative social media marketing campaigns. Drafted and edited social media copy over 100 posts to promote conferences, leadership events, and sermons held by the church.

  • Leveraged proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite and photography used in 10 social media posts to promote “The Daniel Dilemma” by Chris Hodges on Church of the Highland’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Creative Team Intern / Costa Mesa, California
Propel Women / May 2017–August 2017

  • Acted as production assistant to photography volunteer to conceptualize, plan, and execute 5 brand photoshoots.

  • Oversaw editorial content by corresponding with contributing writers, scheduling article publication dates, and copyediting 30 articles to ensure clarity, proper grammar, and consistency in message and voice.

  • Drafted and edited copy for 8 Propel Newsletter emails, social media, and website marketing purposes to generate brand awareness and recapitulate 2 Propel events.

  • Assisted in researching, comparing, and selecting merchandise to coincide with the rebranding initiative.

  • Wrote 2 published articles for Propel Women which reached over 5,000 viewers.