About

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I’m Liz Hover …

… a British digital media manager working for a Canadian film and television training organisation in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I’m also a tweeter for One Degree (a website about social media and digital marketing for Canadians).

This is my personal blog where I write about building your brand online, the social web and web design. And I might occasionally mention my dog.

I’ve presented workshops about the social web for the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), National Screen Institute, On Screen Manitoba, Canadian Women in Communications, the National Film Board and more.

I do web consulting to help develop and improve websites. My passion is the internet and how to best use it as a communication tool.

Sometimes I come disguised as a freelance writer. I’ve written about everything from Madonna’s latest album to bio-technology.

I began this blog as a place to write about the redevelopment of my employer’s website which I was spearheading. Then I just kept on typing.

I moved to Canada from London, England about seven years ago. For a boy. But we won’t go into that.

I can tear through information on the internet at breakneck speed. I’m constantly reading – the printed page and the electronic page (and have been known to get through five books a week).

I find Twitter one of the most educational tools a marketer could include in their toolkit (but certainly not the only tool.)

It’s probably not an understatement to say that the social web has changed my life – both personally and professionally.

My dog has her own blog: Hi, I’m Sadie Shih Tzu (nominated for three Canadian Weblog Awards). Sadie’s an enthusiastic social media critter with profiles on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.

It’s probably useful to include my resume. You get a pretty good snapshot of me, where I’ve been, what I’ve done. It’s a bit dry but resumes aren’t usually the most riveting read now, are they?

Employment experience

National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), Winnipeg

Digital Media Manager – November 2007 to present

Develop NSI’s online initiatives; write website content and manage video & audio production; edit audio podcasts using Audacity; decide what appears on our website; voracious learner – subscribe to and read many industry blogs; manage a team of volunteer bloggers; data analysis; develop and manage social media strategy; HTML knowledge; avid follower of Steven Krug & Jakob Nielsen – drew on their usability work when building NSI’s website; design static ads and animated GIF ads, edit photos and logos using Photoshop.

National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), Winnipeg

Publicity & Outreach – October 2005 to November 2007

Write news releases and help coordinate training program launches; write for and develop NSI’s website content; maintain and update NSI’s central contacts database; coordinate outreach initiatives to universities and colleges; deliver presentations on NSI’s training programs; work with manager of marketing & communications on advertising campaigns.

McKimCringan, Winnipeg

Senior Copywriter – March 2005 to October 2005

Copywriting for national and local print and radio advertising campaigns (clients included Manitoba Lotteries, University of Winnipeg, Statistics Canada, Polo Park Shopping Centre and Winnipeg Blue Bombers); research and write responses to Requests for Proposals; devise creative concepts; coordinate radio production.

National Screen Institute (NSI), Winnipeg

NSI National Exposure Coordinator (term position) – November 2004 to March 2005

Plan and execute national/local media activity for NSI National Exposure Amateur Movie Contest; promote and manage contest event during NSI FilmExchange Canadian Film Festival 2005; write media releases and content for contest website; solicit and manage jury; achieved most contest entries, most media hits, and highest number of website visitors in one day to date, and the contest final was a sell-out show.

Freelance writer – Ongoing since October 2003, Winnipeg

Advertising copywriter; business writing; arts and entertainment writing including music and film for: the Winnipeg Free Press, Deschenes Regnier, Manitoba Business Magazine, McKimCringan, Uptown Magazine, Ben Moss Jewellers, Alexis Kochan and the National Screen Institute Canada (NSI); also Quark layout for Ben Moss Jewellers seasonal brochures.

Uptown Magazine, Winnipeg

Promotions Coordinator (Part-time) – May 2004 to November 2004

Arrange sponsorship agreements with film distributors; promote new movie releases through reader competitions; help coordinate promo screenings; weekly proofreading of Uptown and occasional administrative support.

National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), Winnipeg

NSI FilmExchange Publicity Assistant/National Exposure Coordinator (Term position) – November 2003 to March 2004

Plan national/local media activity; manage judging panel; promote and manage successful contest event; assist with general festival publicity; arrange media accreditation for festival; helped achieve highest number of media hits to date.

Royal College of Nursing, London, UK

Assistant Marketing and Communications Manager – November 2002 to August 2003

Organizational planning and strategy; creation and maintenance of organization’s brand; wrote 2002 annual report; editor of RCN student magazine; copywriting for key RCN campaign materials and RCN website; successfully coordinated the annual revision and reprinting of member publications (350,000 members); first staff member to manage internal communications and increase traffic to staff intranet.

Marketing and Communications Coordinator – April 2001 to November 2002

Created and implemented first full marketing and communications plans for the RCN Institute; successfully launched first web-based learning tool for RCN members; create and maintain Institute’s brand; copywriting and editing; event planning; work with design agency; manage a budget; supervise staff.

Community Service Volunteers, London, UK

Press Officer – April 1999 to April 2001

Manage relationship with advertising agency; plan media activity for major campaigns; write corporate publications and had sole responsibility for researching and writing two annual reports; jointly responsible for corporate identity guidelines.

Executive Officer/Administrator – August 1997 to April 1999

PA to Director of Corporate Affairs; solely responsible for planning and writing content for weekly staff newsletter; plan distribution of all corporate publications; maintain central contacts database; basic bookkeeping.

Full-time volunteer – September 1994 to September 1995

Two six-month volunteer placements – the first in a shelter for the homeless and the second mentoring young people being cared for by social services.

EDUCATION

* Communication Studies (Grade A), History (Grade B) – Advanced level study (A-level)

* General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) – various grades A to C

* Certificate in Photography (awarded by City and Guilds)

* Education completed in 1993 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK

* Studied for a certificate in marketing with the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK

* Studied for a BA degree in Culture and Communication, Sociology and Women’s Studies in 1994. I left university early to volunteer full-time

OTHER INFORMATION

* British with full Canadian citizenship

* 2006 to 2008 Vice-President, Freeze Frame Board of Directors, Winnipeg

* 1995 to 2003 – Trustee and Chair, The Alec Dickson Trust – grant giving trust

* PC and MAC systems and software; Adobe; some HTML