Web Production Associate
Greater Chicago Area
- Current
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- Web Production Associate at Chicago Office of Tourism
- Past
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- Co-Curator, Dance for the Camera film festival at Chicago Cultural Center
- Freelance Dance Writer at Time Out Chicago
- Staff Writer at Gapers Block
- Marketing Consultant at Molly Shanahan / Mad Shak
- PR and Marketing Director at Local Infinities Visual Theater
- Education
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- University of Chicago
- New York University
- Recommended
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4 people have recommended Sarah - Connections
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204
connections
- Industry
- Online Media
- Websites
Sarah Best’s Summary
Sarah is a multi-talented creative professional who specializes in the promotion of the arts and culture through interactive media, social media, and the written word. She has a proven track of successfully cultivating user communities, and in developing content and social media strategies that engage audiences in significant ways. She enjoys tackling tough problems creatively & in helping non-profits with modest budgets extend the reach of their message.
Sarah Best’s Specialties:
social media, digital marketing strategy, social media optimization, social media strategy, content strategy, web 2.0, where 2.0, web design, information architecture, user experience design, universal design, accessible design, accessibility, accessibility compliance, usability, user community management, web project management, writing, twitter, blogging, flickr, feature writing, editorial, marketing, marketing on a shoestring budget, dance and theater in Chicago, dance films, dance writing
Sarah Best’s Experience
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Web Production Associate
Chicago Office of Tourism
(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)
February 2006 — Present (3 years 6 months)
Sarah designs websites and social media campaigns to promote the city of Chicago as a premiere leisure travel destination. Her areas of expertise include social media, content, and digital marketing strategy; information architecture; and accessibility best practices. Sarah played a key role in the development of a new $1.5 million dollar website, ExploreChicago.org, and ChicagoFashionResource.com, a website for the Chicago fashion industry. She has designed and developed numerous websites to promote diverse cultural programs such as art exhibitions and music festivals.
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Co-Curator, Dance for the Camera film festival
Chicago Cultural Center
(Performing Arts industry)
October 2007 — October 2008 (1 year 1 month)
Sarah is the co-curator of an annual FREE festival of dance film work at the Chicago Cultural Center. The festival has a goal of cultivating a dance film community in the Midwest; showcasing the best regional and international dance film work; bringing the medium of dance film to a broader audience; and engendering lively conversation about the medium. The third annual Dance for the Camera film festival will be held at the Chicago Cultural Center in October 2009.
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Freelance Dance Writer
Time Out Chicago
(Privately Held; Writing and Editing industry)
February 2006 — April 2008 (2 years 3 months)
Sarah has interviewed MacArthur award-winning choreographer Liz Lerman; Hamidou Bangoura, Artistic Director of Les Ballets Africains, the national company of the Republic of Guinea; as well as numerous other local, national, and international dance artists. She's covered breakdancing and butoh, ballet and modern, performance art and vogueing, emerging choreographers and international dance exchanges. See her creative portfolio for links to past articles.
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Staff Writer
Gapers Block
(Online Media industry)
April 2006 — October 2006 (7 months)
Wrote microreviews of arts and cultural events for the popular Chicago-centric blog. http://www.gapersblock.com
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Marketing Consultant
Molly Shanahan / Mad Shak
(Performing Arts industry)
January 2006 — April 2006 (4 months)
Developed two-year public relations and marketing plan to support the growth and re-branding efforts of Molly Shanahan / Mad Shak, a 12-year old dance company based in Chicago. Coordinated an announcement of company's name change (from Mad Shak Dance Company) to key constituents, including consumers, funders, and members of the media.
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PR and Marketing Director
Local Infinities Visual Theater
(Performing Arts industry)
July 2005 — November 2005 (5 months)
Sarah oversaw media relations for a new performance about the art and science of anatomy: Corpus Delicti: Just Desserts. She garnered numerous features and reviews, including a half page review in the Chicago Tribune, a photo feature in Time Out Chicago, a Best Bet in the Red Eye, and a Critic's Choice in the Chicago Reader. The performance enjoyed a sold out and extended run and has since gone on tour.
Sarah excels at producing smart and effective communications campaigns for organizations with minimal marketing budgets. For the Corpus Delicti campaign, Sarah implemented a creative email marketing campaign to build excitement and also contextualize the performance. She secured strategic sponsorships, for example with the International Museum of Surgical Science, and coordinated a preview for first year medical students, a pre-show discussion in a medical student residence hall, and post-show discussions facilitated by artists and medical professionals.
Sarah Best’s Education
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University of Chicago
English Literature, Performance Studies 2002 — 2003
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New York University
BA , British Literature and Cultural Studies, Arts Administration, Creative Writing , 1998 — 2002
Sarah graduated magna cum laude from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, where she took a multidisciplinary approach to the study of British Literature. She delivered a senior colloquium on the dinner table in works of literature, film and fine art, as a site of cultural acquisition and ideological rebellion.
As an Albert Gallatin Scholar, Sarah traveled to Thailand, Brazil, and Louisiana on cultural exchange. She spent her junior year abroad in London.
She received the Herbert K. Rubin award for creative writing, and upon graduation was given a Special Service Award for her student leadership and contributions to the University's arts programming.- Activities and Societies:
- Layout Editor, Washington Square News; Gallatin Review, editorial board; Gallatin Arts Festival reading series curator; First Friday curator
Additional Information
Sarah Best’s Websites:
Sarah Best’s Interests:
web trends, usability, accessibility, standards based development, art, photography, zines and artists' books, Chicago's Green City Market, farmers markets, sustainable agriculture, cooking, hockey, the Chicago Blackhawks, Links Hall, performance art, dance
Sarah Best’s Groups:
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Linked n Chicago -
NYU Alumni -
Travel 2.0: Interactive Travel Industry Professionals -
CHICAGO 2016 Olympic Games Supporters -
Chicago Blackhawks NHL Group -
Digital Marketing -
Social Media Today -
Social Media Marketing -
Social Media Mafia -
Tweeple -
Tweeters -
Web Standards Design + Development -
AIGA | the professional association for design -
Social Media Marketing Group -
What's Cookin Chicago -
Chicago Fashion -
The Chicago Convergence -
Web 2.0 Expo NY -
Gallatin Alumni -
Chicago Web 2.0 and Social Media Marketing -
Master of Arts Program in Humanities at the University of Chicago -
Internet World - Future of Social Media -
We Are Social
Sarah Best’s Honors:
I currently serve on the Marketing Committee at Links Hall (http://www.linkshall.org) and serve as a Web Advisor to the board and staff of the Green City Market (http://www.chicagogreencitymarket.org).
The Dance for the Camera Film Festival was the recipient of a 2008 Chicago Seminar for Dance and Performance Grant.
Sarah Best was the recipient of a 2006 Community Artists Assistance Program (CAAP) Grant, which supported the publication of a new zine (artist's book).
Sarah Best’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- career opportunities
- consulting offers
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
