This document provides a portfolio of work by Susan McDonald, including her background and experience in communications. It outlines her experience in public relations, media work, teaching, and consulting spanning back to the 1980s. It then highlights some of her recent copywriting projects for organizations like AREVA and the Kinsmen Club, as well as her work providing strategic communications planning and workshops. The portfolio demonstrates McDonald's long career and expertise across various communications roles and industries.

1. ì
Susan
McDonald
Por%olio
of
recent
work
Those
who
can,
do
–
and
teach.

2. Attributes
ì Deep
knowledge
of
communica<ons
theory
and
prac<ce
ì Long-­‐<me
experience
with
a
broad
range
of
tradi<onal
and
emerging
media
ì Detailed
understanding
of
grammar
and
rhetoric
ì Keen
percep<ve
and
expressive
abili<es
ì Crea<ve,
wiEy,
and,
um,
erudite

3. ì
Background
Where
have
I
been
all
these
years?

4. Background
ì 1980s:
Public
and
media
rela<ons
ì Neptune
Theatre
ì Persephone
Theatre
ì The
Grand
Theatre
ì 1990s:
Media
work
and
graduate
school
ì The
StarPhoenix,
The
Green
and
White
ì CBC
Saskatchewan
ì MA,
University
of
Saskatchewan;
Ph.D
(ABD),
Western
University
ì 2000s:
Teaching
and
consul<ng
ì University
of
Saskatchewan
ì Saskatchewan
Polytechnic
(SIAST/Kelsey)
ì Cape
Breton
University
ì Western
University

5. ì
Copywriting
(Recent)
Those
who
can
,
do!

6. AREVA
(ARC):
Kinetic
Advertising
The
project
ì Copywri<ng
ì Congratula<ons
to
Assiniboine
Basin
Development
on
Saskatchewan
Business
“Business
of
the
Year
2014”
The
challenge
ì Tight
deadline:
Overnight!
ì Tone:
Celebratory,
warm
ì Discre<on:
Maintain
the
surprise

7. The
result:
“Congratulations!”

8. Kinsmen
(Saskatoon):
Kinetic
Advertising
The
project
ì Case
statement
ì “We
Care
Campaign”
ì Supplementary
informa<on
sheet
The
challenge
ì Generate
support
ì Demonstrate
benefits
ì Social
ì Cultural
ì Economic
ì Limited
space
ì Wide
audience

9. The
result:
“The
Kinsmen
‘We
Care’
Challenge”

10. The
Optimists
(Saskatoon):
Kinetic
Advertising
The
project
ì
Case
statement
ì Op<mist
Hill
Campaign
The
challenge
ì Mul<ple
audiences
ì Mul<ple
appeals
ì Tourism
ì Economics
ì Child
health
and
wellness
ì Family
life

11. The
result:
Go
Play
Outside!

22. AREVA
(ARC):
Kinetic
Advertising
The
project
ì Annual/Corporate
Social
Responsibility
Review
The
challenge
ì Par<cular
requests
ì Keep
passive
voice
to
a
minimum!

23. The
result:
Restart!

24. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

25. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

26. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

27. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

28. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

29. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

30. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

31. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

32. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

33. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

34. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

35. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

36. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

37. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

38. AREVA
(ARC):
Restart!

39. ì
Communications
Planning
Those
who
teach,
do
(in
the
classroom
and
in
their
spare
<me).

40. Strategic
Communications
Planning:
Amigos
Cantina
The
project
The
challenge
ì SCP
development
ì Special
Event
ì Day-­‐to-­‐day
opera<ons
ì Outdated
communica<ons
ì Underused
social
media
ì Web
1.0
ì Music
focused
ì Minimal
budget
ì Skep<cal
clients

41. Amigos
Cantina
Recommenda<ons
ì Ar<culate
themes
and
messages
ì Music
AND
food
ì Renew
web
presence
ì In-­‐house
content
and
SM
management
ì Expand
use
of
SM
to
build
restaurant
profile
ì U<lize
employees
to
build
brand
awareness
Results
ì Sold
out
25th
Anniversary
events
ì Consolidated
visual
iden<ty
ì Updated,
interac<ve
web
site
ì In-­‐house
web
and
SM
content
management
ì Planet
S
nominee,
“Best
TwiEer
Feed,
2015”

42. Strategic
Communications
Planning
ì COMM
300:
Advanced
Business
Communica<ons
ì Student
projects
ì Strategic
Communica<ons
Plan
ì Real-­‐world
clients,
real-­‐world
challenges
ì SMART
goals

43. COMM
300:
150+
Strategic
Communications
Plans
ì Gabriel
Dumont
Ins<tute
ì Amigos
Can<na
ì Recess
Guardians
ì City
of
Saskatoon
Leisure
Service
ì Gwenna
Moss
Centre/University
Learning
Centre
ì Foam
Lake
Credit
Union
ì McNally
Robinson
ì Saskatoon
Community
Clinic
Selected
clients:

44. COMM
300:
Sample
work

45. ì
Workshops
Those
who
can
teach,
teach.

46. City
of
Saskatoon
ì Workshop:
Social
Media
for
Community
Associa<ons,
November
2014
ì Introduc<on
to
social
media
ì Basic
social
media
tools
and
rules
ì Social
media
strategy
exercise

48. Workshop:
Grammargeddon!
ì Innova<on
Place
Management
Seminar
ì IABC
(Saskatoon)
Lunch
&
Learn

50. Workshop:
Effective
Communications
ì Canadian
Society
of
Chemical
Engineers

51. Workshop:
Reputation
Management
ì SIGA
Execu<ve
and
Regional
Managers.

53. ì
Additional
Work
Those
who
can
.
.
.

54. Pro
bono
work:
Summer
Shakespeare
The
project
ì Western
University,
“Summer
Shakespeare”
The
challenge
ì Outdoor
Shakespeare
in
Stra%ord’s
backyard
ì Low
budgets
ì Limited
awareness

55. Summer
Shakespeare
Richard
III
ì “Ever
wonder
why
there
wasn’t
a
Richard
IV?”
ì “Homicide.
Fratricide.
Regicide.
Gemng
to
the
top
can
be
murder.”
ì “Think
you
know
Shakespeare?
You
don’t
know
Dick.”
Romeo
and
Juliet
ì “Think
you
have
in-­‐law
problems?”
ì “Live
fast.
Die
young.
Leave
a
preEy
corpse.”
ì “Love.
Sex.
Death.
What
more
do
you
want?”

56. Summer
Shakespeare:
Solutions
ì Posters
ì Intensive
focus
on
campus
and
youth
communi<es
ì Internet
presence
ì Promo<on
ì Communica<ons
ì Ticket
sales
ì Media
engagement

57. Summer
Shakespeare:
Results
ì Improved
media
profile
ì Unprecedented
advance
sales
ì Sold-­‐out
runs!

58. Additional
copywriting
ì Educa<onal
and
promo<onal
materials
ì Neptune
Theatre
ì Persephone
Theatre
ì The
Grand
Theatre
ì Summer
Shakespeare,
Western
University
ì Division
of
Audio
Visual
Services,
U
of
Saskatchewan

59. Other
writing
ì The
Star
Phoenix
ì Weekly
columnist
ì The
Green
and
White
ì Quarterly
columnist

60. ì
Those
who
teach,
upgrade.
Cer<ficate,
SCM:
Ithaca
College
projects

61. Those
who
teach,
upgrade.
ì Cer<ficate,
Strategic
Communica<ons
Management
(Ithaca
College,
2013)
ì Courses:
ì Social
Media
Management
ì Communica<ons
Systems
ì Crisis
Communica<ons
ì Values
Communica<ons
ì Needs
Iden<fica<on
and
Analysis
ì Cross-­‐cultural
Communica<ons

62. Ithaca
Project:
InformUS
Challenge:
Uncoordinated
use
of
social
media
for
informa<on
distribu<on
to
USask
stakeholders.

63. InformUS:
Social
Media
for
Community
Engagement
Proposed
solu<on:
Use
exis<ng
pla%orms
to
coordinate
informa<on
flow,
facilitate
two-­‐
way
communica<on,
and
build
stakeholder
engagement.

64. Ithaca
Project:
FB
@
USask
The
challenge:
USask’s
under-­‐
performing
Facebook
account
Goal:
Increase
student
FB
engagement

66. FB
@
USask:
Recommendations
The
solu<on:
ì Use
FB
as
informa<on
channel
(service
outages)
ì Facilitate
advice,
concern
sharing:
study,
life
ì Respond
promptly,
meaningfully,
personally
ì Offer
opportuni<es
for
user-­‐generated
content
ì Integrate
content
within
main
web
site:
FAQs,
advice
(Registra<on,
books,
aEendance)
ì Target
frequency:
>
2x
per
week

67. ì
Additional
work
Those
who
can
.
.
.

68. Public
and
media
appearances
ì BeEy
Ann
Heggie
Womentorship
Program
ì Global
Television,
Saskatoon
ì CFQC
Television
ì CBC
Radio

69. Those
who
can
.
.
.
.
ì Susan
McDonald
ì susan.mcdonald@usask.ca
ì (306)
381-­‐5281