10 Reasons To Offer Me A Place On The BuzzFeed Creative Fellowship

David Findlay. 21. From Leeds, UK. Aspiring candidate of the 2012 BuzzFeed Creative Fellowship.

1. I have done a Nosegrab whilst dressed as Captain America.

2.

I have a real fascination in the interrelationship between pop. culture and advertising, which led me in my second year of University to undertake an extra-curricular study of a sociology module entitled "Consumer Culture & Advertising". I feel that this module complimented my Marketing based studies perfectly and has allowed me to develop not only a more advanced understanding of the past, present and future of pop culture in relation to advertising, but also a genuine interest in it.

3.

I am driven to commit 100% of my efforts, my mind and my soul to things I want to achieve, and WILL NOT give up until I get what it is that want. I am highly motivated to succeed, and approach all tasks I undertake with an underlying sense of personal pride.

4.

I like to think I am a creative person both in my work and in my personal life. An example I would give of this creative outlook in a professional context is the following:-

One of my roles during my time working as a Marketing Team Member at TeacherBoards, was to produce engaging blog content that was relevant the company's target market, with the overall goal of increasing flow of traffic to the website. I used HootSuite and Google Analytics to pin-point trending topics that would be most effective in this regard. For a company that sells whiteboards and teacher supplies, creating content that is both relevant and interesting can be a tall order, although I feel by combining a creative approach with information of real-time social media I was able to do this. An example of this being a blog post in which I contacted and conducted an interview with author Emily Diamond (winner of The Times Children’s Fiction Prize), having identified that she was soon to be appearing in at one the UK's largest literature festivals, which itself was sponsored by several of our potential clients.

5.

I recently graduated in Marketing BSc (Hons) at Lancaster University, one of the top 10 Universities in the UK (according to both The Times and The Guardian). During my years there, I undertook Marketing modules that included Consumer Behaviour, Advanced Topics in Consumer Behaviour, Advertising and Brand Strategy. Not only did these particular modules guide me into embarking on a career in creative and digital advertising, but they are ones that I feel would compliment the content of the BuzzFeed Creative Internship.

6.

I have "real-world" experience working in the fields of Marketing, Digital Marketing, Social Media and Advertising, which was gained during my time working at TeacherBoards (one of the UKs largest suppliers of educational equipment). I have developed experience of using tools such as Google Analytics and HootSuite in order to increase website traffic, pin-point trending topics, co-ordinate social media output, and developing both social media presence and brand awareness.

7.

I also have experience relating to the creation of original internet ads. Whilst working as a Marketing Team Member at TeacherBoards I had promotional content (that I wrote up and designed) featured on the homepage of their sister company, Alert Signs. Though a relatively small achievement, and despite feeling the advert came back from the graphics dept. a little more "cartoony" that I had anticipated when giving them my drafts, I felt a great sense of pride and accomplishment for this, which further cemented that idea in my head that the area of creative advertising is where I want to go.

8.

I spend a good deal of my leisure time scanning websites, blogs and forums and basically going on mad photo adventures, aiming to seek out the most amazing pictures I can. There are photos out there that genuinely have the power to take your breath away, and I get a huge sense of satisfaction from discovering them. With guidance from the BuzzFeed Creative Fellowship I believe I could develop this interest in finding interesting pictures into a skill that would allow me to consistently find and deliver content for posts that will drive high levels of traffic.

9.

On a personal level, I like to think I am a friendly, easy to get on with guy. I also like to think that I'm a creative person, and feel that I work best in an environment that encourages innovation and imagination. I have played drums for 12 years and produced electronic music for 6. Other favourite things of mine are snowboarding, the ocean, gigs and above all meeting new people.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my application.

David

10.