Hello, I'm Ryan Black
Content Creator & Strategist
I work with campaigns, causes, and clients to develop strategic and engaging marketing content. Currently, I am a Content and Digital Strategist/Producer at Nichols Brand Stories, a full-service marketing and PR firm in Fort Wayne, IN. There, I manage SEO, produce videos for clients, update agency and client websites, strategize and build inbound content marketing funnels, and more.
Previously, I served as Campaign Manager for a US Congressional campaign in Arizona's 6th District, winning a competitive Primary by 5%, despite being massively outspent. There, I crafted web and print content, developed campaign strategy, and led voter contact initiatives that reached 81,000 voters directly.
In earlier positions, I've worked as a video producer, content strategist, and marketing specialist. I am as comfortable directing content and writing blogs as I am analyzing data and developing marketing funnels. I've worked with on- and off-page needs, built blogs from scratch, and am accustomed to rapid response scenarios.
Email me anytime.
Skills
Content Creation: Video production, animation, graphic design, blog writing, live streaming, HTML/CSS
Marketing: SEO, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, inbound content marketing, UTM code tracking
Software: Adobe Premiere, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Wordpress, Divi, Microsoft Office
Political Organizing: NGP VAN, field management, volunteer development, data, grasstops relations
I've shot, edited, and produced professional video since 2010. I am experienced in all things video including pre-production, scripting, producing, cinematography, editing, and animation. I am well-versed in Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Media Encoder.
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Lutheran Social Services of Indiana
Video
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Lutheran Church Missouri Synod
Video
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Anita for Arizona
Video, Politics
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Wayne For America
Video, Politics, Strategy
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BIOTRONIK
Video, Documentary
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Bernie Sanders for President 2016
Video, Politics
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Lane 201 Fashion
Video, Strategy
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Ability 360
Video, Documentary
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Indiana Democratic Party
Video, Politics
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Full Time Kid with Mya
Video
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One Day in April, Feature Documentary
Video, Documentary
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Alison for Kentucky, feat Bill Clinton
Video, Politics
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Alison for Kentucky, feat Hillary Clinton
Video, Politics
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Alison for Kentucky
Video, Politics
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John Hamilton for Mayor, Bloomington, IN
Video, Politics
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AMP1 Basketball: Courage
Video, Documentary
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Larry Lessig for President
Video, Politics
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FloridaStrong
Video, Politics
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FloridaStrong
Video, Politics
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Powell Systems Inc
Video, Documentary
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Levitate Strategic Communications
Video, Branding
I've been a writer my entire life. Professionally, I specialize in writing strategic SEO-focused blog content. I've written on topics like B2B marketing, public relations, healthcare, politics, and more. Below are a few examples of my blog writing.
B2B Blogs
5-Steps to Set a Data-Driven B2B Marketing Budget [2020 Edition] - Nichols B2B
How to Make Your Trade Show Booth Unforgettable | Levitate - Strategic Communications
Official B2B Rebranding Checklist - Nichols B2B
5 Key Ways B2B Manufacturing Marketing is Unique - Nichols B2B
How to Build Company Culture at B2Bs and Why It’s Important
Quarantine Insurance: 4 Reasons B2Bs Must Invest in Digital Marketing - Nichols B2B
For B2Bs, Print Production Will Always Matter - Nichols B2B
When is the Right Time to Hire a B2B Marketing Agency? - Nichols B2B
Building a Successful B2B Email Campaign [10 Things To Know] - Nichols B2B
Public Relations Blogs
PR Crisis: How to Make a Plan Before You Need it - Nichols PR
How PR Enhances Branding Efforts - Nichols PR
How Sponsored Events Lead to PR Wins for Local Companies - Nichols PR
PR: Why It’s Better to Tell the Truth Than to Twist It - Nichols PR
Media Training and Why it Matters - Nichols PR
Healthcare Blogs
Practical Ways to Use Social Media for Healthcare - Nichols Healthcare
Why Healthcare Marketing Requires an Experienced Healthcare Marketing Agency - Nichols Healthcare
Politics Blogs
5 Progressive Policies That Help Millennials Right Now | The 2020 Progressive
The Progressive Era 2.0: Then and Now | The 2020 Progressive
Top 33 Progressive News Shows on Youtube [2020 EDITION] | The 2020 Progressive
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Steel Dynamics
Social Media Graphics
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Steel Dynamics
Social Media Graphics
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Steel Dynamics
Social Media Graphics
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Alison For Kentucky, Design
Design, Strategy
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Cabella's
Design Strategy
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Anita for Arizona, Design Strategy
Design, Strategy, Politics
Graphic design is a natural compliment to blog writing and video production. And I've been doing it a long time. Starting back in the 2000s with a copy of Photoshop CS2, I've been teaching myself how to design for nearly two decades. Today I am married to a professional designer and design social media graphics as a regular part of my current job.
I designed these graphics and hundreds like them for Steel Dynamic's social media channels.
Apart from designing, I've also developed content at a strategic level. During the Alison for Kentucky campaign, I worked with the lead designer to convey important information with limited space. For Cabela's, I developed a tongue-in-cheek infographics with tips on how to survive the early lines of Black Friday shopping. For the Anita for Arizona campaign, I helped build the entire Anita brand and designed countless graphics, mailers, and walk pieces for the campaign.
I'm always trying to expand my skillset. The 2020 Progressive was a blog I designed and built on Wordpress. I began writing in 2015 as an effort to improve my SEO knowledge, blog writing abilities, and branding skills. The blog quickly gained traction, receiving over 10,000 organic pageviews per month.
I first developed professional data and analytics skills in 2015 when I began writing a political commentary blog. I dove into Google Analytics and Google Search Console and am now fluent in both. I’m also experienced with Google Ads, overseeing numerous client Google Ad accounts and campaigns. I’ve run social media campaigns, paid and organic, am fluent in a/b testing, and I can quickly identify useful KPIs to determine the success of social campaigns.
In 2018, I ran a data-driven field campaign for a US Congress candidate in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. I identified likely voter segments based on their likelihood to vote and their likelihood to lean in our campaign’s direction. I also incorporated factors like neighborhood walkability and historical voting patterns to more accurately reflect the district’s precincts. With this data, our 600+ volunteer team contacted 81,000 voters. In the end, our efforts led to an upset victory in the Primary and an unprecendented competitive showing in the General Election, swinging the district 12% points. In the upcoming 2020 elections, the district is a targeted district, a scenario seen as impossible before 2018.
Now, I work with Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Search Console professionally, incorporating UTM tags to track where our site visitors originate and optimizing ad campaigns to maximize conversions and clicks. Additionally, I build and maintain Google Data Studio dashboards to visual our successes and help determine content strategy.