Hello, and welcome to Beyond The Broadcast.
My name is Seth Resler.
I'm your host.
I am the community building consultant at Paragon.
I am also the founder of community marking Revolution, and this is a series of conversations about community building for public media broadcasters.
The goal here is for public media broadcasters who want to learn more about community building and figure out how they can do it with their own stations, whether that's radio or television, uh, to learn from professionals who are working in community building, but are doing so outside of the public media industry.
So we bring in outside professionals who are doing community building for a living, and we talk to them find out what we can learn from them and how we can apply it to the public media space.
Now, my guest today is Vi Andrews, by strategically cultivates community in the film and media industries.
As community lead at ideas United, they manage a global community of creators committed to driving positive social impact.
I wanna welcome Vi.
Vi.
How are you? Hey, Seth.
I'm doing well.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm really excited to chat with you today.
Thank you for being a part of this.
I I really appreciate it.
Uh, our conversation topic today is five lessons from building a community of creatives because that's what you've been doing at ideas united.
For people who may not be familiar with it, uh, explain what ideas United is and what exactly you do there? Yeah.
So ideas United is a creative studio based in Atlanta, and I work with a diverse group of creatives helping them connect collaborate and thrive, both professionally with the creative projects that we have for them, as well as person personally in their own creative endeavors.
And so over the years, I've learned that at the heart of community, um, it's building, especially within the creative industry isn't just about managing the projects or strategies and tactics.
It's about creating spaces where people can feel supported, valued, and inspired to do their best work.
So that's what I get to do as community lead at ID is united.
So that's kind of a high level look at it.
Give me some day to day.
Like, what does a typical day look like for you? A typical day looks like One internally connecting with our, uh, project teams and our creative teams to see what are some of the projects that we're looking to do, what are new projects that have come in, what are the creative needs for those.
So do we need a editor on a project, do we need to hire a film production crew somewhere out in the world? And then externally, I'm checking in with some of the our members who done recent work with us, making sure that they feel good about that work, getting any sort of feedback, as well as hosting or doing sort of strat strategizing for upcoming community initiatives.
So not only do we bring in folks to help us with our creative work, but we also make sure to engage them when they're not working with us.
So we'll host events and we'll host, uh, webinars and mixers.
And so within all of that day to day, I might be strategizing or developing that event or that engagement piece, or doing follow ups to make sure that they've gotten, um, the best experience of that.
So give me a specific example of a project you've worked on, uh, recently.
And, you know, and and we're using that term creatives kinda broadly.
I I wanna get a better sense of you know, what we actually mean when we talk about credit.
So, yeah, on a recent project.
Well, at IDs United, uh, also called IU.
We do projects for partners and clients who are looking to showcase their brands to their their specific specific audiences.
And so within that, we work with ideation.
So we come up with the concept.
We come up whether it's a branded campaign or a video campaign or a event or experience.
We come up with what that will look like, and then we also execute on that.
And we do that in collaboration with a community of global freelance creatives.
And so when I say creatives, I mean anyone from a writer uh, content strategist, a brand strategist, a film production professional, whether that's a cinematographer, a lighting and audio professional down to post production, an editor, colorist, um, and even graphic designers, web developers, and then down to event producers or experience of producers.
So anyone who has some sort of creative skill set that they have decided to use for their professional endeavors.
God.
That's what I mean.
Yeah.
That makes a lot of sense.
So when you're working on a project, is it often a group of people who have not worked together before and are working for the first time? It depends.
Um, we like to bring in we like to create and cultivate workspaces where people feel trusted and they come in and they know who they're working with.
And when you do work with people that you trust, the work just feels better and the experience feels better.
So we do try and make sure that we're not bringing one person in for the the first time and the only time, but we also like to make that we're bringing in new talent and new energy to our projects.
So it's a little bit of a, um, a balance between bringing in someone who's new and making sure that they're onboarded in the best ways.
They understand that they're not just here.
To work with an agency.
They're here to be a part of a community that will then also be pouring into them when they're not on our projects and also making sure that we bring them back in the future if they like the work that we do and they like to work with us.
Alright.
Great.
Well, look, I'm really glad you're here to help us talk about how to build communities that involve creatives because obviously arts and culture is so important to so many public media stations out there.
Uh, and there's so many ways that they could add can r could be working with, uh, creative folks.
I I know, look, as a radio broadcaster, I've done it over the years, working a lot with musicians, for example, uh, and even in other spaces, So let's get into your first tip or the first lesson that you have learned from working with creatives.
And that is this.
Create spaces for connection and collaboration.
Tell me a little bit about what you mean by that.
Yeah.
I think this is the most important piece, especially because I work with a community of global creators.
We have people all around the world.
Um, a majority of them are in The United States, but we also, um, connect with folks in Egypt.
And Australia, South America's, uh, Europe.
And so at the foundation of it though, community is about connection.
So it's important to feel seen and find ways that we can support each other.
And as community manager, I get to establish, uh, a culture of that connection and the engagement within the community.
And this is really important for me, and it's also my favorite part about building community with creatives across disciplines.
So writers, designers, uh, video production folks, it's being able to see the talent that they have individually and then create spaces within community for them to connect virtually or in person to share those talents with each other and find ways that they can support their creative goals through virtual spaces or in person spaces.
Yeah.
So let's take each of those separately.
What's it look like with virtual spaces? Are you using something like Slack or a Facebook group or what are you using to create a virtual space when you got people working together on something? Yeah.
It's so important that you offer platforms where your community members can connect, collaborate, and share their ideas amongst each other.
So we use Slack groups.
We also use private forums, and we also have virtual events.
So we have a online platform that we've created where they can search each other, connect with each other on there.
But then we also make sure to create spaces where there is continuous conversation.
Um, so we do have slot groups where they come in on.
And also, we have frequent scheduled, um, virtual events, where they can come and connect virtual networking mixers as well as in person networking mixers as well.
So they can actually see take the conversations offline, take the connections offline, and connect with each other in real life.
And then do you have a virtual space for just the creatives that you're working with in general when they aren't working on a specific project? And then do you create some sort of new space when there is a particular project that they're working on? Yeah.
We have both.
So we have our community platform, community.
ideasunited.
com, and any creative who's looking to be a part of a community of creative freelancers that can pour into some of the projects that we have.
Or just, uh, find other creatives to connect within the industry.
They can go to community.
ideasunited.
com, and that's, uh, where they can connect and find opportunities for those projects that we're working on.
And then once we tap into someone for our projects, we bring them into a Slack channel, and we have other avenues to to talk to them.
That's a little bit more niche down, that's specifically about what they're doing, um, when they're in the in the project.
And then we also make sure to continue to engage with them in those connective pieces when they're done with the project too.
Goes back to that point of making sure that we're not bringing them on just for one project, and it's not just a transactional connection.
We wanna make sure that when they're done with the project, they've enjoyed it.
They also know that they can benefit from being a part of the IU community in other ways as well through those virtual gatherings, through those online connections, and those in person gatherings.
And you mentioned the virtual events.
Talk to me about a virtual event that you do.
Like, give me an example of what one of those might look like.
Yeah.
So even though our community is scattered globally and even in different parts of The United States.
We try to host virtual events, like, uh, hangouts or even brainstorming sessions, creatives love brainstorms.
I love brainstorms just to say, here's an idea.
Let's bring all of our minds together and see what can come from that, whether it's our own internal projects or projects that creators come to the table and then say I need some support on this.
Um, and then we also have workshops so the members can foster that connection and their creativity.
And so we host, uh, virtual gatherings on platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, or even virtual spaces, like gather stuff.
I know you probably know a ton of, uh, virtual spaces where folks can host events as well.
Um, and then we also use Slack Huddl's to host monthly check ins, creative brainstorming sessions.
Um, and then one of my favorite things is a community coffee chat.
I host these pretty regularly at least once a week where I allow members to come in and connect and, um, talk about what they're doing.
And it's important to try to, like, have various formats of the gatherings.
So some can be focused on work, some can be focused on, personal, um, endeavors or, like, more social to build those relationships.
So making sure it's a balance between professional, social, personal.
Alright.
So we've got the online groups.
We've got the virtual events.
You also said you do in person events? What do those look like? Uh, those are my favorite.
Um, because I also work remotely.
So, uh, I did united is based in Atlanta, but I have been location independent for a few years.
So I've lived all the way from Mexico, back to Miami, back to Mexico, spending a little bit of time based in Atlanta.
Um, and so when I really get to benefit from having the virtual events and being able to connect with so many people globally through the Zooms and the Slacks, but it's really great when we can have like a a networking mixer in our office, or we can connect and have meetings, um, in person in Atlanta.
And so one of the things we do is we host frequent mixers, and we also host a thing called community co working days where we actually invite community members into our studio offices to utilize our spaces, to get their work done, but then we also engineer in opportunities for them to connect via coffee in the kitchen or lunch and learn conversations that we host and discussion groups, and then also just cultivating shared workspaces where when you get creatives in an office together, they're gonna inherently talk about their work and find ways to support each other.
So it's really cool to be able to create those spaces and see how they utilize it.
Nice.
I love how you have weaved sort of the online groups and the virtual events and the in person events into this space that you've created.
I mean, you're you're using all aspects of it, you know.
And it's also interesting to me that you mentioned that you are dispersed.
You have people all over the world.
Uh, and and so at that point, I think, you know, it becomes easier to use things like virtual events and the digital tools.
You don't wanna totally get rid of the in person tools because those are I mean, that's where the magic happens.
Yeah.
But, uh, I I think that plays out for public media because, you know, if you're a national network or a national syndicated show, then you may be relying more on the virtual tools order to build your community.
Whereas if you've got, uh, a local station and you're just in one market, you have opportunities to do more in person because it's a little bit easier.
Yeah.
But, yeah, I love what you're saying because the in person is important.
I mean, that's where a lot of the the magic happens that can't be recreated online.
Right? There's two ways to watch these people get together in a room.
Let's talk about your second lesson that you have learned.
And that is this, build trust through transparent communication.
Talk to me a little bit about that.
Why is that so important? I mean, authenticity is key, especially in community building.
Um, in my experience, creators have really appreciated, um, honesty about the challenges that we're facing, whether it's project delays or budget cuts, or anything else that might come in, like, throw a wrench into something.
And so being genuine with them will definitely earn you, uh, their respect and their loyalty.
And so I found that it's important to really set the tone early within your community in order to manage those expectations and gain their trust.
And you can do this by creating clear guidelines and frequently updating your community on any changes or new projects.
But it's really important to gain that trust and then do what do things to maintain that trust because it's very easy to, uh, to break trust within community very quickly if you if you lose that.
Can you talk about any mistakes that either you've made or you've seen other people make over time and and things that people should do to avoid those mistakes when it comes to, you know, communication and having that authenticity.
I think some of the things that I that I've seen that in Hindu people is not setting expectations or communicating those expectations and also not communicating how a member can really benefit from the community that they're in.
And so when especially when you're working in virtual spaces, um, it's important to prioritize communicating expectations clearly and early on.
So from the beginning, you have to be proactive in sharing information with your members letting them know what to expect, any of the processes that you have, and any pertinent information upfront to avoid misunderstandings.
And for me, I like to live along the lines of overcommunicate, especially early on.
So creating clear onboarding documents or outlining what a member journey looks like to explain your community's goals and their expectations, and then what members can expect and then share it in a welcome email or on your community platform.
Because one thing that happens is if you just bring a person into a community and they don't necessarily know what's happening, what are what are the measures of engagement or how do we engage with each other? Um, you kinda just bring them into a space.
They'll feel lost, and then they'll feel like there isn't any value that's giving to them, and then they'll they'll leave.
You mentioned two terms there that, uh, people in community building use, but may be new to people who are not doing community building.
One was onboarding, and the other was member journey.
Can you talk a little bit more about what those are? Onboarding is basically the the theory or the steps that it takes to bring your community member into the actual community experience.
So that's what happens after you've, um, either a prospective community member has found you or you have connected with a prospective community member.
They've decided I wanna be a part of this.
And now it's your job to, as a community manager, to pinpoint what those steps look like, to make sure that they're walking into your community, whether it's an online platform or an in person, um, engagement, what does it look like to welcome them into that space? So is that a welcome email that explains, um, the history of the community, and maybe the top three things that they can look forward to by joining the community, or maybe it's three things that we want you three actions that we want you to take when you first get into community.
So for us, it's making sure if you're on the platform, making sure that your profile is updated.
Do you have a bio? Do you have a profile picture? Do you have any work samples? Um, and then also one of the things that we do is we, and our onboarding, is we make sure to tell people that we have open lines of communication from early on.
So the first question that we ask them, and the first call to action we do in our onboarding is let us know about you.
What are your creative goals, what are you interested in, and how can we help you in this community? So a part of that onboarding is allowing them the space to showcase what they're looking for support in and then showing to them that we're actually invested in providing that support, whether it's through me directly as community leave, or giving other community members an opportunity to do that.
And then member journey is pretty much the steps as well.
So when a member comes in, they get an welcome email twenty four hours after, and then maybe a few days later, we invite them to, um, talk in discussion on the Slack channel, or we add them to an email, um, list or something.
Just what is that next step? And then after that, do we invite them to a community coffee chat? Um, and so there are different measures or steps of engagement along that journey that continue to allow them to take action and then also gain value from being in the community.
Alright.
Great.
That yeah.
That's that's really helpful.
Uh, let's take a look at lesson number three or tip number three, nurture the relationship not just the transaction.
Tell me more about what you mean by that.
Yeah.
So since our community members work with us on creative projects within our company, we really try to make sure that they know that we care about them well after the end of a single project.
And so we wanna nurture their creative professional journeys, um, for many years after.
So it's not just a transaction.
We're not just asking them come in, make us a a video, edit a video, and then we'll never see you again.
And so we actually do this in a few ways.
I mentioned earlier, but we host, uh, community coffee chats weekly where I actually reach out to members, um, even when I'm not working with them on a specific project just to see how they're doing and how I can support them.
Um, I like to say that I'm nosy.
My kind of community approach is being nosy and caring.
So I'll just reach out and a simple message, like, how's everything going can really go a long way to make a member feel, um, included.
And, um, there are a couple other ways, uh, because we keep an open door with our members, I'm staying updated on what they're interested in, and that allows us to provide certain development opportunities to them.
And so we offer creator opportunities for us to grow together.
Whether it's through building workshops together, um, exposing them to new types of projects or networking with peers.
And then we take it up a notch when we also provide opportunities for our members to take on actual leadership roles within the community, such as leading a project or hosting one of their own sessions.
Yeah.
You know, one of the things I I see when you talk about nurturing that relationship is that it doesn't necessarily need to be elaborate.
I mean, you're just saying, hey, just sending an email and saying, how are you doing? Uh, sometimes works just fine.
And then sometimes you're doing bigger things like workshops and that.
But can you talk a little bit about you know, how it doesn't have to be this big deal.
You know, sometimes it's really small things that matter.
Yeah.
I think within community management, when you're first getting started, you think you have to do it all.
You especially when you're looking at other communities that are probably much more established, they've got a larger staff or a larger team or they've just been in the game for longer.
You kinda get really overwhelmed of what's possible.
And because there are so many different ways to do community, you get, like, analysis paralysis, or there's just too much there there you're overwhelmed with too much possibility.
But at the core of it, you can just bring it down to a foundational level of your community wants to feel connected, and they want to feel seen.
And sometimes the easiest way to do that is to just send a message and say, hey, how's it going? And then also remember what they say in that conversation so you can follow-up on it later.
Because even something as simple as, like, when you and me in our day to day, we go to grocery store, we have that routine that we go that we do when someone at the grocery store is like, hey, how's it going? How is your how's your niece doing? That that works so well for me because it means that they're thinking about me and they're connecting with me.
And so now I have value to come back next time to that place and know that I'll be welcomed.
Yeah.
I often think about being a community manager, like being a party host, uh, and sometimes it's very simple things, like just going down to the dollar store and picking up some name tags and back of Sharpies.
Yeah.
And that can make a big difference.
Right? Because people don't care as much about whatever the space is as long as they get impacted by the community value.
Which the community value is never gonna be they were on the Flash's platform, or they had the nicest most elaborate event, or what was the takeaway? What was the physical takeaway from that event? It's gonna be I met this person.
I connected with this person.
I remember this value that I gave.
So it doesn't really matter how you box that in or what, um, how you wrap it.
As long as what's in there is that connection.
And it's it it can be done very easily.
Alright.
Let's take a look at your fourth tip here.
Yes.
Incentivize engagement, but make it meaningful.
Let's start there.
How do you incentivize engagement? I I think it's about, like, continuing on the theme of making sure that members feel nurtured.
So that means, like, recognizing them in more meaningful ways.
Which is important to make them feel connected, uh, to continue to wanna engage with you.
So I, uh, like, to create opportunities beyond monetary awards.
So we tried, uh, like, referrals and and and paid raffles when we first launched but I realized that recognition in itself can be a powerful motivator.
So offering things like exposure, career advancement opportunities, especially because we work with professional creatives or giving them, um, a chance to lead a project can be more valuable than just paying them for their time.
And also personalized incentives can go a long way.
So what I've done is instead of offering a generic reward for for their participation or for to spotlight them, we tailor the incentives to their interests, which goes back to what I was mentioning about listening when you're actually having these conversations and getting to know your members.
Um, so you'd have to get this information either through surveys or through conversations.
And so for us, depending on the member, we've offered gear, studio space, co working memberships, platforms to showcase their work, as well as access to industry specific courses and subscriptions for softwares.
And this allows us to showcase.
We value you.
We hear you.
We want to thank you in this way.
You know, what comes through loud and clear when you talk about that is so much of the the rewards and the incentives that you're offering appeal to sort of the intrinsic drive that people have, the things that they just wanna do because that's what they're driven, and that's what they're motivated by, and that's who they are.
Not sort of the external rewards of, hey, we'll pay you, uh, for this.
Yeah.
But, you know, and and so interesting that you say things like sometimes giving people more responsibility.
You know, and a bigger role motivates them or just recognition or or just a token that, you know, uh, shows that you understand what the who they are and what they're trying to do and and that kind of thing.
That's that's that really says a lot.
I think that you do that.
Um, of all the things you've ever used to reward or incentivize your members, give me an example of one that has just worked really, really well.
One that I really liked an initiative that I really liked was, um, in 2023, when the Hollywood rider strike happened, um, we actually, um, came up with this program called freelance fundamental So during that time, many industry professionals were looking for new ways to utilize their skill sets, um, professionally, as well as grow their network of creative professionals to find more, um, avenues for work And so we co create it with our community members, um, a professional development series called freelance fundamentals, um, to help them expand their work outside of Hollywood.
And so one of the kind of Raffles or reward recognitions that we had, um, packed in to that five month series was, um, access to a year long membership at one of five co working spaces.
And so I I loved it because I was able to really connect with other community spaces that valued co working and getting together in person and really having that energy, um, but then also being able to then bring this to our community members and say we know that you value in person connections as well as cultivating your creative professional career um, we wanna give this to to five people a year long membership to, um, one of five co working spaces throughout the country.
And so it was really cool because I was able to connect with those local co working spaces, as well as give something that creative professionals would love to benefit from.
But because of, especially at the time, lack of economic, uh, funding or lack of resources, they couldn't be able to just say I wanna sign up for a year long service or subscription to a co working space, we were able to give that to them for free.
Awesome.
Uh, alright.
Let's get into your final tip, your final lesson here.
Don't forget about feedback loops.
So I'll bite.
What's a what's a feedback loop? A feedback loop is just making sure that if you have stated that communication is important to you and you have in the resources and the mechanisms to get feedback, whether that's through a survey or through having a conversation.
The feedback loop is following up on that, holding yourself accountable to the things that you say you will do and to the conversations that you've had with these people.
So how do you, uh, use feedback loops in community? I mean, what's a a good way to do that? So we like to solicit feedback early and often by just creating and cultivating a feedback culture.
So we make it a regular part of our workflow, and we encourage both giving as well as we receiving feedback in a constructive and positive way.
And so how we, um, create a feedback culture is establishing an open line of communication right when a creator joins.
So twenty four hours after they join our online platform, I send a direct email outlining our resources, tips, uh, for navigating the community, and then I direct them to ways that they can let us know how we can best help them and what they're looking to gain from their membership.
And then after each creative collaboration that someone has with us, I reach out and I ask them what worked well and what could be improved, either in a group discussion, a survey, or a one on one call.
And then after that, we set up an ongoing feedback channel where members can suggest changes to community processes, uh, suggest resources or communication styles.
And we do this either in a Slack channel, um, or a quarterly survey that we send or again, uh, surveys.
Yeah.
So this is intentional.
This is deliberate, and you are carving out spaces and times.
To do this.
Um, I think this is so important.
And the, you know, I come from the radio broadcasting industry, and we have a tradition in radio, uh, called an Aircheck, which is where an on air talent brings a recording of their show into their program director or their boss, and they listen to it together and the boss offers them constructive feedback, and it's how broadcasters get better.
Uh, and in some places, in some stations, that practice has fallen by the wayside, And so sometimes you see that feedback sort of in hallway conversations where it's just in passing and it's not really a time or a place set aside for that, and that never seems to work quite as well.
I, you know, it's really important to set aside a time for feedback.
I would say this is my most I think this is the most important lesson because it's important that you don't get too comfortable.
Like, once you have things moving and you feel good about your community, and you're moving in the right direction, don't get too comfortable.
Always allow for an open door for members to express their concerns in ways that you all can co create a better experience for them.
And after everything, what's most important is to make sure that you're acting on that feedback and acting on it promptly.
So once you've talked to someone, acknowledge the feedback that you receive, and then when possible, implement the changes or going back to the communication point, let them know how your input or how their input has shaped your decisions, um, and what you'll do about it.
So when you receive that feedback, respond quickly with what steps that you plan to take, and then even if you can't implement those changes immediately acknowledge their feedback, um, it'll build goodwill.
And like you mentioned, having that, either you can automate when you do that feedback, whether you already have a survey that you kind of send out quarterly, or having a regular Slack channel or regular, um, email inbox where they can send their request to or their opinions to.
And then once a week or once a month, you go in there and you check that and you make sure that you're not only just looking at it, but at least have a a goal that you'll respond to that, saying that you've acknowledged that, and then follow-up a month later with what are the changes that you've made.
Alright.
That's so much great advice there.
Uh, one last question that I wanna ask you, uh, and this is something that we ask everybody who comes on, uh, name a resource or, uh, something that people who are brand new to the world of community building should look into.
Uh, it can be a podcast, it can be a book, it can be a website, anything.
What's influenced you? Actually, one of the resources that I have is one that you provided to me, um, about a year ago, a year and a half ago.
It's a book called Building Brand Communities, um, co authored by Carrie Melissa Jones and Charles Vogel.
And it's been such a wealth of knowledge for me.
I think for anybody who's looking to start their community management journey and needs kind of the theoretical as well as the practical tips, um, and things to avoid and things to to try.
Definitely get that book, building brand communities, how organizations succeed by creating belonging.
I it's a tool guide for me.
I will continue to to use it, uh, for as long as I need to.
And thank you for I love that book.
I mean, I mean, that was actually the book that sent me on this journey, uh, on on becoming a community builder.
Uh, it's a fantastic book.
There's so much good stuff in there.
Uh, and, yeah, I agree with you.
I can't recommend it enough.
So, uh, well, Vi Andrews.
Thank you so much for joining us.
This was really, really helpful.
So, uh, I'm so glad that you were able to come on and have this conversation with us.
Wow.
Thank you so much, Seth.
I I mean, I'm inspired by the work that you're doing with, uh, with this platform.
I'm excited to see it continue to grow.
And for all your public media, uh, creative professor community professionals to, uh, really gain some insight and see what they do.
Cool.
Well, for, uh, beyond the broadcast in Paragon, I'm Seth Resler.
Thanks for joining us
