Blake Dillon

Experience

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  Sheridan College Student Union

  Jul 2009 - Oct 2010

  Staff Writer

  Writer for Sheridan College’s campus publication, Travis Magazine. Responsibilities: brainstorming with the editorial team, covering campus events, conducting interviews, writing reviews and features, profiling faculty and students, blogging, and mentoring student writers.

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  Chill Media Inc.

  Apr 2010 - May 2015

  Associate Editor

  Manager of editorial for ClubLink Life Magazine, Chill Magazine, Golf Canada Magazine, and a variety of other custom publications. Responsibilities: budget management, strategic marketing and planning, production, evaluating and enhancing brand image, assigning and editing content, overseeing French translation of content, social media, responding to inquiries, creating headline copy, supervising creative and editorial teams, managing freelance roster, pagination, creative direction, feature writing, and liaising with third-party investors and stakeholders. Other communications projects included writing radio scripts, e-newsletters, and blogs, preparing presentations, executing promotional campaigns, creating media kits, developing web design and layout, and implementing advertising campaigns, among other duties. Show less

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  Nipissing University Student Union

  Aug 2010 - Nov 2010

  Editor

  Editor charged with the re-launch of Spotlight Magazine, the campus publication for both Nipissing University and Canadore College. Responsibilities: Liaising with university representatives, managing a team of freelance contributors, recruiting new writers, conducting interviews, researching, fact-checking, photography, and managing all web components.

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  Inside Fitness Media

  May 2015 - Jun 2017

  Editor-In-Chief

  Head of communications department, managing two national magazines, a series of special interest publications, two websites, and a variety of marketing programs. Responsibilities: organizing pitch meetings, assigning stories to writers, copy editing, feature writing, expanding the freelance roster, responding to inquiries, creating press releases, attending events, balancing deadlines, conducting interviews, proofing layouts, and fact-checking. I acted as an advisor to the publisher and vice president on new media ventures and other business opportunities, continuously improved the brand image via a detailed communications strategy, and spearheaded the development of in-house advertising and marketing content. Show less

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  McMaster University

  Apr 2017 - now

  Strategic communications for McMaster University's Global Nexus and Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research. Responsibilities include liaising with internal and external media stakeholders to amplify McMaster University’s pandemic- and infectious disease-related communications, writing editorial content, producing video content, developing communications plans, developing websites, producing reports and other publications, and designing graphics to support a broad range of communications initiatives. Show less Began working with McMaster University's Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR) in February 2020 doing strategic communications for two special projects and supporting COVID-19-related communications. In January 2021, I took on the full IIDR communications portfolio while also continuing my work on the IIDR's special projects. Responsibilities include developing communications plans, writing, managing websites, creating graphics, conducting market research, developing brand guidelines, leveraging social media, building and distributing newsletters, creating surveys, analyzing and visualizing data, working with national media partners, liaising with key stakeholders, and developing and publishing reports. I also lend ad hoc support to Canada's Global Nexus for Pandemics and Biological Threats on behalf of the IIDR. Show less

  • Strategic Communications Manager, Global Nexus & Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR)

    Mar 2023 - now

  • Communications Officer, Institute for Infectious Disease Research (IIDR)

    Feb 2020 - Mar 2023

  • Communications & Outreach Officer, Arts & Science Program

    Aug 2018 - Feb 2020

  • Communications Coordinator, Department of Surgery

    Apr 2017 - Aug 2018