Meet a Mentor: Erin Kelly

Erin Kelly sitting on the steps of a front porch

Erin Kelly, BA 2016, New Media Expert

 

What was your field of study at UTSC?

I was in the joint program in new media, and had two minors: anthropology and psychology. In the joint program we did a year at Centennial College. I learned about coding, film, design, and gained some professional development skills. I also chose to take part in the summer program, which had a summer internship component. I graduated in 2016.

 

Can you tell me about your company, Story Unlocked?

Story Unlocked is mainly a “B2B” business. I offer clients services in design, videography, photography and some website design in and around the Niagara region.

My main target clients are local businesses and non-profits. I do a lot of work for my church, for instance, so they can create materials for their kids and youth programs. For other clients, I create tourism, event, and promotional videos: through video I can visually tell the story of a business and what it does.

I also do some website design. I’ve studied up on how to create websites that help users intuitively find the information they’re looking for. I like making it clear what the message of that business is so that their clients can easily understand the products or services they offer and contact the business.

I also design logos and brands. Having good branding as a business can boost a business’s sales because it reduces confusion in their audience. If branding is done right, the viewer will get the same vibe each time they come across the brand, and the business’s messaging will be reinforced. If branding isn’t done right, it makes the business look unprofessional and you don’t know what messaging you’re buying into as a customer. That’s why I get a lot of satisfaction when I see that a business has put the time and energy into their branding, and I love helping my own customers get there. If they have good branding and marketing in place, the videos and photos I create for them have an even stronger impact.      

It’s really hard to decide what my favourite part of the business is, which is why I haven’t decided to offer one specific service and niche. I’ve also only had the business for a year. Over time, I’m sure my niche will evolve as I discover what people need the most.

 

"I answered questions, learned about the students’ work. I gave them all the advice I could think of. It was a really good experience."

 

What made you make the leap to business owner, and what was that transition like?

I worked for two years as a full time media producer but I wanted to work with a multitude of clients and tell their stories in a multitude of ways.

I ended up volunteering through CUSO International to work in Tanzania as a communications advisor for small-to-medium businesses. I was able to hone the skills I learned at school while I looked for other opportunities in my field.

I was there for two months when the pandemic hit and all the volunteers were sent home. My time was cut short there by a couple of weeks. When I got home, nothing was panning out on the job front, so I thought about starting the business.

It was definitely a steep learning curve. I had to learn the logistics of running a company, and keeping track of everything, from [car] mileage to customer relations and social media analytics. Every single thing seems to be the priority. But you make a little bit of progress on this and that every day. You find out what you can reasonably accomplish in a day, and in a week, so you can give clients realistic expectations.

 

How did you become an alumni mentor at UTSC?

I went to one of the Get Hired programs as a student. Then I became involved when I was asked to be one of the people who did a mock interview. It went really well – afterwards, a lot of people asked questions and were interested in the fact that the interview seemed a lot less formal than they expected. That’s because even when you’re interviewing for a job, the interviewer is a human and they want to feel connected to you.

About a year ago, someone from UTSC reached out to ask if I wanted to be a mentor in the Get Hired event, since I had been involved as a student. The event took place in late April this year, and it involved a couple of hours of my time. I went to different [virtual] breakout rooms to offer speed mentoring, where I’d talk to different students for 15 minutes. I think I did three different breakout rooms in all.

I answered questions, learned about the students’ work. I gave them all the advice I could think of. It was a really good experience.

In fact, I’m going to meet up with one of those students for a photo shoot. While I flex my photography muscle, I can help her by showing her how the camera works and giving her the scoop on what a photo shoot looks like.

 

What drives you in your career?

“Follow your passion.” When it comes down to it, you can’t be good at something you’re not interested in. Work takes up so many hours in one’s life, it’s necessary to enjoy it. I realize that’s difficult for some, and that that comes from a place of privilege, but if you can, strive to make your work the best it can be and feel happy with what you do every day.

 

What is Get Hired? 

Get Hired is an interactive, award-winning annual conference offered by the Academic Advising & Career Centre (AA&CC) and the Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO) at UTSC designed to equip upcoming and new UofT graduates with the necessary strategies, tools, skills and confidence to find and keep work.

 

 

Photo: Erin Kelly (courtesy Erin Kelly)