Launched and developed vertical video strategy for The Kansas City Star, growing TikTok to over 96,000 followers and hiring McClatchy's first-ever vertical video creator
Social video is at the forefront of modern media consumption. It’s how young and emerging audiences consume news on a daily basis, and it will shape the next era of journalism. It's why, during my time as assistant audience service editor at The Kansas City Star, I developed a vertical video strategy that put The Star's journalists at the forefront, and presented news with interesting visuals and a tone that highlighted the personalities we had in the newsroom.
I designed The Star's social video templates on Canva — used by my audience team, who didn't have access to Adobe Creative Suite — with a focus on simplicity. The templates were used by the team of three audience development strategists and The Star's vertical video creator, who I hired in Summer 2025.
When I first joined The Star in Summer 2022, audience intern Emily Hood had just launched the newsroom's official TikTok page. I took over strategy, ultimately growing the account from the ground up to over 96,000 followers as of Spring 2026.
The core principle of my strategy: People want to hear from people. Successful social video that engages audiences and connects viewers to journalism leans on people to deliver the news — whether that’s reporters, or a social video host, or sources that tell their stories in their own words. Videos that center personalities and use casual, everyday language to explain complex stories or investigations resonate more with viewers because they feel accessible. Authenticity drives credibility, and social video is a key tool for newsrooms to connect audiences with journalists and pull back the curtain on the reporting process.
I coached reporters on how to effectively deliver their stories on camera — a feat that traditional print journalists initially met with trepidation. I wrote scripts and taught reporters how to capture their own b-roll, and turned their content into captivating, succinct packages that drew hundreds of thousands of views across social platforms.
Eventually, as our efforts around social video grew, I hired McClatchy’s first-ever vertical video creator, Alexa Stone, an energetic host to be the face of The Star’s social presence and tell stories centered around culture and sports.
Lex, a first-generation high school and college grad, didn't have a journalism background. I coached her on news judgement and story selection and, under my guidance, she produced stories and videos that took readers inside Kansas City's historic two-stepping community and broke the news on social media about the Chiefs' massive decision to move their stadium to Kansas.