From the Nominator

Lights, camera, tripod. Presenting: The Bulldog Producers. For the first time, Bryant University harnessed the passion of students and the power of experiential learning to take our TikTok and Instagram channels to the next level. The idea for Bulldog Producers was born in the summer of 2023 and debuted in the fall semester. An application process was announced, and students were invited to submit samples of original digital content for vetting (faculty from our Digital Communication Department helped in the promotion). From that applicant pool, five students were chosen for this new mentorship program. Under the guidance of Bryant’s social media director, these social-savvy students create organic content that included trendy videos, Instagram takeovers for on-campus events, and “day in my life” takeovers. These students have discovered the power of a strong social media presence to build brand on our campus and beyond. The team meets weekly to brainstorm with the social media director, and then delegates assignments. Since launching the program, the university has seen a huge increase in engagement with our TikTok and Instagram channels. The impact of this program extends beyond the analytics, however. Students across campus are eager to participate in the videos and happily stop to answer trivia questions, contribute to “Man on the Street” style segments, and more. They further engage with the videos by not only “liking” them but also through commenting and sharing. It has blossomed into a community effort and resulted in our other content receiving significantly more engagement as well.

From the Judges

This idea was so inexpensive, any school could do it. The idea of outsourcing its content creation to the very people that consume it was a great use of resources. This would be easily reproducible, and is a great way to showcase the school to new and perspective students.