Ryan Gorcey: Connecting People Through Storytelling
Stories With a Mission
As Director of Communications for Stephen Wise Temple & Schools, Ryan applied his storytelling philosophy to an entire organization, establishing a culture of content that prioritized interpersonal connections. By telling the stories of a faith community both internally and to external audiences, he found fulfilling new expression for his guiding ethos: Tell stories about people, for people.
Community Spotlights
Non-profits depend on compelling storytelling to build and sustain their communities, to accomplish their missions and to educate the public. By spotlighting the work done by community members with high-quality, magazine-level profiles, one can accomplish all three goals.
Press Releases
Modern press releases need to do more than relay facts and figures. They are no longer viewed solely by reporters, but by would-be community members, potential donors, new clients and corporate partners. They must be accessible and educational to novice and expert alike, and include engaging graphics, video and humanizing narratives wrapped in a dynamic visual package.
When Stephen Wise Temple & Schools broke ground on a $31M early-childhood education center in November of 2021, Ryan drafted a comprehensive press release and collaborated with the Milken Family Foundation to deliver on lead donor Lowell Milken's vision. He then designed an engaging and informative landing page that included internal links, fast facts, photos and more.
Dynamic Web Presence
In today's media ecosystem, organizations are at a loss if they are not controlling their narrative by producing content of their own. By creating responsive landing pages with WordPress, crafting bespoke graphics with the Adobe Creative Suite, writing engaging content and optimizing that content with internal links, Ryan drove a 23.8% jump in website users, a 23.1% increase in new users and a 10.1% increase in web sessions at Stephen Wise Temple.
E-Mail Campaigns
One of the consequences of the ubiquity of smartphones is that marketing and messaging can become like so much white noise. To break through, email campaigns must be tailored, targeted and timed.
Graphic Campaigns
From email to in-person signage, the hallmark of a successful graphic branding campaign is deep cohesiveness. Each graphic must feel as though it is part of a set, and each deployment of those graphics must be intentional.