Strategic Communications

MacArthur Digital Media & Learning initiative: Spotlight website

Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning is an online resource for the latest innovations in digital media and education. Spotlight showcases the work of MacArthur-supported research with blogs, video, reporting, and podcasts. Hiredpen manages the eight-member team producing the content and outreach strategy (with a focus on social media)

The MacArthur Research Network on the Transition to Adulthood and Public Policy
Frank Furstenberg, Univ. of Pennsylvania, Principal Investigator; MacArthur Foundation, funder

The Research Network on the Transition to Adulthood and Public Policy (http://www.transad.pop.upenn.edu) examines the changing nature of early adulthood, and the policies, programs, and institutions that support youth's psychological and social development as they move into adulthood. Hired Pen, inc., is developing the outreach and dissemination efforts of the Network, including media, policy briefs, op-eds, press releases, and website development. The cohesive package of publications and outreach is designed to expand awareness of the important timespan in young adults' lives.

Specific tasks:

• Devise five -year communications plan
• Help frame the topic for a general audience
• Build content-rich website
• Media relations (press releases, story development)
• Write articles for media placement (in trade and mainstream publications)
• Op ed development
• Outreach to policymakers and practitioners (develop policy briefs, other communication forms)
• Marketing plans for books and other publications written by Network members

Rural Sociological Society
Bo Beaulieu, Director, Southern Rural Development Center

The Rural Sociological Society launched a policy brief series on rural poverty in 2005. Hiredpen served as the lead consultant on the project, helping authors to reshape their research into compelling policy briefs for an audience of federal and state policymakers. The goal of the series is to reframe rural poverty to better engage policymakers to alleviate rural poverty.

Joint Center for Poverty Research
University of Chicago/Northwestern University
Funder: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Hiredpen was on staff with JCPR as the Communications Director, helping to disseminate the research of poverty scholars across the nation through a compelling set of publications, conferences, workshops, website, and other outreach efforts.