Darlene Casten
Manager of Audience Acquisition and Growth at Great West Media L.P.- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Kasha Thurston
I worked closely with Darlene for over two years when we were paired together for many projects during the Master of Professional Communications Program at Royal Roads University. Darlene showcased an impeccable talent for writing and critical thinking through each assignment. She always brought a perspective to a project that was current and well-informed. Darlene can navigate communicating effectively in-person and virtually and has an exceptional talent for conducting interviews. She has a strong sense of ethics and a passion for journalism. Being able to work with Darlene truly enriched my experience as a student. Darlene would be a fantastic addition to any team.
Will Tigley
An amazing writer with great journalistic instincts, Darlene brings a level of professionalism and integrity to the small independently run Mabuhay Calgary newspaper. For almost 15 years we've collaborated and been part of the core team of this volunteer media and Darlene has often been the voice of reason helping the newspaper avoid any liabilities in its reporting. She's a great connector and dedicated reporter, always finding different angles to a story and knowing how deep to dig in order to uncover what's important for our readers. Working with Mabuhay Calgary she has also developed a keen sense of business acumen for administration for the small organization, volunteer management and has taken a lead on its social media and web presence which has helped her develop her strategic communications abilities. Darlene has been a great teammate whose insight I greatly value and I would gladly work with her again.
Kasha Thurston
I worked closely with Darlene for over two years when we were paired together for many projects during the Master of Professional Communications Program at Royal Roads University. Darlene showcased an impeccable talent for writing and critical thinking through each assignment. She always brought a perspective to a project that was current and well-informed. Darlene can navigate communicating effectively in-person and virtually and has an exceptional talent for conducting interviews. She has a strong sense of ethics and a passion for journalism. Being able to work with Darlene truly enriched my experience as a student. Darlene would be a fantastic addition to any team.
Will Tigley
An amazing writer with great journalistic instincts, Darlene brings a level of professionalism and integrity to the small independently run Mabuhay Calgary newspaper. For almost 15 years we've collaborated and been part of the core team of this volunteer media and Darlene has often been the voice of reason helping the newspaper avoid any liabilities in its reporting. She's a great connector and dedicated reporter, always finding different angles to a story and knowing how deep to dig in order to uncover what's important for our readers. Working with Mabuhay Calgary she has also developed a keen sense of business acumen for administration for the small organization, volunteer management and has taken a lead on its social media and web presence which has helped her develop her strategic communications abilities. Darlene has been a great teammate whose insight I greatly value and I would gladly work with her again.
Kasha Thurston
I worked closely with Darlene for over two years when we were paired together for many projects during the Master of Professional Communications Program at Royal Roads University. Darlene showcased an impeccable talent for writing and critical thinking through each assignment. She always brought a perspective to a project that was current and well-informed. Darlene can navigate communicating effectively in-person and virtually and has an exceptional talent for conducting interviews. She has a strong sense of ethics and a passion for journalism. Being able to work with Darlene truly enriched my experience as a student. Darlene would be a fantastic addition to any team.
Will Tigley
An amazing writer with great journalistic instincts, Darlene brings a level of professionalism and integrity to the small independently run Mabuhay Calgary newspaper. For almost 15 years we've collaborated and been part of the core team of this volunteer media and Darlene has often been the voice of reason helping the newspaper avoid any liabilities in its reporting. She's a great connector and dedicated reporter, always finding different angles to a story and knowing how deep to dig in order to uncover what's important for our readers. Working with Mabuhay Calgary she has also developed a keen sense of business acumen for administration for the small organization, volunteer management and has taken a lead on its social media and web presence which has helped her develop her strategic communications abilities. Darlene has been a great teammate whose insight I greatly value and I would gladly work with her again.
Kasha Thurston
I worked closely with Darlene for over two years when we were paired together for many projects during the Master of Professional Communications Program at Royal Roads University. Darlene showcased an impeccable talent for writing and critical thinking through each assignment. She always brought a perspective to a project that was current and well-informed. Darlene can navigate communicating effectively in-person and virtually and has an exceptional talent for conducting interviews. She has a strong sense of ethics and a passion for journalism. Being able to work with Darlene truly enriched my experience as a student. Darlene would be a fantastic addition to any team.
Will Tigley
An amazing writer with great journalistic instincts, Darlene brings a level of professionalism and integrity to the small independently run Mabuhay Calgary newspaper. For almost 15 years we've collaborated and been part of the core team of this volunteer media and Darlene has often been the voice of reason helping the newspaper avoid any liabilities in its reporting. She's a great connector and dedicated reporter, always finding different angles to a story and knowing how deep to dig in order to uncover what's important for our readers. Working with Mabuhay Calgary she has also developed a keen sense of business acumen for administration for the small organization, volunteer management and has taken a lead on its social media and web presence which has helped her develop her strategic communications abilities. Darlene has been a great teammate whose insight I greatly value and I would gladly work with her again.
Experience
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Great West Media L.P.
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Canada
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Newspaper Publishing
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1 - 100 Employee
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Manager of Audience Acquisition and Growth
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Dec 2021 - Present
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Pen to Paper Freelancing
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Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Business Owner
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Oct 2010 - Present
- Blog-writing/landing page copy/newsletters/social media strategy - Work with clients in a variety of industries to create relevant and easily understood copy - Use SMART goals to meet clients business goals - Doubled website traffic over two years -Use keyword research/communications/social media strategy to optimize reach - Blog-writing/landing page copy/newsletters/social media strategy - Work with clients in a variety of industries to create relevant and easily understood copy - Use SMART goals to meet clients business goals - Doubled website traffic over two years -Use keyword research/communications/social media strategy to optimize reach
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Montgomery Village Veterinary Clinic & Dekens Housecall Services
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Canada
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Veterinary Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Communications & Marketing Strategist/Content Writer
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Oct 2018 - Present
• Doubled website users over one year • Increased page views by 60 % over one year • Doubled Facebook following over one year • Created evergreen blogs using SEO researched content • Used crisis comms through COVID-19 to build clientele for the clinic • Created strategic integrated communication plans for promotional campaigns • Doubled website users over one year • Increased page views by 60 % over one year • Doubled Facebook following over one year • Created evergreen blogs using SEO researched content • Used crisis comms through COVID-19 to build clientele for the clinic • Created strategic integrated communication plans for promotional campaigns
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Okotoks Western Wheel
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Canada
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Newspaper Publishing
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1 - 100 Employee
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News Reporter
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May 2002 - Present
• AWNA award winner for spot news photography • Break news and obtain exclusive interviews for stories that are followed by Calgary newspapers • Specialize in court and crime stories with expertise in obtaining court documents and exhibits • Experienced education, government and environment reporter • Consistently wrote most-read stories Technical Knowledge – InDesign, Photoshop, Saxotech (CMS Following is a colleague reference: I have known Darlene Casten since we worked together at the Okotoks Western Wheel Newspaper between 2007 and 2010. Darlene was the assistant editor, and was my immediate supervisor. I would submit my stories to her, and she would check them to make sure there were no factual holes in the story or obvious lines of thought that should be included. She would also smooth out and simplify clunky writing, and of course check for spelling and grammatical errors. She was always tough, but always right, and always forgiving. I never felt like an idiot for the errors I made, or for the fact-checking missions she sent me on. I learned a lot about quality newspaper writing from her direction. - Tamara Neely
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Ark Environmental
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Western Canada
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Content Writer/Media Monitoring
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Jun 2015 - Aug 2020
- Monitored government, industry & media through email alerts, email subscriptions, and RSS feeds - write simplified bulletins relating to Environment, Health & Safety for the upstream oil industry - Cold called clients to build subscription base - Monitored government, industry & media through email alerts, email subscriptions, and RSS feeds - write simplified bulletins relating to Environment, Health & Safety for the upstream oil industry - Cold called clients to build subscription base
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Mabuhay Calgary News
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Calgary, Canada Area
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Editor I Social Media Manager I Reporter
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Jan 2004 - Sep 2019
- Localize international stories for Calgary audience - Break exclusive stories and compete with daily news media - Doubled web traffic in one month through social media strategies - Create social media and editorial content calendar - SEO optimized website - Social media posting - Create news videos for social media and online stories - Manage and mentor six freelance writers - Localize international stories for Calgary audience - Break exclusive stories and compete with daily news media - Doubled web traffic in one month through social media strategies - Create social media and editorial content calendar - SEO optimized website - Social media posting - Create news videos for social media and online stories - Manage and mentor six freelance writers
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Source Media Group
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Canada
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Advertising Services
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1 - 100 Employee
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Feature Writer
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Jun 2011 - Jun 2019
Job position: Feature writer - Write compelling people features monthly - Create video clips of homeowners for social media - Build relationships with marketing managers and sales managers - Coordinate the photographer and homeowner for interview and photo shoot - Write community, home and event features as assigned - Occasionally take photos for feature stories. Job position: Feature writer - Write compelling people features monthly - Create video clips of homeowners for social media - Build relationships with marketing managers and sales managers - Coordinate the photographer and homeowner for interview and photo shoot - Write community, home and event features as assigned - Occasionally take photos for feature stories.
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Fiesta Filipino YYC
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Calgary, Alberta
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Media Relations
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Jun 2015 - Oct 2018
- Write media releases - Organize morning show appearances - Prep spokespeople for media interviews - Create talking notes - Media liaison at event - Write media releases - Organize morning show appearances - Prep spokespeople for media interviews - Create talking notes - Media liaison at event
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Dr. Dobias Natural Healing
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Remote
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Web Editor I SEO Optmization
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Dec 2015 - Jan 2018
Job positions: Editor, SEO research and optimization, web quality control, newsletter production Technical Knowledge: Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Ahrefs (SEO), Keyword Planner, Active Campaign, MailChimp and Basecamp - Research SEO for copywriting of URLs, blog titles and subtitles, - Created meta descriptions to optimize Google ranking - Wrote and administrated Google AdWord campaign - Weekly blog and newsletter copy-editing - Daily copy-editing and web quality control - Blog consolidation and SEO optimization - Redirecting and fixing 404s.
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Education
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2019 - 2021
Royal Roads University
Master's of Professional Communications -
2020 - 2020
University of Alberta
Certificate, Indigenous Canada -
1996 - 2001
Mount Royal College
Applied Degree in Communications, Journalism
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