Nicola Balkind

Freelance Writer & Content Specialist

¡Nae Pasaran!

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Over the past 4 weeks, I’ve been assisting with a crowdfunding campaign. It’s been a long road for the investigative documentary film Nae Pasaran – which follows the Scottish factory workers who, 40 years after an act of solidarity, discover their true impact against Chile’s fascist dictatorship. The filmmakers have been seeking the finishing funds on Kickstarter.

I met the director, Felipe Bustos Sierra, at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 2013. His short film, also called Nae Pasaran (which you can watch online here), was due to screen a few days later. We watched it together, then I continued to follow it. Over the following 4 years, he raised another round of funding to explore, research and film a potential feature. Now that the film is almost complete, a final budget was needed to finish it in time for the 2018 film festival circuit and general release.

It has been quite a journey, even just to witness it. This time around, I was brought in to assist with the social media campaign alongside the Kickstarter, from planning to execution, along with PR for the film. We’ve seen it featured in the Janice Forsyth Show on BBC Radio Scotland and online at Pajiba and the New Socialist, with more features to come. Today, the Kickstarter campaign hit its target of £50,000 with 24 hours to spare.

Watching and nurturing the online support for this important film has been a real privilege, from the engagement on individual posts to the generous donations we’ve seen come in (and right before Christmas, too!). The community has grown and rallied around this creative pursuit without having seen the final outcome. Next year, the film will be finished, released, and complemented by the showing of the engine that has been returned to Scotland.

If you’re working on a film or other creative project and need support with social media, PR, or any other form of digital marketing in 2018, get in touch.

Working at Yelp

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After moving to California in late 2016, I signed on as a Community Ambassador at Yelp.

In a nutshell, the job involves community management for Fresno and the surrounding areas (like Clovis, Sanger, Selma and Hanford). I’m growing the Yelp Elite Squad, and creating content for newsletters and the local social media channels. Offline, I am partnering with local businesses to throw Official Yelp Events for local Yelpers.

My appointment was announced here. I was also featured in The Business Journal (read the full text here.)

So far I’ve travelled to Denver for training and San Francisco to meet some of my fellow CAs. I’ve also hosted 2 events: a tea lesson at a local tea shop, and a smoothie drop-in at a new organic juicery.

I’m looking forward to meeting more local Yelpers and growing the Yelp community! If you are a local business owner and want to partner with me on an event, you can reach out to me by email.

I am also continuing my work as a freelance writer and copywriter – for more information about my work, go here, and to find out how to hire me, read this page.

Portfolio: Russwood

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Working with Russwood

In the early stages of my freelancing career, I tended to specialise in the arts. I’ve always loved working in the arts because it’s a great blend of business and creativity, arts, and commerce. The people I’ve worked with in the arts have tended to be professional yet relaxed, open to ideas, and easy to work with.

Over the past 8 months, I’ve had the privilege of working with Russwood – Scottish supplier of high-quality, sustainable timber flooring, cladding and decking products. While it was a new industry for me, the people had all the same great qualities, including a passion for their work, and a true sense of the value they provide.

I provided copywriting services for two issues of the Russwood Profile: a newsletter for their clients and partners including architects, designers, and contractors. I also wrote a number of Case Studies for the company’s website.

These newsletter and case study features are paired with gorgeous photography and showcase Russwood products and examples of excellent architectural work that made use of these products at all different levels of scale. In these pieces, you’ll see everything from private homes to local projects to nationally recognised buildings. The copy is designed to tell stories about interesting homes and projects and also giving readers a sense of the versatility of the flooring, cladding, and decking on offer, and to offer light entertainment.

Read Russwood Profile

Download Russwood Profile 18 here.

[Image by Russwood.]

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