We Work Here—a Field Work Term Campaign
field work films.
During Field Work Term, we went into the field alongside our students, who are working in jobs and internships across the country. Rather than relying on retrospective, place-based reporting, we shifted to real-time, in-field storytelling—capturing the voices of students and their supervisors as they reflected on their experiences in the moment. These stories returned to campus with them, sparking conversations about how work integrates into life at Bennington, both in and out of the classroom.
work issues. supporting magazines.
These issues explored the evolving nature of meaningful work across a lifetime—how it is developed, sustained, and reimagined in response to personal values and societal needs. Through a coordinated campaign spanning print, web, and social, we drew heavily from Bennington’s alumni network of change-makers, culture shapers, groundbreakers, and the college’s signature Field Work Term. The magazines served as cornerstone storytelling vehicles, articulating how work is not a singular destination but a lifelong process of investment and iteration. With editorial strategy tied to audience mapping and influencer targeting, the campaign connected with prospective students, employers, parents, and media outlets, solidifying Bennington’s distinct educational ethos in an era increasingly concerned with the future of work. This series of issues led to an invitation by CASE District I to present, where I led a workshop at their Boston, MA conference titled,“How to Move Brand Position with Your Magazine.”
work, at bennington. conversations.
These were some of the conversations I hosted within the online magazine and published on Bennington’s LinkedIn company page as part of a monthly work podcast at Bennington. The podcast featured conversations with Bennington College community members— from staff to alumni to faculty— with a focus on work engagement, meaningful work, and job crafting. This series engaged influencers and employers and focused on perspectives and opportunities unique to Bennington, but desired by most. This is a selection of episodes.
How do you show the real-world value of a liberal arts education?
At Bennington, we answered that question not with a slogan, but with stories. As writer, editor, creative director, interviewer, and strategist, I led the We Work Here campaign in close collaboration with designer Carol June Jessop, multimedia editor Keegan Ead, and VP for Communications Janet Lape Marsden. Created entirely in-house, the campaign used field interviews, video storytelling, employer engagement, and social media to illustrate how Bennington students and alumni work—not just in jobs, but in the world. The campaign earned national attention and landed Bennington on key lists, including the U.S. News “Colleges Where Work Counts” list and Forbes’ “Most Entrepreneurial Colleges” list. Following its completion, paid internship and postgraduate job listings on the College’s jobs board increased by more than 500%. The campaign also received the CASE Gold Award for its innovation, voice, and measurable impact.
work songs: an office project
Inspired by NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, this project was born in my office and invited students to perform a three-set show for a small audience at the start of each month, which were recorded and shared as part of our YouTube channel series: Work Songs. These are three of those shows.
Winner of the CASE Gold Award for Branding & Marketing Program Excellence. From the Judges.
We were very impressed with the breadth and impact of Bennington College's "We Work Here" campaign. It was very fresh, innovative, and memorable. The judging committee was quite impressed by the fact that the campaign was created in-house and with a relatively small budget and yielded strong results. Clearly, the scope of work was substantial, from the research, employer engagement, and conducting field interviews to capturing student voices in the video series. The problem addressed is a daunting and weighty one facing higher education: how to affirm the value of a liberal arts education and show that graduates are career-ready and competitive.
We also easily recognized Bennington's brand attributes in the holistic approach of reflecting a rich view of the work experience throughout a lifetime in this campaign. The team did a nice job communicating the value of experiential learning through internships and how that builds on undergraduate education and ultimately in a career within a broader cultural context. While the heavy editorial content could have been overwhelming, we think it worked very well and was quite engaging in this campaign, thanks to the strong POV and engaging storytelling. The anecdotal style balanced well with data from the infographics and certainly strengthened the results.
Nice job successfully targeting so many disparate audiences in a single campaign!