Grad Helps Non-Profits and Charities "Add A Splash of Color"
Heather Wilk puts her Show Production and Entertainment Business education to work on fundraising campaigns
Heather, Andre Pochon, and a patient at one of CCM's client hospitals
Heather Wilk knew early on that she wanted to carve her own niche in the entertainment industry, and that she wanted to put her efforts in the entertainment industry toward charitable causes.
After graduating from Full Sail’s Show Production and Entertainment Business programs, she moved to Los Angeles and co-founded Cause Creative Marketing, an entertainment-driven marketing company focusing on fundraising and awareness campaign efforts for non-profit/charity organizations. Some of CCM’s biggest clients include the Children’s Miracle Network (a non-profit that raises funds for children’s hospitals, affecting 17 million kids each year), and educational organization FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America).
“I wanted to take non-profits and bring them to the 21st century, making them fun and relevant for kids and teens. Sometimes non-profits can seem a little dry, so what CCM does is add a splash of color to that world,” Heather says.
To aid in that effort, CCM has partnered with celebrity spokespeople for their campaigns, including members of Menudo and Nickelodeon actor Simon Curtis. CCM’s biggest national youth campaign rolls out this summer with Dig It!, a learning service campaign that will take place in 7,000 high schools and enlist the help of 250,000 student participants to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.
As Executive Vice-President of the company, Heather’s work schedule finds her handling a variety of roles and responsibilities, including working with fellow Full Sail grad Andre Pochon, who was hired as CCM's national campaign manager. “We’re a small company, so I do a bulk of the day-to-day activities – that could be anything from flying to meet with clients in Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City, having brainstorming sessions with our staff, handling general accounting, or updating our Twitter site,” she says. “I answer a lot of e-mails and make a lot of phone calls.
“An average day will generally start pretty early. We have more clients on the east coast, and their 9am is our 6am,” she continues. “I’m up making phone calls, approving graphic design work for all the marketing materials that will be used in our campaigns, and celebrity management to make sure that we’re all on the same page.”
As if her schedule wasn’t already busy enough, Heather is also currently enrolled in Full Sail’s online Entertainment Business Master’s Degree Program. “That’s my night job,” she laughs. “Going to school while running a business can be a bit of a challenge. I wake up very early and go to bed very late – I’m an insomniac at heart.
“It’s been pretty amazing because I’ve learned so much during both the on-campus and online business programs at Full Sail. My education has been very helpful in the start-up steps of CCM – everything from business licenses to choosing the best lawyer to basic accounting,” she says. “It’s also been great to have Full Sail’s supportive staff there for me. I actually had a trademark question for a digital campaign, and I was able to contact my Final Project instructor, get walked through the process, and get her professional advice. It’s definitely been valuable.”
With at least three more national campaigns for Children’s Miracle Network coming down the pipeline, and several other non-profit opportunities around the corner, Heather has found the perfect combination for her interests and career goals with Cause Creative Marketing. “I always knew I wanted to do something entertainment-related, but probably not the traditional thing that most people think of,” she says. “This has all kind of fallen into place. It’s been really fun, and a great way to morph everything together.”
After graduating from Full Sail’s Show Production and Entertainment Business programs, she moved to Los Angeles and co-founded Cause Creative Marketing, an entertainment-driven marketing company focusing on fundraising and awareness campaign efforts for non-profit/charity organizations. Some of CCM’s biggest clients include the Children’s Miracle Network (a non-profit that raises funds for children’s hospitals, affecting 17 million kids each year), and educational organization FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America).
“I wanted to take non-profits and bring them to the 21st century, making them fun and relevant for kids and teens. Sometimes non-profits can seem a little dry, so what CCM does is add a splash of color to that world,” Heather says.
To aid in that effort, CCM has partnered with celebrity spokespeople for their campaigns, including members of Menudo and Nickelodeon actor Simon Curtis. CCM’s biggest national youth campaign rolls out this summer with Dig It!, a learning service campaign that will take place in 7,000 high schools and enlist the help of 250,000 student participants to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.
As Executive Vice-President of the company, Heather’s work schedule finds her handling a variety of roles and responsibilities, including working with fellow Full Sail grad Andre Pochon, who was hired as CCM's national campaign manager. “We’re a small company, so I do a bulk of the day-to-day activities – that could be anything from flying to meet with clients in Washington, D.C. and Salt Lake City, having brainstorming sessions with our staff, handling general accounting, or updating our Twitter site,” she says. “I answer a lot of e-mails and make a lot of phone calls.
“An average day will generally start pretty early. We have more clients on the east coast, and their 9am is our 6am,” she continues. “I’m up making phone calls, approving graphic design work for all the marketing materials that will be used in our campaigns, and celebrity management to make sure that we’re all on the same page.”
As if her schedule wasn’t already busy enough, Heather is also currently enrolled in Full Sail’s online Entertainment Business Master’s Degree Program. “That’s my night job,” she laughs. “Going to school while running a business can be a bit of a challenge. I wake up very early and go to bed very late – I’m an insomniac at heart.
“It’s been pretty amazing because I’ve learned so much during both the on-campus and online business programs at Full Sail. My education has been very helpful in the start-up steps of CCM – everything from business licenses to choosing the best lawyer to basic accounting,” she says. “It’s also been great to have Full Sail’s supportive staff there for me. I actually had a trademark question for a digital campaign, and I was able to contact my Final Project instructor, get walked through the process, and get her professional advice. It’s definitely been valuable.”
With at least three more national campaigns for Children’s Miracle Network coming down the pipeline, and several other non-profit opportunities around the corner, Heather has found the perfect combination for her interests and career goals with Cause Creative Marketing. “I always knew I wanted to do something entertainment-related, but probably not the traditional thing that most people think of,” she says. “This has all kind of fallen into place. It’s been really fun, and a great way to morph everything together.”
