Recent Alumna Spotlight - Aimee Rancer, BSJ '11
Hometown: Stow, Ohio
Year Graduated: 2011
School: E.W. Scripps School of Journalism
Major: Magazine journalism
Current job title and location: Creative Strategist, Pinterest, San Francisco, Calif.
What do you do? I do a variety of things. Being a creative strategist is basically thinking of big lighthouse ideas for brands and partners on Pinterest. It’s kind of like an ad agency for how to work with partners. I have worked on several big campaigns. For Coke, we asked all the pinners to create their tailgating ideas board, and then we picked a winner and recreated. We built the winner’s experience and took it to their home.
What made you come to Ohio University? I wanted to study magazine journalism, and I knew OHIO had such a great program. I definitely wanted to be with the best of the best professors, educators and leaders in the space. I’m from Ohio, so it was nice to be far enough, but not too far away from home. I have six or seven friends here in San Francisco that are also OHIO alumni. We talk often of Athens and we are very proud to be alumni.
Were there other places you considered? Any metros? What made this rural location more attractive? It seems like it was a very amazing place. It’s inviting, warm and welcoming. I did look at other universities throughout state, in New York City and in Boston. OHIO seems like a perfect place to get an education while also getting that college experience. You grow up really fast. I was able to experience the world, but also continue my education in a place that was safe and welcoming.
How did the Scripps College of Communication equip you with the skills you needed to succeed? I was wanting to be a magazine journalist, and it was really awesome to take a lot of courses that showed me other things I could do, such as editing and design. Those were essential tools that stayed with me in my years after school. I use the Adobe Creative Suite every day still. Social media wasn’t a big priority ten years ago, so it’s amazing that the college now offers a social media certificate. Very cool.
What about your experiences here was so memorable? I made amazing friends both in and outside of the classroom. I gained amazing experience with my peers. Four other people and I started Thread magazine on campus. I’m really proud of that publication we built. Campus is beautiful too; I still think it’s one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen.
If you could spend just one more day in classes here in Scripps, what class would you attend and why? Learning more about analytics, measuring and insight is so important. It lays a really good foundation to social media as a career. Paid media would also be cool to learn about, because it’s such a pay-to-play landscape these days, so having a good grasp on that is really important.