Convert Project Spotlight: “OneShiningEmail”
Every semester, students tackle projects with their own creative perspectives in a variety of Skills Courses, among which is Convert, the intro to digital marketing. One of the most impressive projects created was a weekly email newsletter designed by Matt Huo for fellow sports lovers. Keep reading to find out more about Matt and his project.
First, tell us a bit about yourself!
My name’s Matt, I graduated in 2020 studying computer science and commerce (McIntire School of Commerce). I’m also a lifelong basketball junkie, from watching to playing and I’ve even tried developing predictive models for March Madness in the past.
Were you familiar with Forge before? Or was Convert your first class?
I had actually been familiar with Forge/HackCville since my first year (Fall ’16) and had been involved on/off (most notably, participated in Launch its debut year). I’ve always loved what Forge provides to the UVA Community.
Did you have any experience with digital marketing before Convert?
I had learned a little bit about marketing from McIntire/Comm School but had never really had any hands-on experience. I’m glad I took Convert because I got a better feel for the holistic process of marketing/selling a product.
Tell me what kind of project you created last semester.
I created “One Shining Email”, a weekly email newsletter that concisely summarizes what important things happened in college basketball that week and what to look ahead to. Aside from quick notes on storylines, I highlight a player of the week, team of the week, game of the week, and stat of the week.
Where did you get your inspiration? How’d you choose the name?
I got the idea while at UVA, where I had friends who wanted to follow the broader college basketball landscape more closely but often couldn’t devote the time/effort to follow much beyond UVA. As someone who has been a college basketball nerd for years, I thought I could curate something to help people who followed the sport more casually keep up with the big stories in college basketball. Sports have always sparked conversations and kept people connected, and with COVID we’re all looking for connection and discussion, so I’m hoping that the newsletter can help foster that sense of community.
“One Shining Moment” is a reference to the iconic March Madness song, which isn’t too niche of a reference and appeals to almost everyone.
What was your most challenging aspect of your project?
Designing the logo. I’m the opposite of artistic, so I always thought I’d hate doing things like design but I was actually happy/proud of the final logo. Beyond that though, I do enjoy the process of promoting it and writing/delivering the content but growing an audience has certainly been the biggest challenge.
What part did you enjoy making the most?
Surprisingly, the most fun part for me was that I had no experience prior to Convert!
Check out Matt’s entire newsletter and maybe even subscribe!
Newsletter: oneshiningemail.com
If you’re interested in following your creative passions through cool projects like these, check out all of Forge’s Skills Courses. From graphic design to software development to civic engagement, Forge has a course for everyone. Applications for the spring semester are due February 9th, 2021.
