BEST BUDDIES

CHALLENGE

Best Buddies hosts its annual Tastebuds, a one-of-a-kind culinary experience brings together top chefs from the Greater Pittsburgh area to showcase their signature dishes while celebrating the power of friendship.

But they needed someone to tell their story to local media in Pittsburgh.

APPROACH

We blended traditional media relations with social media to reimagine the Tastebuds narrative, highlighting how chef and buddy pairs fostered new friendships and promoted IDD education.

Our approach included crafting media alerts, press releases, and coordinating interviews while developing a digital strategy that amplified Best Buddies’ story, driving awareness and attracting potential sponsors.

RESULTS

We successfully secured multiple media hits, influencer partnerships, and corporate sponsorships due to our strategic approach.

Corporate Sponsorship with Duolingo

Over $1,000,000M in Donations

Influencer Partnership with Abbie Herbert & Ana Eats Pittsburgh

More than 50 media placements and 25 million media impressions

SKILLS UTILIZED

I crafted media alerts, press releases, and one-sheets to effectively communicate Best Buddies' mission and encourage media attendance at the event. Additionally, I developed tailored media lists to target both local and national audiences, ensuring alignment with the content’s messaging.
During the event, I coordinated with media for briefing, photo opportunities, and exclusive interviews.
As one of two photographers at the event, I captured key moments, including the setup, live event content, and post-event group shots, which were used for media collateral, social media, sponsorship recaps, and website design.
As part of our media strategy, we collaborated with two influencers to present the story from a fresh perspective.
Their partnership brought exceptional reach, heightened awareness, and increased engagement, effectively amplifying Best Buddies’ mission and expanding its digital presence.
Influencers: Abbie Herbert (15.7M on TikTok, 2.4M on Instagram) | Ana Eats Pittsburgh (197K on Instagram)
ChatGPT said:
I supported my client in promoting Tastebuds on social media by creating engaging content that introduced the chef and buddy pairs, while also driving sponsorship opportunities.
As a result of these efforts, we successfully secured several corporate sponsorships, including one from Duolingo, all through organic social media content.