Case Studies

Our work speaks for itself. Take a look at select case studies, highlighting how strategic communications and storytelling drove results and impact.

Tweeting for Twitter

From Zero to Hero: @TwitterVideo
In October 2015, Twitter launched native video, enabling users to post videos in tweets. The challenge? Twitter needed a solid social strategy for how to educate users about this new functionality, establish Twitter as the best platform to post real-time videos, and to become a community player in the existing world of internet video creators.

In response, Jessica led the team that created a strategy and implemented (from scratch) the launch of the resulting handle dedicated to this objective — @TwitterVideo (now @XCreators). As the voice of @TwitterVideo for three and a half years, 365 days a year, we created an overarching content strategy, community managed the handle daily and grew a passionate, genuine, engaged community of followers.

In the first year managing @TwitterVideo, the community grew from 25K followers to over 645K followers while hitting all-time highs for daily content engagement and establishing the handle as the best platform to post real-time videos.

By January 2019, leveraging a strategic acquisition strategy, my team grew the @TwitterVideo community to over 16.6M followers.

The top video creators of our time —Tyler Oakley, Dan and Phil, Lilly Singh, Markiplier, Joey Graceffa and many more — followed the handle and regularly engaged with its content.

Alumni Association of the University of Michigan

Modernizing a 131-Year-Old Brand
The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan has one of the largest alumni communities in the world — more than 680,000 worldwide. The challenge? Evolving a historic institution's voice, growing digital engagement, and driving meaningful alumni participation without losing what makes it distinctive.

As Senior Communications Director, Jessica led a full modernization of the organization's communications and content strategy — from its flagship publication, Michigan Alum, to social media and alumni influencer activations.

The work was recognized with multiple industry awards, including CASE Circle of Excellence, Eddie & Ozzie, and Society of Professional Journalists honors, marking the first time the Alumni Association received national recognition for its magazine and social content.

Transforming the publication
Michigan Alum magazine has been in print for 131 years. We directed a comprehensive digital and visual redesign of the online edition, rethinking UX and editorial strategy in order to reach a new generation of alumni while honoring the publication's legacy. Experience the new digital version of the Michigan Alumhere.

  • 162% increase in total engagement time

  • 492% increase in first-day engagement year-over-year

  • 160% increase in overall on-site engagement

  • First-ever themed print issue and National Championship commemorative edition, generating surplus revenue and record demand

  • Various CASE awards 2023-2025, Eddie & Ozzie 2025, and Society of Professional Journalists awards — the first SPJ recognition in the publication's history

Growing social engagement
We focused the social media strategy on high-impact storytelling with a focus on short-form video, cultural relevance, and influencer partnerships to deepen alumni connection and drive event participation.

  • Social engagement grew from 4.3M to 5M (+16% YoY)

  • Launched official GIPHY account, generating 66.5M+ views

  • Increased Voices of Victors podcast listenership by 500%

Reaching younger alumni by tapping into video
We created and directed Maize or Blue?, a social video series that earned a CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Award— one of higher education communications’ most prestigious honors. The video series featured celebrity alumni including Tom Brady, Desmond Howard, Eli Rallo, and the Sklar Brothers. The campaign integrated print, digital, social, and live experiences. Watch one of the award-winning videos here.

  • 2.8M impressions and 160K+ engagements across 70 social posts

  • Influencer campaign with Eli Rallo drove significant earned media and a sold-out event

  • Expanded national brand visibility during a historic National Championship year

  • CASE Circle of Excellence Gold Award for Maize or Blue? video series

The outcome: A legacy institution transformed into a digitally competitive brand, all without losing its identity. The work demonstrated that historic organizations can evolve boldly when strategy leads the way.

Writing that Works

Strategy without execution is incomplete, and Little Sequoia does both. The writing samples below represent two ends of this range — deeply reported narrative storytelling and precision institutional writing.

Long-form / Editorial — An award-winning feature story from Michigan Alum magazine. Five years after the pandemic stopped the world, Michigan Medicine’s clinic is continuing to help improve quality of life for those living with post-COVID symptoms. Read the story here.

Executive Communications — A leadership announcement for the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan. New executive announcements are among the most delicate institutional documents to write as they must serve the incoming leader, the board, and the public simultaneously. Read the announcement here.