Reuben’s recommendation
What can Emerson do?
Give a quick overview of your work experience (jobs, internships, volunteering)?
I have experience delivering branding, marketing, and digital communications for clients and organisations, progressing from graphic design to brand and communications coordination.
Some of my achievements include generating over 170,000 social media views for Riverland Football League events and driving engagement for Loxton North Football Club presentation nights.
Since 2022, I’ve owned and operated my own design and marketing business, providing end-to-end services including branding, website design, social media management, and copywriting.
I’m currently expanding my portfolio in sport through volunteer work and sponsorship, supporting grassroots AFL clubs and regional sports leagues with digital and brand communications.
Do you have a track record of delivering measurable outcomes or KPIs?
Yes! While much of my work is creative and not always measured, I’ve achieved some notable results in recent projects:
Riverland Football League Champion Night (8–9 September 2025): 171k views across Facebook & Instagram, including 19.6k views on the B Grade winning graphic and 14.6k views on the A Grade winning graphic.
Loxton North Football Club Presentation Night (26–30 September 2025): 98k views across Facebook & Instagram, with 5k views on the A Grade winners’ graphics.
What technical or industry-specific skills do you bring?
Design and visual storytelling
Marketing and advertising strategy
Social media management and scheduling
Copywriting and content creation
Brand development and rebranding
What tools/platforms/software are they proficient in?
Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro)
Canva
Microsoft Office Suite
Meta Suite (Facebook & Instagram management)
What qualifications, certifications, or degrees do you hold?
Bachelor of Design (Communication Design), University of South Australia
Certificate III in Business during my traineeship
I'm constantly challenging my design style and digging deeper to design graphics that tell a story.
I’m a very proactive, organised, and enthusiastic person with a huge willingness to learn and keep bettering myself. A bubbly and friendly team member, I’d be a fantastic addition to a collaborative environment and aim to lift the team to the next level.
What steps has Emerson taken to break into the sports industry?
I’ve taken several proactive steps to work toward my dream job in the sports industry. I’ve volunteered at my local grassroots AFL club for the past five seasons and sponsored my local AFL League, assisting with social media and website improvements to build my portfolio. I also joined the SportsGrad Method Program (Cohort #2) and attended meetups in Adelaide and Melbourne to connect with other sports industry contacts.
Emerson’s interest in sport all started with bringing design and sport together
The big question… why do I want to work in sport? It's the way I can bring my two favourite things — design and sport — together into one. I love celebrating teams and players in a creative way that fans see value in and helping extend the voice of the team and brand — social media is here to stay, so we need to hone in on that and harness its power.
There's also something about shared experiences that I truly crave — the culture and sense of togetherness that sport creates is unmatched by anything else. Marketing amplifies this impact, and I love being part of it.
Since then, Emerson has gone on to work in sport and marketing, achieving things like
Fan engagement | Community impact | Portfolio growth |
|---|---|---|
Generated over 170,000 social media views for the Riverland Football League’s Champion Night, including high engagement on individual match graphics. | Drove 98,000 views across Facebook and Instagram for Loxton North Football Club Presentation Night, helping grow local fan and community engagement. | Built and maintained a freelance design and marketing business, delivering branding, websites, and social media campaigns for multiple clients. |
Where does Emerson want to go?
Next 6-12 months | Next 5-10 years |
|---|---|
My dream job (since 2020) has been to be a Graphic Designer in the AFL. If that's for a club or the AFL itself, either will be the biggest achievement of my life. | In 5–10 years, I believe I’d be a perfect fit for a Marketing Coordinator position, or similar, for an elite sporting team (AFL, Netball, NBL). |
What sporting problem keeps Emerson up at night?
The most obvious problem in sport for me is the disconnect between the men and women, in a few ways than one. Spectators, funding, salaries, appreciation, media, etc, but I know, as Australians, we are on such a positive trajectory to close this gap in the very near future.
What is Emerson like?
What kind of environment do you thrive in?
A dynamic one. One where I’m surrounded by a positive team that pushes me to be better, and where I can work both in the office and out on the ground.
When have you had to show resilience in your life or career?
There's genuinely nothing worse than the hacking of a social account, and that's exactly what happened during my time at Destination Riverland (the local tourism marketing organisation for the Riverland, 3 hours East of Adelaide). Resilience was definitely the keyword here when we learnt our Instagram account was hacked and our page was deleted - years of hard work down the drain. We turned this into a positive opportunity (as we had no other choice) to reevaluate our social marketing strategy and to start a fresh slate.
What about Emerson’s interests outside of work?
What are your interests outside of work?
I’m a pretty active person — I love Pilates and playing netball and basketball whenever I can.
You’ll often find me at as many live sporting events as possible, soaking up the atmosphere and energy of the crowd.
I also enjoy hiking and exploring new places, whether that’s around South Australia or further afield — there’s so much of the world to see.
At the same time, I prioritise quiet nights in, watching movies or shows with friends and relaxing at home.
What is your favourite sporting moment?
I've been part of quite a few amazing sporting moments, but the one that stands out is in 2023 when I flew over to Melbourne with a friend. We watched the Australian Boomers play Brazil at Rod Laver Arena, which was elite as most of the team are NBA players (Giddy, Mills, Daniels, Ingles, Thybulle, etc) and the atmosphere was electric. With the Women's FIFA World Cup on at the same time, we walked to AAMI Park after the game and watched a match against England - it was the weirdest but coolest experience to be in a stadium, watching the match on the screen. Melbourne lit up in green & gold, it was an incredible weekend.
What’s your ideal holiday?
Preferably, anywhere in warm weather.
I'm very much an experience-based person, so I'm pretty much a 'yes-to-everything' gal. Snow trip? Yes. Euro Summer? Yes. Backpacking? Yep. African Safari? Huge YES.
If you had 30 minutes to pick the brain of anyone, who would it be and why?
Probably the Commissioner of the NBA: Adam Silver. I'm so fascinated to know the extent of things he deals with and how he has continued to successfully run one of the biggest competitions in the world.
What’s book or podcast that’s helped your career you recommend?
There hasn't been one that's stood out; rather, it's a collection of picking up bits and pieces from the (huge) range of podcasts I listen to. But honestly, the SportsGrad episodes featuring Cheets (TYPEMedia) and Jarra Davis were elite.
Additional details
Where in the world are you located, and where are you open to work?
Living in Adelaide, but open to work anywhere in Australia, or even overseas (Europe/North America).
What is the most important consideration for you in your next role?
Honestly, just a job that I love. Being surrounded by a supportive and encouraging team, while also developing myself professionally and personally, would be such a big win.
What others say about Emerson
From Tracy, a client I've worked with in my business: "I had no idea how detailed and in-depth the process was. Emerson made it very easy and explained everything so that I could understand. The ongoing support is amazing, as I’d always have questions or would want to add something or change things around; nothing was ever too much trouble. The amount of detail Emerson had put into the website creation was truly amazing."
From Jane, my current manager at Fat Farmers: "A huge shout out and public thanks to Emerson for working late and assisting with submitting the community awards, amongst a crashing website and my computer having technical issues. We have an incredible team, and Emerson is a superstar! Very grateful - thank you, Emerson!"
What questions does Emerson have for employers?
What is something that you've seen stand out in an application that made you hire that person? (eg. portfolio work, style of application, information that was presented etc).
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