A 30-second video ad I produced for the City of Portland Children’s Levy
“John combines an eye for effective creative with incredible production chops to conjure up that rare person who can create highly effective content, at scale, under unreasonable pressure and unpredictable circumstances. But this is only one side of John. He is also a seasoned agency professional, with real-world experience helping to build and manage all aspects of a successful media company.”
A digital strategist and visual storyteller who designs and manages strategic communications and marketing plans for union organizing and member engagement, issue advocacy, public information, and electoral campaigns.
I currently provide communications support to teachers and education support professionals through the Washington Education Association, helping union members organize, build power, grow membership, bargain stronger contracts, and advocate for equity and inclusion in public schools.
Before serving as communications director at the Portland Children’s Levy, I led a team in developing and implementing strategic digital communications and marketing programs as digital director of a political media agency, Winning Mark.
With over 20 years of media production experience, I have worked as a camera operator, video editor, and sound recordist on news, documentaries, and commercials. My background as a creative strategist and marketing professional is rooted in activism and advocacy.
I’m proud to have worked with dozens of progressive organizations, including the AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, SEIU, AFSCME, and the Washington Education Association.
My work has been featured in the Huffington Post, Gawker, NPR, OPB, Other98%, SiriusXM, Portland Mercury, The Stranger, A.V. Club, Noisey, Flood, and Daily Kos.
“One of the great things about John is that whatever you hire him for, you get so much more. He is a smart strategist who understands the world and how to move it. He is a skilled producer and director with a keen visual sense and an ability to tell a story. He can deliver that story through all the different digital and non-digital platforms, so the right people take it in the right way and at the right time. And he cares about your project while being a pleasure to work with.”
“I’ve been working closely with John Coghlan and have become deeply reliant on his social media wizardry. Besides being a damn good graphic designer his skill with Facebook ads are unparalleled, both with regards to email acquisition and online fundraising. If you want to weaponize Facebook’s backend tools to reach your targets, move them to action, and win your campaign then John’s your man.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with John on two major projects, and I recommend him without reservation. John’s work was critical to our success and reflected his passion, creativity and overall commitment to public education. I have tremendous respect for John’s intellect, work ethic and ability to achieve results. He has my highest recommendation.””
