Orlan Elizarraraz
Advertising, Stan Richards School of Advertising & Public Relations
Class of 2018
How are you using the skills that you learned at Moody as a social media manager for UT Austin?
The skills I’ve learned at Moody are the foundation of my every day work. With every day being a different obstacle comes a new solution to doing things and this was engrained in my education. As a person who does social media, you need to wear different hats ranging from graphic design to video editing to social engagement to analytics and more.
Have you always enjoyed content creation?
As much as I like to be well-rounded in my field, content creation is definitely a favorite of mine. There’s just so many ways you can approach content now-a-days, especially with the rise of video editing. I’m currently very invested in learning different techniques and editing styles I can use for any UT content I may film because I want the content to reflect the standard of the University. If you think about it, social media profiles are the digital face of a brand so it’s best to look the best and I want to work harder to be the best at what I do.
Do you have a favorite project you've worked on at UT Austin?
My favorite graphic design project has been using photoshop to put Hook ‘Em in popular horror movie posters for fun Halloween content as I personally love a good horror flick. As for videography, shooting and editing clips from the Big 12 Championship game and Sugar Bowl game have been my favorite. While it is tiring after a long 12 hour day, the atmosphere that the fans and team bring every game is really something to experience.
Why did you study advertising?
I studied advertising because I saw a documentary on the life-style that advertising agencies brought for their employers. My family wanted me to go into the medical field and I saw that lifestyle as very strict. I was about a year and a half done with courses, but I pivoted to advertising when I took an intro advertising class back at UTPA in the Rio Grande Valley. While I’m happy to have learned Anatomy 1 and 2 and other biology courses, I’m extremely glad to have taken that advertising class.
Were you in any student orgs?
I was in the AdGrad Council during my time at UT and was even the Creative Chair for a year. I had so much fun with not only my classmates, but also people in AdGrad. We were the best co-ed dodgeball crew and almost won it all! They helped me enjoy the college experience that much more as I was a bit shy at first and not familiar with UT since didn’t go there for my undergrad.
The skills I’ve learned at Moody are the foundation of my every day work. With every day being a different obstacle comes a new solution to doing things and this was engrained in my education.
How was your degree helpful to your career?
My degree has most definitely set me up for success after I graduated. My personal opinion is that the name of a university does matter when you’re applying for jobs in certain situations, especially since the UT network is so prominent. Prior to applying for my master’s degree, I was applying left and right at any job I could with my undergrad degree and was having no luck finding a job that would begin my career. My degree has slingshot me into the success I have now.
What have you learned so far working in the field?
What I’ve learned so far working in this field is that the social media position is a Swiss army knife having to learn and understand multiple things. This field is very fast-paced and you need to be quick and efficient. That being said, it’s important to have a balance and not burn out. You’re mental health is very important and you deserve to take time off, especially if you’re constantly exposed to the negative side of social media.
What advice do you have for #TEXASMoody students?
My advice for Texas Moody students is to dabble in multiple tracks and be a Swiss army knife. Sure you can take a specific track, but the more you bring to the table when you’re doing job interviews, the more interested employers will be.
What do you miss most about Moody College?
What I miss most about Moody College are my classmates. Moody brought a bunch of strangers together through a master's program and created friendships across the board. Most of us were always on campus at Moody due to having several hours in between our classes so a lot of us would hang out or work on other projects we’d have from other classes. We all went our separate ways once we all graduated, but I hope my classmates are doing well wherever they’re at.
Can you talk about your career path?
My career path has been an interesting one as I’ve worked with non-profits, B2B type of companies, and many others. After grad school, I was focused on getting a job that leaned more to the corporate side vs an ad agency. I landed multiple internships that varied in their background which I liked since it helped me understand the social media position more and saw how companies approached their brand online. During COVID-19 I took up video editing as I had a lot of free time working from home and noticed the social landscape was heading to more video content. Once I learned the basic level of editing, I started applying at UT as I felt the University would be a better place for me to grow my skills overall.
What classes/professors helped the most?
I had so many great professors and classes that opened my creative thinking and helped me multitask to higher levels, but if I had to pinpoint one, it would be the Social Media class taught by Professor Gary Wilcox. The class was would be divided into content creation, social media management, and analytics and students would be in charge of posting on the Texas Advertising & Public Relations social media profiles. Professor Wilcox would guide us as we’d create our own content, manage social engagement, and adjust accordingly to the analytics we’d pull every week or so. Professor Wilcox would also bring in guest lecturers from different backgrounds to help us understand different perspectives in the real world.