ERIK SARADPON
Digital Communications • Storytelling • Design • Multimedia
I use design, storytelling, and digital media to help mission-driven organizations communicate complex, deeply human work with clarity, care, and respect.
PROJECT: WALKING IN THEIR SHOES
Summary
Walking in Their Shoes documented an immersive simulation exploring the challenges justice-impacted parents face in reunifying with their children after incarceration. Through photography, interviews, and documentary-style video, the project captured authentic participant experiences while creating a lasting educational resource for future audiences.
My Role
With less than a week to prepare, I planned and executed the multimedia coverage of the event, conducting interviews, capturing photography and video, and editing the final documentary. Working with an audience made up almost entirely of people I had never met, I quickly built rapport to document their experiences in a way that felt genuine, respectful, and engaging.
Challenge
Create meaningful visual and interview-based storytelling in a live environment with minimal preparation while earning the trust of unfamiliar participants and adapting to an event as it unfolded.
PROJECT: Graduation Communications Campaign
Summary
To celebrate justice-impacted graduates and preserve their stories, I led the creative direction and production of a comprehensive graduation communications campaign for two consecutive years. The project combined editorial storytelling, photography, video, branding, and print design to honor each graduate while creating lasting assets for students, families, alumni, and the university community.
My Role
I managed the campaign from concept to completion, leading student outreach, scheduling, portrait photography, interviews, graphic design, editorial layout, yearbook production, graduation videos, ceremony visuals, social media content, printing coordination, and the collection of student stories and photos. The work required balancing creative storytelling with detailed project management across multiple deliverables.
Challenge
Coordinate dozens of graduating students with competing schedules while producing a cohesive communications campaign on a tight deadline, ensuring every participant felt seen, celebrated, and represented with dignity.
PROJECT: OC VOTES CAMPAIGN
Summary
OC Votes was a countywide civic engagement initiative designed to increase voter participation by equipping trusted community organizations with accessible, nonpartisan voting resources. The campaign combined strategic messaging, digital communications, and visual storytelling to help nonprofit partners engage their communities with confidence.
My Role
I helped build the campaign from the ground up, leading brand development, messaging strategy, website content, toolkit design, copywriting, social media graphics, partner outreach, campaign rollout, and project management. I also developed production workflows using Trello and Buffer to organize assets, manage content, and support collaboration across a growing team.
Challenge
Develop a cohesive communications system that could serve multiple nonprofit partners while translating complex civic information into clear, accessible content and coordinating campaign execution with a newly formed team.
Selected Creative Work
Summary
Beyond large-scale communications campaigns, I regularly create visual assets that support organizations, events, and brands across both digital and print platforms. My work ranges from social media management and marketing collateral to environmental graphics and event branding, always balancing clear communication with thoughtful, audience-centered design.
Selected Work
Event branding and visual identity
Flyers and promotional campaigns
Posters and marketing collateral
Social media management and content creation
Instagram Reels and short-form video
Step and repeat backdrops
Event banners and signage
Presentation and conference materials
Photography and photo editing