Ashdown, Inc purchased a competitor title and awards program in late 2018/early 2019, merging Teddy Bear & Friends magazine with Teddy Bear Times magazine to create Teddy Bear Times & Friends magazine. When Ashdown purchased the Teddy Bear of the Year (TOBY) Awards program, it was in dire need of a rebranding. As the U.S. Editor of Teddy Bear Times & Friends magazine, I was charged with running the 2019 TOBY Awards and leading the rebranding efforts. The TOBY Awards contained two contests, the Public’s Choice Awards and the Industry Choice Awards with multiple categories for each contest.

For this project, I worked on the following:

• Making a calendar timeline for the 2019 awards season
• Assigning tasks to members of the TOBY creative team, including development, design and marketing
• Budgeting and researching options for awards certificates and trophies
• Preparing judging and submissions criteria copy and documents
• Inviting prominent figures in the industry to preside over the judging of the Industry Choice Awards
• Creating print and digital magazine layouts for the TOBY awards nominees and finalists
• Working with the development team to create an online presence including entry information, voting forms and presentations of the nominees
• Developing a social media calendar and creating social media posts across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
• Certifying the results of the Public’s Choice Awards and the Industry Choice Awards to determine nominees and winners
• Collaborating with graphic designers on creation of a new TOBY Awards logo and branding scheme