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Resume

Shawny Alison

Community & Social Media Manager | Writer | Accessibility Advocate

I’m a community and social media manager with a passion for building engaged, inclusive, and thriving communities in gaming and interactive media. With experience in community growth, social media strategy, accessibility consulting, and event-driven engagement, I know how to foster genuine connections, long-term loyalty, and impactful campaigns.

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I’ve worked with indie game studios, industry events, and community-driven initiatives, helping them amplify their presence, engage their audiences, and create meaningful experiences. Whether it’s crafting engaging content, managing Discord & social media platforms, or ensuring accessibility & inclusivity, I bring strategy, creativity, and community-first thinking to every project.

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I’m currently open to work and seeking opportunities in community management, social media management, communications, writing & accessibility consulting - preferably within the games industry or adjacent fields.

Experience

Freelance (Feb 2025 - Present)

Community & Social Media Manager

  • Led community and social media strategy for Hopetown, a narrative RPG successfully funded on Kickstarter (400%+ of £25,000 goal).

  • Managed Discord and social channels to engage players, deliver updates, and build hype pre- and post-Kickstarter launch.

  • Supported influencer research for both paid and organic campaign coverage.

  • Created content, handled backer communications, and monitored sentiment to inform messaging and community support.

Bonsai Collective (Jun 2021 - Mar 2025)

Community & Social Media Manager

  • Developed & cultivated Bonsai Collective’s social media pages & community Discord for Luna Abyss.

  • Revamped social media strategy, boosting community engagement by 45% through targeted content & weekly live-streams, including dev Q&A sessions.

  • Recruited, trained & managed the volunteer moderator team on our Discord, implementing processes that improved communication, performance, & community management.

  • Led community beta tests handling key distribution, bug reporting & feedback collation & analysis.

  • Spearheaded online community engagement for major gaming events (GDC, Gamescom, SXSW, PAX Australia, Steam events), boosting user experience, brand awareness, and Steam wish lists.

Blind Burners (2023 - Present)

Volunteer Guide & Organiser | Community & Marketing Support

  • Aided in organising a pilot programme pairing blind and visually impaired game devs & aspiring game devs with sighted industry professionals at events like Develop & Pocket Gamer Connects, improving accessibility & inclusion.

  • Supporting community, social media, and marketing efforts to secure sponsorships and funding for these programmes.

MouseWasTaken (2018 - Present)

Content Creator & Freelance Emote/Branding Artist

  • Built & grew an online brand as a content creator & artist.

  • Produced and hosted diverse livestreams on Twitch, including gaming, panel discussions, talk shows, & creative content.

  • Designed graphics & branding for numerous streamers & brands, including emotes for Twitch’s “Food Fight” bit event in 2019.

  • Led & participated in campaigns which have collectively raised over $100,000 for various charities.

GW2Community (2013 - 2019)

Co-Founder & Community Manager

  • Grew an online community from 50 to 20,000 members, becoming the largest European Guild Wars 2 community.

  • Organized large-scale virtual events, achieving milestones recognized with formal accolades.

  • Managed moderation and conflict resolution across forums, voice channels, and social media.

  • Increased engagement by overseeing Twitter, Facebook, Discord, and Reddit strategies.

Skills

Community Management

  • Building & growing engaged player communities

  • Community engagement strategies & player retention

  • Discord server setup, management, & moderation

  • Event-driven engagement & in-game activations

  • Trust & safety, moderation training, & conflict resolution

Social Media Management

  • Social media strategy, content strategy & content planning

  • Platform-specific growth strategies

  • Copywriting for blogs, posts, & newsletters

  • Analytics, insights, & reporting

  • Engagement campaigns & community-driven content

Marketing & Communications

  • Copywriting for press releases, newsletters, Steam updates, & announcements

  • Trailer & teaser planning for game launches

  • Supporting PR & influencer relations teams

  • Audience research & content strategy

  • Event marketing, live coverage & speaking engagements

Accessibility Consulting

  • Making community spaces & social content more accessible

  • Reviewing social media & marketing content for accessibility

  • Consulting on in-game accessibility & player experience

  • Supporting accessible event planning & conference navigation

Narrative Support

  • Writing, proofreading & editing for in-game content (dialogue, lore, worldbuilding)

  • Supporting with branching narratives & choice-driven storytelling

  • Narrative playtesting & feedback

Software & Tools

  • Community & Social Media: Discord, Discord Bots, Social Media Platforms, Steamworks

  • Scheduling & Analytics: Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, Later, Google Analytics

  • Content Creation: Canva, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, After Effects, CapCut

  • Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Trello, Notion, Miro

  • Writing & Narrative Tools: Twine, Ink/Inky, Arcweave, Scrivener, Google Docs

  • Other Tools: OBS, WordPress, GSuite, Squarespace

Education

Abertay University | 2011 - 2016

BSc (Hons) Forensic Science, 2:1​

Loughborough University | 2016 - 2020

PhD Researcher - Forensic Chemistry​

© Shawny Alison 2025
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