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Freelance/Volunteer/Consulting

Throughout my career I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of organizations outside of my 9 to 5. These experiences have allowed me to learn new skills or apply my expertise in new settings. 

Freelance

Early in my career I did a fair amount of freelance work as full-time work was hard to come by in the wake of the 2008 recession. Working on Season 10 of Dancing With the Stars gave me great insight into how to shape narratives while also preparing me for a career of abnormal hours and constant change. Working as an event videographer was a crash course in content creation and managing people over whom I had no authority. Doing Nielsen media surveying forced me to learn new methods for reaching audiences. Substitute teaching helped me adjust my content delivery for new audiences and prepared me to proactively address last minute mishaps. All of these random experiences continue to inform my work to this day.

Recently I added another fun freelance gig - serving as the Nerd Nite Boss for the monthly Nerd Nite events in Wilmington, DE (aka Nerd Nite Wilde). I book the speakers, coordinate with the venue, maintain the website, run the social media, design merchandise, and emcee each event. The first Nerd Nite event in Wilmington sold out, and it has continued to be a popular destination for the 21+ crowd in Northern Delaware. 

Volunteer

Moving from the nonprofit world to the corporate world allowed me the time to dedicate to volunteering. Naturally, my first stop was returning to my old stomping grounds at Elfreth's Alley assisting with fundraising events, organizational history, volunteer recruitment, and research. Through Wells Fargo's Community Relations department, I was also active in the region doing everything from a literacy program at a Chester school to hauling and sorting donations at Philabundance. I think any organization that strives to be a responsible member of a community should afford its employees the time and financial ability to volunteer.

Consulting

Over the years I have had the opportunity to consult with several organizations across a variety of fields. My consulting career began with helping flesh out the Mega-Bad Movie Night program at the Academy of Natural Sciences by assisting the Adult Programs Manager with developing a host of activities to accompany the feature film. Another museum client was the National Museum of Health and Medicine - my Visitor Experience Group colleagues and I were brought in to revitalize their visitor services department. I have also provided training in visitor experience and staff engagment for Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library in Delaware and the Holden Arboretum in Ohio. I have provided marketing assistance to two organizations outside of the field: Le Bus East Falls restaurant and Wolf Performing Arts Center. At Le Bus I used a dynamic social media campaign to engage locals, businesses within pickup distance, and students at local colleges to bolster their customer base. At Wolf PAC, I trained their Marketing Director on audience research, social media marketing, and advertising. After her departure, I returned to guide their social media plan in a new direction and assisted with logo design and copywriting to promote their virtual programs. After my good friend Buddy was laid off by the Franklin Institute, I developed a business plan, a marketing plan, and designed a website and logo to help him launch Science With Buddy

Patrick has worked as a freelance videographer for my company since I began in 2008. I have found Patrick to be courteous, motivated, and consistent in producing high quality work. Not only am I pleased with his professionalism, but also his wonderful sense of humor. He is a pleasure to work with, and I recommend him highly.

Jennine Weber, JD Weber Video & Photo Services

Blog Topics
 WITTWERING: 

 

Verb. 1) Pertaining to the behavior of being a Wittwer. 2) Doing odd things that only Wittwers would do. 3) Catchall phrase for the thoughts and actions of Patrick Wittwer.

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