Shortly after receiving his undergraduate degree and getting married, Tyler Daniels turned to the university that had been his home to find a job. He didn’t know it at the time, but accepting a position at UGA would impact his career path for years to come.
Daniels, now a multimedia specialist in the Division of Development and Alumni Relations, started at the university in 2010 as a general office manager in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. He later became an annual fund officer in Student Affairs. That first taste of development and alumni relations shaped his career.
“Little did I know that position would be a fantastic opportunity, not only to join the university and do great work to help enhance the student experience over there, but it also was a chance to further my own educational opportunities and studies,” Daniels said. “The opportunity was even better than I realized at the time.”
A few years later, he moved into a more centralized development role in donor relations, where he was “making sure our donors felt appreciated.” In June, he began his current position as part of a new communications effort in Development and Alumni Relations. In this position, Daniels shares what’s happening at UGA through photography, video and other multimedia.
“My main role is to tell the story of what our students and alumni are doing at the University of Georgia or with their degree,” Daniels said. “I’m telling that big UGA story with the hopes that storytelling will inspire people to give back to the university in some way, whether it be giving their time or giving back financially.”
In between working on his doctoral degree in adult education, Daniels juggles multiple multimedia pieces on any given week. Between initiating, planning, filming, editing and reworking, each product he works on takes an average of two weeks to complete.
“This is interesting work because there’s a very technical aspect of what I do, but there’s also a creative aspect,” Daniels said.
For each project he produces, Daniels makes sure there is an emotional element as well as a story with a beginning, middle and end. The goal for each two-minute video is to encourage people to act and give back to the university.
“I think people react well and enjoy that good storytelling element of what we do at the University of Georgia,” Daniels said. “It’s helpful for them to see the product of their gifts, that impact they can have.”
During his time at UGA, Daniels has been able to speak and work with many people who have been impacted by the university in different ways. He said seeing how UGA can open doors and create opportunities inspires him to create the best stories he can.
“I have a unique perspective in that I get to hear and share the success stories of the university; I get to hear the story about a student who came from a small town whose only opportunity to come to UGA was through a scholarship,” Daniels said. “To see their gratitude toward someone out there, who hasn’t even met them, who cared enough to give their own financial means, is amazing.
“Being an alum, student and an employee myself, I’m constantly inundated with what it means to be a Bulldog,” he said. “It’s hard not to love this place.”
