Employment
A list of relevant positions Steven Trustrum has been employed at.
July 2023-November 2023; Senior Content Specialist, Sun Life
Steven was hired as a short-term contract to help catch up on content backlog. This involved updating and revising Loopio content for enterprise-wide proposal questions and answers for plan sponsors. Steven also created descriptions for new products and product features (e.g., Opioid Management System.)
2022-2023 (12-month contract): Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada
Steven was under contract as a content writer for CIBC’s digital client onboarding team. This entailed writing and editing accessible content, leading to assignments with additional teams. Steven created training materials and ran sessions to help team members better understand how content is best created, parsed, and deconstructed in an a11y environment.
2019-2021 (24-month contract): Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada Investor’s Edge
Steven was under contract as a content writer and accessibility specialist. This entailed writing and editing accessible content, as well as assisting with content-related accessibility standards and solutions. He prepared a11y documentation, standards, and created training materials and ran sessions to help team members better understand how content is best created, parsed, and deconstructed in an a11y environment. He also designed and created CIBC IE’s content database to establish consistent, accessible editorial standards in both English and French.
2019 (10-month contract): Bank of Montreal Financial Group
Steven conducted accessibility compliance and transition for BMO’s website assets. This entailed identifying and correcting existing content accessibility failures and shortfalls and developing future content processes to ensure ongoing accessibility compliance. As part of this project, Steven created the organization’s WCAG-compliant content style guide and edited new content for compliance. Because of his expertise, he was also tasked with creating accessibility awareness training for BMO’s development, design, and content teams, plus developed accessibility transition and standards documentation for all teams.
2016 – 2018: Canadian Society of Association Executives (CSAE)
As CSAE’s first-ever content manager, Steven was responsible for optimizing all content channels and digital points of conversion. He also crafted a social media marketing strategy with the goal of converting to sales and registrations. The organization’s blog was entirely transformed into a vehicle for topic-driven thought leadership by creating a resource of value to third-party stakeholders while presenting effective calls to action that converted effectively and consistently. Steven’s efforts not only created efficient content channels but otherwise saved this not-for-profit money by bringing book production in-house and taking on much of the workload for CSAE’s digital assets, which had previously been largely outsourced. In the first three months alone, Steven transformed a 30%+ ongoing drop in website and social media traffic into a net monthly growth of 10%+.
2015 – 2016: Painted Lemur Studios
Creating marketing collateral (e.g., brochures, briefs, blogs, case studies, email blasts, white papers, landing pages) for a global IT solutions provider and IBM solution partner. This includes technical writing, such as reducing complex technical concepts, products, and services to marketing releases, as well as contributing to brand development by working closely with subject matter experts, sales teams, and product developers. Built InDesign templates for the client’s marketing releases.
2014 – Present: Steven Trustrum Marketing
Providing a variety of writing, editing, and SEO services on a freelance basis. These services target small business owners who require assistance with establishing, maintaining, and/or improving their online presence. Includes content creation and social media marketing, as well as website assessment services to determine how well a subject website functions in service of its intended purpose.
2010 – 2014: Content Manager, Consumer Centre Inc., Toronto, ON
Overseeing/Fielding SEO Content and Processes.
He was responsible for staying on top of operational SEO policies and how they proceed into field by reporting to the marketing manager. This position also required making suggestions about new methods to consider for the parent company’s six international websites to improve marketability and SEO performance. Steven Trustrum’s market research background is extremely helpful by providing a perspective that is not intuitive to most marketing personnel.
Newsletter Editing and Proofing
Managing content and proofing layout of four monthly print periodicals for four publishing regions (Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand.) Although they are client newsletters, they are essentially small magazines in terms of production quality. Involves editing the original copy, proofing the pre-press PDFs, and then proofing again following corrections.
Managing Web Content Work Flow
Includes overseeing and assigning work to a team or remote content freelancers, arranging payments, and then uploading the resulting content appropriately following editing for best SEO practices.
Online Public Relations and Response
Steven was tasked with finding and addressing instances of online complaints and customer concerns, as well as tracking and monitoring other aspects of online presence and representation. In many instances, he was able to turn an online negative customer complaint into a positive lead generation source.
Business Plan Editing
Edited business plans for the company’s (now defunct) business plan division. Aside from editing and proofing, Steven’s market research experience proved useful with regards to finding procedural and proposal errors that would have proven problematic for the client business.
2000 – 2009: Manager/IT Support Specialist, Consumer Vision, Ltd., Toronto, ON
Call Centre Manager, 2000
Steven was initially hired as the afternoon/evening shift call centre manager for this qualitative market research firm. He managed a dozen or more projects in the field simultaneously, managing as many as 40+ phone agents. Management duties entailed hiring, supervising, training, reviewing, and terminating phone agents while also managing junior supervisors.
On-Site IT Support, 2000-2009
Switched to providing on-site technical support to focus groups and the research facility at large as the relevance of technology-related research became more prevalent. Mostly, this involved setting up equipment (e.g., computers, recording equipment, response tracking gear) for focus groups that required it, as well as trouble shooting client equipment while the focus group research was in-session.
Other responsibilities include training other staff on the proper use of the facility equipment, maintaining the offices’ equipment, and helping project managers set up and quote expenses for technology-reliant projects during on-site and off-site events. This often required outside-of-the-box thinking to find a solution to unorthodox technical requirements and needs.
Steven also assisted in Enterprise Software Application development for the call centre. This was a custom-built software platform intended to computerize the call centre’s operations and project management. Input was provided into programming logic based on his combined knowledge of technology and market research processes.
Additionally, he consulted with the provider when the company moved, requiring all new equipment be installed at the new facility. This involved providing input on equipment purchases and set-up, calibration, and maintenance processes.
1997 – 2000: Manager/Supervisor, Hay Research International, Toronto, ON
Began as a phone operator, but was promoted to the call centre’s junior supervisor, and later as shift management after being sought out and re-hired to take on the latter position.
The management position involved scheduling, coordinating, and supervising staff activities and responsibilities.Field management control of the call centre’s workflow and field project management was also required, as was quality controlled via real-time monitoring and assessment of fieldwork, and performance reviews.
Steven was also responsible for staffing the call centre.
1997 – Present: Freelance Writer, Editor, Designer
Writing, editing, product, and graphic design for offset, Print-On Demand, and e-publications. (Recent projects include working on a game for DC Comics, winning an award in the process.) Steven is capable of taking on responsibility for all steps in the write-design-publish sequence (e.g., text, layout, graphic design.)
Steven Trustrum has an established history as a professional, published author. Combined, Steven has written or contributed to over 100 published products, for his own small press publishing company, Misfit Studios, and other companies.
He is capable of facilitating business growth and financial success through self-developed online advertising and consumer targeting, as well as by offering product licensing. He also has experience from both perspectives with regards to negotiating and developing contracts and maintaining team relations with hired talents (e.g., artists and associate writers.) Such practices also require he oversee and maintain project accounting requirements.
Skills / Talents
Here are just some of the skills and abilities Steven Trustrum brings to his work.
Digital/Web Accessibility
- Defect Auditing: Identifying content accessibility failures and creating solutions.
- Cross-Discipline Knowledge: Exceptional awareness of how design and development/coding issues and needs intersect with accessible content.
- Cross-Discipline Solutions: Incorporating content accessibility into design and development workflows and teams.
- a11y Training and Documentation: Creating and presenting accessibility training, policy, and processes.
- Advocacy: Empathy and awareness of issues and approaches from multiple accessible usability perspectives.
- a11y Tools: Experienced with a variety of accessibility tools (e.g., NVDA, Wave, Axe, Aslint.)
Search Engine Optimization and Online Content
- WordPress & DotNetNuke: Managing content and overseeing eight different sites simultaneously; using various methods to reduce website load times and improve performance and functionality; improving SEO performance.
- Content Curation: Identifying high-value, third-party content and devising strategies to utilize it via curation through client content channels.
- Blog Implementation and Management: Initiating topic-driven blog strategies for the purpose of audience growth, engagement, and conversion.
- Google Analytics & Webmaster Tools: Monitoring traffic and extracting search keywords for SEO purposes; using data to devise marketing strategies. Preparing periodic reports for operational management and boards.
- Website Performance Auditing: Analyzing websites to improve performance and usability.
- SEO: Extensive use of SEO techniques and methodologies, including devising and implementing better ways to utilize content in website structures.
- Freelancer Management: Recruiting, managing, and editing freelancer online content writers for best organic SEO results.
- Stakeholder Management: Engaging and recruiting third-party stakeholders to provide no-cost, high-engagement content.
- Experienced with Internet marketing and market research methods. This includes social media marketing.
Writing and Editing
- Writing: Advertisement copy, documented reports, professional letters, instruction manuals, articles, job postings, web content.
- Blogging: Writing high-engagement blog, SEO-enriched articles that convert.
- Editing and Proofreading: Web content, print publications (newsletters, games, novels.)
- Extensive portfolio of published works.
- Devising and writing style guides for freelance writers.
Technology, Data, and Design
- Operational Understanding and Use Of: Adobe Acrobat Professional, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver (PC)
- Content Management Systems: Extensive use of CMS dashboards and databases for member and client purposes, and content.
- Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, PowerPoint; includes mass email merging, document management, tracking document changes/comparisons.
- Website Development: Planning, designing, wireframing, managing, coding (HTML and CSS), and content development for commercial websites.
- Demonstrated graphic design experience, including layout, digital colouring w/graphics tablet.
- Proven IT/AV troubleshooting experience.
- Talent for learning and finding solutions with unfamiliar hardware and software.
Leadership
- Entrepreneurial Skills: Project management, advertising, account management.
- Content Strategy: Developing a multi-channel content strategy from the ground up; engaging and onboarding stakeholders into the strategy.
- Project and Personnel Management: On-site, online, and field supervision of 40+ staff; hiring and overseeing employees; conducting staff meetings; conflict mediation.
- Training: Direction and training in the development of required processes and skills.
- Self-Starter: Initiation of new tasks and policies; organizing group efforts; demonstrated initiative to learn and teach new skills; goal and task-oriented work ethics and methodologies.
Verbal Communication
- Presenting for Groups: Staff, administration, client representatives, assisting with research focus group moderation.
- Teamwork: Addressing and expressing opinions with tact; explaining difficult ideas and complex topics; addressing on- and off-line customer complaints; performance analysis; liaising between freelancers, clients, and management staff.
Education
Post-Secondary Education of Steven Trustrum
1994 – 1999 Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto
Major English Specialist
Minor Sociology
Related Courses Critical Thinking and Writing, Work and Industry, Ethnicity and Race Relations