38.78% of library
of 36 users — top DAM producer
Views | Downloads
Agency benchmarks (3 years)
I have given this organization 47 months. I want to give it the next decade — but not in the role I have now.
I arrived from an unpaid four-week practicum knowing this was the only place I wanted to be. I transitioned from a six-month contract to a full-time pillar of the creative team by proving, repeatedly, that I could be relied upon across every department, both brands, and every production format. That reliability is real. But reliability without structure has become a ceiling — for me and for the organization.
There is a significant, low-cost opportunity on the table: building an internal content pipeline — through supervised volunteers, practicum students, and emerging photojournalists — that feeds the DAM with a constant flow of assets at minimal cost. With the 2029 Centennial three years away, the organization needs more content, not less. The infrastructure to produce it already exists. This briefing is the proposal to activate it.
The data reflects a role operating well beyond its classification: 7,957+ assets under management, #1 of 36 DAM users, ~$1.2M in documented cost avoidance, and a project record spanning national partner campaigns for PETRONAS, Canadian Natural, Ovintiv, and London Drugs — alongside production for every major department across both organizations. Zero formal KPIs in 47 months. This document proposes the structure that changes that — and the vision for what creative operations at this organization can become.
There is an untapped internal content pipeline available to this organization — through supervised volunteers, high school photojournalism placements, and practicum students. These contributors can be guided, trained, and deployed at a fraction of the cost of external production. The infrastructure and expertise to manage them already exist.
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Volunteers and practicum students generate real assets under guided supervision — at near-zero cost
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A small equipment investment ($2K–$4K) enables a rotating contributor cohort zoo-wide
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The 2029 Centennial requires the largest asset build in the organization's history — this pipeline delivers it
Every major deliverable in this briefing maps to at least one of the organization's six strategic priorities — reflecting the cross-cutting nature of digital operations in a modern conservation organization.
Whooping Crane Recovery video (Canadian Natural $600K) · PETRONAS Tapir birth coverage · Biofact Series (94+ episodes)
DAM infrastructure (7,957+ assets) · In-house Staff Townhall · TOAST POS photography rollout
Gorillas on the Line/London Drugs · Washed Ashore (conservation exhibit sponsor) · Conservation Champions Festival
All-Staff Townhall in-house (win as one) · Enmax People Leaders Series Q1–Q4 · Zoo School Career Spotlight
Rainforest Aviary web relaunch · TOAST POS kiosk assets · Grazers Dining Series · IAAPA trade submission
ZooLights archive · Comprehensive event photography across all major milestones · Partner content building public profile
A record of cross-departmental digital operations across Calgary Zoo and Wilder Institute — from an initial practicum placement through to a role that now spans both organizations, every major department, and every significant content deliverable. Canada's most-visited zoo in 2023, serving 1.53 million visitors. Every campaign below was photographed, filmed, edited, and delivered by one person.
2022
Practicum Placement → Contract Role — Calgary Zoo
Joined the organization through a practicum placement prior to receiving a zoo email address in 2022 — the point at which formal operational responsibilities began. Demonstrated immediate and consistent value across Communications, earning a contract role without a structured onboarding or defined scope. Built the organization's digital asset management infrastructure in Canto from the ground up — taxonomy, folder architecture, and upload workflows that remain the operational backbone today. Launched photography and video production across Communications. Initiated the Biofact Series — a recurring educational content format, now in its third year with 94+ consecutive episodes published without interruption, distributed across Instagram (#BiofactFriday), YouTube Shorts (#YourZooYYC), and Facebook, reaching the zoo's 130,000+ Instagram followers and syndicated externally. Supported the inaugural Alberta Biodiversity Festival, drawing 18,000+ attendees.
Practicum → Contract · Canto DAM foundation · Biofact Series launched · Alberta Biodiversity Festival2023
Full-Time Conversion — Dual-Brand Scope Established
Advocated for and secured a permanent full-time position in 2023 — a transition earned through demonstrated reliability, cross-departmental output, and organizational trust built over the contract period. Scope simultaneously expanded to include Wilder Institute alongside Calgary Zoo — now managing two distinct brand identities, separate asset libraries, and independent stakeholder sets with no additional headcount. This was the year Calgary Zoo set a 90-year attendance record (1.53 million visitors) with over 32% year-over-year revenue growth. Key deliverables: Wildlife Trade Presentation for Conservation Science, Zoo Lights event photography, Conservation Champions Festival, and Canto taxonomy expansion across both organizations.
Contract → Full-Time (self-advocated) · Wilder Institute scope added · Record-breaking attendance year · Zoo Lights · Conservation Champions Festival2024
Cross-Institutional Production — Full Organizational Reach
Produced and directed the All-Staff Townhall livestream entirely in-house — replacing an external vendor contract and recognized org-wide as a flagship win as one outcome. Managed technical operations for the IUCN World Species Congress check for Wilder Institute. Delivered: London Drugs Gorillas on the Line conservation campaign assets, Enmax People Leaders Meeting video series (Q1–Q4), Grazers Dining Series photography, Rainforest Aviary web relaunch, and TOAST POS system food photography across Food & Beverage and IT. Supported the Wilder Bunch — photography and video coverage for live performances, parades, and event submissions. Began recording Animal Care team private training sessions on a recurring basis, with edited footage delivered the following business day — an unwritten but firmly established operational expectation. Townhall and manager meeting recordings consistently delivered next-day across both organizations.
Staff Townhall in-house · IUCN · London Drugs · Enmax Q1–Q4 · TOAST POS · Wilder Bunch · Animal Care trainings (next-day) · 10+ departments2025
National Conservation Partner Content & Education Programming
Provided photo and video coverage for the PETRONAS Tapir birth (#WatermelonWatch2025) — the zoo's first-ever Malayan tapir calf birth, subsequently covered by CBC, CTV, Daily Hive, and LiveWire Calgary. Delivered photo assets supporting the Ovintiv Wilder Academy ($225K education partnership). Documented the Washed Ashore exhibit — Canada's only 2025 showing of 15 marine-debris sculptures — across installation through deinstallation, including sponsor asset integration. Filmed and edited footage supporting the Whooping Crane Recovery program, tied to the Canadian Natural $600K partnership. Led the Zoo School Career Spotlight Series. Continued responsive coverage across ZooLights, IAAPA trade submission, Snowball staff event, and ongoing construction documentation for the Exploration Asia redevelopment — a multi-phase project expected to complete in 2028/2029, directly feeding into the 2029 Centennial build. All without a formal intake process, triage structure, or project visibility framework.
PETRONAS Tapir/WatermelonWatch (CBC/CTV) · Ovintiv Wilder Academy · Washed Ashore · Whooping Crane/Canadian Natural · Zoo School · ZooLights · IAAPAMar 2026
Role Alignment — March 2026
47 months of cross-departmental digital production across two organizations serving over 1.5 million visitors annually. 7,957+ assets. 10+ departments. 30+ stakeholders. Zero formal KPIs. The current structure is entirely reactive — every request arrives without formal intake, lead time, or project visibility. A current example: assigned to deliver video content for the Bow Habitat Station partnership with confirmed July deliverables — yet excluded from project communications, with no briefing, no creative direction, and no access to the partnership context needed to execute. Without intake authority or project visibility, this role absorbs accountability for outcomes it was never positioned to influence. With the 2029 Centennial three years away — and the largest redevelopment in the zoo's modern history already underway — the organization needs a content infrastructure that is proactive, scalable, and built to last. This meeting is the starting point for building it.
Structural alignment — not a renegotiation · Reactive by design is not a sustainable operational model7,957 assets represent 38.78% of the organization's entire content library. This volume is currently managed without a formal role mandate.
Over half of all DAM activity flows through one person. This is operational leadership — without the title or structure to match.
Ahmed produces 22× the average user's assets, drives 36× the average views, and 41× the average downloads. Values scaled for readability. Source: dam-cdo.db, 36 total users.
Video and photography combined represent ~92% of all documented production requests — well outside standard Digital Coordinator scope. Source: email request archive 2022–2026.
| KPI | Benchmark | Actual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content assets produced/managed | — | 7,957 | DAM system export |
| DAM utilization rank | — | #1 of 36 users | Hard data |
| Content views share (DAM) | — | 50.88% | Of total platform views |
| Content downloads share (DAM) | — | 53.67% | Of total platform downloads |
| Estimated cost avoidance | — | ~$1.2M | Agency rate benchmarks |
| Cross-departmental stakeholder reach | — | 30+ stakeholders | 10+ departments |
| Brands supported simultaneously | 1 | 2 | Calgary Zoo + Wilder Institute |
| Work type scope (production) | — | ~45% | Video + photography (outside standard Digital Coordinator scope) |
| Formal KPIs set by management | Standard practice | 0 | Gap — this meeting is the fix. |
94+ consecutive episodes. Every Friday. 3+ years. Zero interruptions.
Initiated and produced continuously since 2022 — distributed across Instagram (130K+ followers, #BiofactFriday), YouTube Shorts (#YourZooYYC), and Facebook. The organization's longest-running educational content format, syndicated externally and referenced by national media (CBC, CTV, Daily Hive, LiveWire Calgary).
Each episode covers a specific specimen or conservation concept — lemur dental combs, moose skulls, porcupine pelts, tapir ultrasounds, and more — produced, edited, and delivered on a fixed cadence without a dedicated budget, dedicated tooling, or a formal production mandate. A contracted media agency producing equivalent volume and consistency would represent a cost between $50,000 and $200,000.
This series is produced in-house, on schedule, as part of an unclassified scope.
Digital production at this organization does not operate within a single department. The following projects represent coordinated delivery across multiple internal teams and external partners — managed through one operational role.
| Project | Year | Departments / Partners | Deliverable | Strategic Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staff Townhall Livestream | 2024 | Communications · Facilities · IT · Executive | In-house livestream replacing external vendor contract | Strengthen Capacity |
| PETRONAS Tapir Birth (Watermelon Watch) | 2025 | Communications · Conservation Science · Animal Care · Marketing | Photo/video package · Media release assets · PETRONAS partner content | Grow Conservation Impact |
| Ovintiv Wilder Academy — Photo Assets | 2025 | Marketing · Conservation Education · Communications | Photography for $225K education partnership | Mobilize People |
| Washed Ashore Exhibit | 2025 | Conservation · Communications · Events · Facilities | Install/deinstall documentation · Training video · conservation exhibit sponsor assets | Mobilize People |
| Zoo School Career Spotlight Series | 2025 | Conservation Education · Marketing · Communications | Video series — Gregorash, Jarmula, Antonello, Souply | Mobilize People |
| Whooping Crane Recovery Video | 2024 | Conservation Science · Communications · Wilder Institute | Partner video for Canadian Natural conservation commitment | Grow Conservation Impact |
| Enmax People Leaders Meetings | 2024–2025 | People & Culture · Communications | Q1–Q4 recurring video for internal leadership series | Strengthen Capacity |
| London Drugs — Gorillas on the Line | 2024 | Marketing · Communications · Visitor Experience | Campaign photography and signage documentation | Mobilize People |
| ZooLights — Bigger, Brighter, Bolder | 2024–2025 | Events · Marketing · Communications | B-roll · photography · website assets for named campaign | Evolve the Zoo |
| TOAST POS System — Kiosk Photography | 2025 | IT · Food & Beverage · Concessions · Marketing | High-quality food and menu photography assets for zoo-wide TOAST point-of-sale kiosk rollout — delivered on rolling basis | Evolve the Zoo |
| Wilder Bunch — Live Performances & Event Coverage | 2023–2026 | Wilder Institute · Events · Communications | On-site photography and video coverage of Wilder Bunch parades, live performances, and public event submissions — responsive and recurring, no formal request process | Mobilize People |
| Animal Care — Private Training Documentation | 2023–2026 | Animal Care · Conservation Science | Recurring on-site video recording of keeper training sessions — edited footage delivered next business day for team review and internal documentation. Next-day turnaround is an established operational expectation, not a documented SLA. | Strengthen Our Capacity |
Three self-contained paths forward. Each is actionable independently. Each is additive. All three reflect infrastructure already in operation — the question is whether to formalize it.
A formal role definition that reflects 47 months of demonstrated cross-institutional scope — not a renegotiation, but a recognition of what is already happening. Compensation reviewed collaboratively against documented output and cost avoidance of ~$1.2M. The organization's equipment and Adobe CC are already in place. A jointly built KPI framework establishes the first formal performance baseline — giving both sides clarity, accountability, and a shared definition of success.
Key Actions:
• Role Definition — Formal scope acknowledgment reflecting cross-institutional responsibilities
• Salary Review — Market-aligned for cross-brand scope
• KPI Framework Launch — First formal metrics in 47 months
53.67% of all organizational content downloads flow through one contributor. A practicum placement or supervised volunteer pipeline distributes that load, builds redundancy into the system, and begins the transition from a reactive sole-contributor model to a managed content operation. With the 2029 Centennial approaching, the volume of assets this organization needs to produce is only going to increase — the time to build the pipeline is now, not in 2028.
Key Actions:
• Junior Resource Hire (~$40K–$50K)
• Workflow Documentation — Transferable within 90 days
• Capacity Planning Model — Reactive becomes managed
The equipment and software are already in place — zoo-provided and operational. The opportunity at Tier 3 is the team and the mandate: a junior resource to distribute production load, a formal cross-institutional digital strategy spanning Calgary Zoo and Wilder Institute, and a defined transition path from reactive sole-contributor model toward a managed digital operations function — with the current role evolving into one that directs, oversees, and acquires rather than executes everything alone. This is where the organization's content infrastructure becomes a genuine strategic asset.
Key Actions:
• Production Infrastructure — Already in Place (zoo-provided camera, lighting, Adobe CC)
• Education & Community Content Program
• Cross-Institutional Digital Strategy
These are the goals I would like to commit to — with leadership's support and input. Not a checklist of demands, but a shared starting point. Each one is designed to make the organization stronger, the content library richer, and the path to 2029 clearer.
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Formal scope definition agreed together — what this role covers, what it does not
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KPI framework drafted collaboratively — leadership defines the measures, I commit to them
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Bi-weekly check-in with CDO established — Tier 1 priorities and pipeline visibility
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Request intake process defined — single channel, agreed lead times, clear triage
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Volunteer Content Program launched — supervised shoots at events and exhibits, assets flowing to DAM
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High school photojournalism practicum partnership proposed — coordinated through Education and Volunteer departments
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Production workflow documentation complete — all active systems written and transferable
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Cross-brand content calendar aligned — Calgary Zoo and Wilder Institute on shared scheduling cadence
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Volunteer Content Program operational — rotating cohort producing consistent DAM assets
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First photojournalism practicum cohort complete — real placements, real assets, real pipeline
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First annual KPI review completed — results shared openly with leadership
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Asset library meaningfully expanded ahead of 2029 Centennial build
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Role operating with the scope, autonomy, and system to sustain itself
Three programs ready for the CDO's consideration — each built on existing infrastructure, each aligned to the strategic plan, and each directly relevant to the 2029 Centennial. The zoo's 100th anniversary will be its most documented, most celebrated, and most visible moment in a generation. These programs build the asset base, the community relationships, and the content systems that will make it exceptional. They are informal right now. Formalizing them is the difference.
A structured program in which supervised volunteers — coordinated through the Volunteer Department — are equipped with zoo-provided cameras and guided on-site at events, exhibits, and seasonal activations. Reviewed assets upload directly to the DAM, building the library continuously rather than in reactive bursts.
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Volunteer Department coordinates participant intake and scheduling
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Small equipment setup: 2–3 additional camera bodies ($2K–$4K one-time)
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On-site guidance by Digital Coordinator — contributors learn, organization gains assets
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Approved assets uploaded to DAM under structured taxonomy
A formal practicum offering for high school students in photography, journalism, or digital media — coordinated through Education and Volunteer departments, modelled on the Zoo School partnership infrastructure. Students get real-world conservation content experience. The organization gets a continuous intake of DAM-ready assets and fresh creative perspective.
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Proposed through Education — aligned to existing Zoo School infrastructure
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Supervised placement shifts aligned to the exhibit and event calendar
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Photojournalism briefs provided — students shoot with purpose
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Best assets selected, tagged, and added to DAM with attribution
A structured access program for community photographers and videographers.
A quota-controlled program (10–15 participants per quarter) offering Zoo access in exchange for a defined content contribution — minimum asset package, usage rights assignment, and direct DAM upload to Canto. Program coordination, intake, and asset management handled within the CDO function.
Requires: CDO mandate · Membership coordinationEducation visit days converted into a structured content production program.
In partnership with Conservation Education: designated school visit days (Zoo School program, Zoo Camp) operate as structured content events. Students receive a conservation-aligned creative brief. Selected work is featured on Calgary Zoo channels. Prize ladder aligned to Zoo access tiers. Asset output routed to DAM. Program builds on the existing Zoo School + Chevron partnership infrastructure already in place.
Requires: Conservation Education co-ownership · CDO authorityA formal mandate for digital operations across both organizations.
Content production, DAM governance, and digital communications have operated across both organizations through this role for three years. Projects include: PETRONAS tapir coverage, Whooping Crane Recovery (Canadian Natural), NCC conservation stories, Washed Ashore (conservation exhibit sponsor), and the Zoo School Career Spotlight Series. A formal cross-institutional mandate consolidates this into a defined, accountable structure.
Requires: Executive alignment — Calgary Zoo and Wilder InstituteThe 2029 Centennial is the largest storytelling opportunity in the organization's history. This is a three-year plan to build the content infrastructure, the contributor pipeline, and the asset library to meet it — at minimal cost, with maximum organizational benefit.
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Title and KPI framework formalized — first measurable year on record
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Bi-weekly CDO alignment established — Tier 1 priorities, not operational updates
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Practicum pipeline designed — intake criteria, mentorship structure, workflow onboarding
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First practicum or volunteer placement onboarded — production load begins to distribute
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Reactive model replaced with intake-based scheduling — lead times and triage defined
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Practicum pipeline active — rotating cohort of emerging creatives supporting production
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Role operating with expanded scope and autonomy — coordinating contributors, reviewing assets, directing shoots rather than executing everything alone
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Contractor spend significantly reduced or eliminated — internal capacity covers what was outsourced
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Conservation Through the Lens launched — first school cohort, first public contest cycle
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Community Creator Access Program delivering assets to DAM at scale
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Cross-institutional digital strategy fully operational — Calgary Zoo and Wilder Institute under one creative mandate
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Practicum pipeline self-sustaining — alumni network feeding back into the program
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High-value sponsorship and legacy content protected — no longer crowded out by reactive requests
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Digital creative function recognized as an organizational asset, not an overhead cost
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The 2029 Centennial is documented, celebrated, and archived — a permanent record of 100 years, built by a system that will outlast any single person in the role
The organization already has the equipment, the infrastructure, and the institutional knowledge. The only thing missing is the structure to deploy it. That is what this proposal builds.
Calgary Zoo | Digital Operations & Analytics
Organizational Briefing | March 2026
"47 months of cross-institutional production. Three years to the Centennial. This is the proposal that builds what comes next."